The Reynolds-Hales: 9 months...

Cole and I are finally better after being sick for two weeks. It was a busy two weeks though despite being sick. Cole had his 9 month well check. He was sick at the time but otherwise healthy. He was 30 inches long (92%) and 22 lbs. 12 oz. (84%). Although he was kicking and screaming and trying to climb off the scale so I'm not sure how accurate the reading was. I can't believe Cole is 9 months already! He has really developed so much lately. He's starting to stand for 5-10 seconds by himself and even tries taking a step or two. It's funny because it's like he thinks he can walk but then his legs don't do what they're supposed to do and he falls forward. He's working at it very hard though. He is also getting super vocal and will just talk away to himself. Sometimes when he's playing with his toys, he'll suddenly start laughing to himself. Like he just thought of something really funny. It's so cool to see him do these things. He also has his 3rd tooth coming in on top.

Cole talking to himself (he was sick too)

Today, Cole saw his bag that I always put his toys and snacks in when we leave the house. It was sitting on a chair in the dining room. He grabbed the bag down to the floor and rummaged through it until he found a package of rice rusks. And then he just sat there and cried until I came over and opened it for him. It was just after breakfast but I figured since I was eating a piece of Dove chocolate after breakfast, he could have a snack too. I guess snacking is hereditary.

Cole has also been doing this new thing lately when he doesn't want to go in the carseat, stroller, highchair or lay on the changing table. He straightens his legs, arches his back and turns. And he is a strong little guy! Which makes it almost impossible to get him into a sitting position when he does this. I figured out that if I wait until he gets a little tired out, I can get him to sit down. But sometimes I have to stand in the parking lot and wait for a while before we can leave. Not sure where he gets that stubborness from... but he has no idea who he's messing with :)

I also recently joined a moms group to meet other moms and so Cole could make some friends. We went to our first meet up at the New Children's Museum downtown. I think some of the moms cancelled last minute or showed up late because I only met/found 2 other moms in the group. They had a toddler time where kids could paint, bang on drums or play with building blocks. Cole was totally overwhelmed and cried while clinging to my neck when I tried to get him to play with anything. I guess he's not used to being around so many loud babies/kids. On Monday we went to the Encinitas Community Center to see this one-man kids band called Hoolabaloo play. Cole was still pretty clingy at first but warmed up by the end and managed to crack a few smiles. He still didn't let me put him down though. It's funny to see how much bigger Cole is than other older baby boys.

The scene at the Hoolabaloo concert

I guess Cole is going through a stage right now (or I should probably say I hope). He is just super clingy and doesn't want me to leave him. I think he's noticed that every time he starts to play by himself I suddenly disappear to do a quick load of laundry, get something to eat or go to the bathroom. Now, he doesn't want me to leave the room. As soon as it seems like I'm walking away, panic sets in... poor guy.

So Cole has been putting anything and everything in his mouth. Here are some examples of things I've fished out of Cole's mouth in the last couple weeks.