The kid, he is 8.5 months old, and over the past couple of weeks the changes have really been accelerating. (I know from your blogs that many of you with younger babies, sometimes much younger, have already hit some of the milestones he is just now hitting, but we are making progress and still within the range of normal, people, so I am not worried!)
Mobility: He’s about as mobile as a baby who does not crawl can be. He scooches forwards, but mostly backwards on his tummy, and spins in circles. He gets from sitting to his belly with a certain amount of grace and back to sitting. He pushes up on his hands and knees and rocks and he pushes up on his hands and feet, looking like he’s about to do a pushup. I had ten bucks riding on today being the day he would actually crawl, since I had to spend it at the office, but he held out! I’m making sure to appreciate and enjoy these last moments before he gets really mobile.
Communication: Whereas babbling was formerly limited to aah and hoo hoo, other sounds have now made an appearance. He recognizes his name and will look at me when I say it. If he feels like it. He seems to recognize the sign/word for "milk" and calm down when I make the sign/say the word. If I ask him to pick up Monkey, he will pick him up and give him a good gnaw. (Luckily we have four of these, in constant rotation because they’re always soaked with drool!)
Food: He eats a wide variety of fruits and veggies, yogurt, turkey, and cheerios halves and biter biscuits that he can feed himself.
Slobber factor: I know the amount of drool is out of the ordinary, because people are always asking if he’s teething. I mean, sure, sometimes he is, but what’s that got to do with anything? From the age of 2 months, he’s had to have a bib on constantly or he will soak through his shirt in minutes. We go through roughly 5 per day, not including mealtime bibs. If I lift him up to kiss his belly, I am risking a hot glob of drool landing on my forehead and rolling down into my eye. Even though it’s my kid, it’s pretty gross. Not that that stops me because, oh, the giggles! Which brings me to…
Personality: So cute, so sweet. He’s a quiet observer who can watch other kids play or focus on a toy or two for half an hour. The truth is that we’re never sorry when he wakes in hysterics at night, because after the blood-curdling screams stop, he’s a giggling, babbling delight and I’m always sorry when we have to put him back to bed.
Your son sounds very similar to my little guy at that age. He was the KING drooler. One thing I was told however, is that babies salivary glands begin to develop/mature around 6-weeks. If your kid has extra-sensitive drool makers, they are going to be a drooler. Once they can handle swallowing it and it begins to bother them, it stops. My son got his first tooth at 10 months, but stopped drooling completely at 9.
More antecdotal stories… If Gatito continues to develop in the same way he seems destined for, you are going to have one awesome toddler on your hands. My son loves to sit in a chair and “read” books to himself. He is sweet, engaging and has a smile for everyone. When we get to a play group, the other kids sit on his lap and kiss him. He is also very big for his age (29 lbs., 36″ at 17-months.)
Gatito sounds wonderful and I’m so happy for you.
Gatito sounds like an absolute delight! Delurking simply to say what fun it has been to read about the changes with your son and your family! Having followed your blog since before you were pregnant with Gatito, I’ve enjoyed your witty accounts of family life and overall adjustment to a child. For several years now I’ve been considering the no-turning-back world of parenthood, but I’m fickle and can easily be disheartened thinking of the many responsibilities of a parent. Your words continue to make me desire motherhood a bit more and more…Thanks!
Sweet, happy boy. How lucky you are to have your little firey-headed wonder.
I am sure he will not still be drooling in college.
You guys are going to have a wonderful trip to Germany.
My daughter is almost 20 months old and has only now stopped drooling thru multiple bibs a day. She’s always been a champion drooler, too. I swear, sometimes she gets so into what she’s doing that she just forgets to suck up her spit. My classy little girl.
My daughter is almost 20 months old and has only now stopped drooling thru multiple bibs a day. She’s always been a champion drooler, too. I swear, sometimes she gets so into what she’s doing that she just forgets to suck up her spit. My classy little girl.
Drool is good! It means your babe is well-hydrated. At least that’s what a nurse once told me anyway.
Smacky took his time getting around to crawling – I think it was at about 10 months when he really started scooting on his own, and didn’t master classic knees/hands crawling until 11+ months or so.
G sounds like such a sweetie. What a blessing!