Ollie: Nine Months

Wow this month has really snuck up on me. I felt like I had just gotten used to saying Ollie was 8 months old when all of the sudden I realised it was the 18th and one more month had gone by. 

Stats:

Weight: 8.85kg (46th percentile)

Height: Again, I have no idea. He looks longer now though.

Ollie really seems to be stacking on the weight lately! His thighs are so deliciously chunky, we’ve had more than one comparison to the Michelin man! Even Ella greeted him one morning with “hello my little fattie”. (Ok, she may have got that from me.) 

Sleeping

Ollie is still a super sleeper. We haven’t really changed anything in his routine since sleep school. He’s only awake for two hours between each nap, with three naps per day. He could probably be awake a little bit longer, but he sleeps so well that I’m afraid to change anything! He still sleeps through the night every night, usually for 11-11.5 hours. The other great thing about his routine is that anyone can put him down to sleep - even my dad! It’s given Andy and me so much more freedom. There is no point changing the routine before our move to Canada. Once we get there I will look at changing his routine so that he is awake longer and drops down to two naps during the day.

Feeding

Ollie has four milk feeds each day. In the morning and evening I breastfeed, and for his other two milk feeds he has a bottle of formula, anywhere between 150mL - 210mL. He also has three meals a day plus an afternoon snack. As I mentioned above, he loves his food! We do a mix of foods: some finger foods that he can feed himself and some that we spoon feed him. He loves feeding himself but it’s super messy. If you are spoon feeding him you need to be quick - Ollie is very vocal in between bites if he is hungry! 

Ollie will pretty much try anything, however we’ve noticed he can be fussy when we give him leftovers. He wants his meals freshly made, thank you very much!

Development & Play

• No crawling yet, which I’m grateful for given our upcoming flight to Toronto. I’m hoping he will happily sit and play with some toys in his bassinet for 10-15 minutes at at time at least! He does get pretty frustrated when he is trying to reach for something he can’t get.

• Ollie does get tired of sitting around and loves to be held while jumping up and down. He even prefers being held in a standing position and if you try to make him sit down he planks! If he is leaning up against the sofa he can actually “stand” for 30 seconds at a time. Those chunky legs are getting strong!

• We’ve had a few beach days this month and Ollie likes the water as long as it is not too cold. He also loves his bath and splashes around happily with his sister. When we get to Canada we will probably start baby swimming lessons like we did with Ella. The lessons have been so beneficial for her, she is super confident in the water and can even swim a few metres independently.

• Ollie is big enough for the swings at the park now which he has been enjoying (even though you can’t tell from this picture!)

• His newest favourite game is opening and shutting things (the door to the wardrobe in his room, or the doors on a little play kitchen). I am wracking my brain with ideas on what can open and shut on a plane!

• Like any baby, Ollie gets a real kick out of seeing himself in the mirror. Although, apparently he won’t actually realise it is him until he’s about 18 months!

• A bag or basket with lots of little toys is a great way to keep Ollie amused. He loves pulling out different things to explore (read: put in his mouth) He also loves this bead toy. It was never one of Ella's favourites, but it keeps Ollie entertained for ages.

• No new teeth this month - he still has just his four front teeth. They are pretty good for chewing food (or biting your fingers if you don’t take them away quick enough while feeding him!)

• Ollie loves my hair. He is mesmerised if I dangle a piece of hair above him. He also loves to grab it of course, which can be pretty painful. He grabs Ella’s hair as well, which of course she hates. If she’s getting in his face and he’s getting annoyed I can say “he’s going to grab your hair!” and she’ll usually back off.

• Ollie still loves, loves, loves walks in his pram. We try not to have him in there for a long period (so that he is active during his awake time, as recommended by sleep school), but if he is a bit fussy that always calms him down. He seems very intrigued by the world and is very observant, especially in a new environment or when there are new people around.

Overall Ollie is a pretty easy going baby at this point. He definitely loves being around people and is getting frustrated that he can’t move yet, but other than that he’s no problem at all! He is constantly changing and developing so it really is a very fun and exciting time with him.