Happy Halloween!

Even though Brennan didn't go trick-or-treating this year, he still dressed up an adorable skeleton! He enjoyed seeing some of the neighborhood kids in costume come to our door before heading to bed.

Tackling Table Food

Brennan is beginning to feed himself! He's able to successfully feed himself fruit puffs and Cheerios. He does much better when only offered a small number of food items and ranges from using a pincher grasp to grabbing a handful and hoping one makes it in his mouth. He also enjoys eating small bites of fruit and veggies from Mommy and Daddy's meals.

Home Sweet Home

Today marks the one year anniversary of officially living in our home! What a year it has been!

To help celebrate the one year mark (ok, it was just coincidence...) my parents came for a visit and installed our custom Mealy-made curtains. They can be raised/lowered from the top and bottom and look wonderful in our family room!

9 Month Stats

Brennan had his nine month doctor appointment today.

Current stats:
Weight: 21 lbs, 14.5 oz
Height: 29.5 inches
Head circumference: 45.5 cm

The doctor and nurse were impressed with Brennan's tolerance and personality. He happily complied with all of the exams and enjoyed playing with the tongue depressor he was given. Brennan's eczema has been under control since his last appointment, but we had the discussion that he appears to have inherited Mommy's sensitive skin. For example, sometimes his sides become dry exactly where you would hold him when picking him up, nearly in the shape of hands. The doctor also commented that Brennan will be good friends with sunscreen next summer! For now, we'll continue twice daily lotion application and daily baths.

Mr. Photogenic, Again!

Brennan's 9 month photo shoot!

9 Months Old!

How is it that Brennan is already 9 months old?! We often find ourselves in awe when watching him play, learn, and investigate the world around him. We are so very blessed!

~He pulls himself to standing on almost everything...couches, dining room chairs, toys, bathtub, and crib railing. Since he's pulling himself up in bed, his mattress is now on the lowest setting.
~He continues to love eating! Currently, he nurses/has a bottle 6 times a day. He has a fruit for breakfast, a fruit/vegetable/grain for lunch, and a vegetable and grain for dinner. He eats a combination of homemade and store bought food. Recently, he hasn't liked the texture of homemade veggies. We plan to try different cooking/pureeing methods to see if it makes a difference. He also enjoys eating fruit puffs and Cheerios, although he hasn't mastered feeding himself. After refusing to drink from a sippy cup, we removed the valve in his cups for a few days. He's doing much better and is drinking more water with his dinner.
~Brennan loves books! He enjoys looking at them by himself and being read to. He's able to lift flaps and turn pages. Recently, he's begun to talk quietly when looking at books by himself. We like to think that he's reading them to himself.
~When verbally prompted and sometimes modeled, he waves hello and goodbye. He also likes to give "high fives".
~He's a very proficient crawler. His speed increases every day and he's able to move around on different surfaces-carpet, tile, bathtub, and hardwood floors.
~He's wearing 12 month size clothes. We'll have more specific stats after his doctor appointment next week.
~We joke that he is a "demolition man." Usually, when he sees toys stacked, he'll quickly crawl to them and knock them over.
~He goes to bed between 7-7:30 and wakes up around 6:30. At times, he'll wake once overnight to eat. Since he's unable to gracefully return to laying from sitting, he may need help laying back down if he sat up in the middle of the night. He takes 2 naps during the day, ranging from 1-2.5 hours, at 9am and 1pm. He also takes a cat nap around 4:30.
~He's finally taken a break from teething after cutting 8 teeth in 2 months. We brush his teeth daily with a baby toothbrush. He doesn't mind brushing his bottom teeth, but will quickly shut his mouth and turn his head when we brush his top teeth.
~He continues to be very observant and loves to investigate. Although, if he's focused on a book, he doesn't notice much else around him.
~After a long day at work, nothing is better than coming home and having Brennan's face light up in a huge smile and crawl directly towards you upon your arrival!

First Hair Cut!

Brennan had his first hair cut tonight, courtesy of Mommy and Daddy! Originally, we thought of taking him to a professional to get it cut, but decided we could do it ourselves. We wanted to keep his adorable curls, so we didn't cut off too much. The little we did trim made a big difference! Brennan behaved wonderfully! He was kept entertained through toys, fruit puffs, and a book.

Pre-Cut




Hair Cutting Entertainment


Big Boy Haircut!

Feed Me!

Brennan continues to demonstrate his love for food. Within the past week we've:
-Increased his four daytime bottles from 6 to 7 oz each
-Added lunch of either a fruit, veggie, grain, or combination
-Introduced fruit puffs
-Introduced Cheerios

He tries to feed himself puffs and Cheerios, but hasn't been successful yet.

Crib crawling and waves

Brennan hasn't shown much interest in rolling from his back to his belly for weeks, leaving him "stuck" when laying on his back. He always sleeps on his back, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw him crawling on all fours in his crib this morning! Since he can easily pull himself up from sitting/crawling, we lowered his crib mattress another notch this evening.

He has also started imitating waves. The past few days, I've received a full-arm wave goodbye in the morning!