Owen at 9 Months

In a family of high strung people, Owen's equanimity is a standout. We noticed he was getting a little on the cranky side before realizing that he had a cold, an ear infection and four teeth coming in all at the same time.  He was remarkably uncomplaining throughout.  It's not that he's Buddha-like by any stretch. He has opinions. He is very clear about wanting to control what goes in his mouth and when he is no longer entertained by his current activity.  He makes determined efforts to launch himself out of grocery carts. That being said, he handles the day to day inconveniences of life with remarkable aplomb and friendly smile.

Owen is marching through baby developmental stages far too quickly. He taught himself how to use a sippy cup. He has developed a very efficient backwards army crawl which while perhaps not graceful, allows him to effectively tackle Pumpkin and get into his brother's toys. Why it is that Pumpkin allows herself to be pinned repeatedly to the rug by a relatively slow moving baby remains a mystery. He still thinks his brother is the greatest thing ever. Matthew has learned two excellent baby redirection techniques for when Owen starts dismantling his train tracks. One is just to bring Owen a more appropriate toy. The other is to roll Owen away from whatever he's into. While this latter requires some supervision, Owen thinks being rolled around by his big brother is hilarious.

It's hard to say whether Matthew and Owen will have a younger sibling. At the moment, there are more days where we think that's a crazy idea than days that we imagine enlarging our family.  Since we may not have another baby in our house, we are taking every opportunity to enjoy Owen at his current stage and that's been very nice.  We should probably be letting him fall asleep on his own at night, but we like to snuggle him and he likes to hold onto our finger while he's falling asleep. How can we pass that up?

Stats at 9 months:

Weight: 23 lbs, 4.25 oz - 85%

Height: 28.75 inches - 65%

Head Circumference: 47.25 cm - 95%