Crawling, Crawling Everywhere

He did it! Last week Sebby figure out how to crawl on his knees! He has been doing commando crawling for a few months now and would even get up on his knees to balance but always lay back down on his belly to move.

Last Wednesday morning (September 21st), I put him down on his bedroom floor and he got up on his knees and crawled towards me! I wasn't sure if it was a fluke or if he had actually figured it out until I saw him do it again a few minutes later. 

I really knew he had it that afternoon when I called to him from the other room because I could hear him starting to get fussy. I walked to the doorway and he crawled towards me. I backed up to see if he would crawl a bit farther and he did so I backed up again. By that time he was getting quite upset with me because I was busy taking videos of him and wouldn't pick him up. I couldn't help it, it was just so cute to see him crawling towards me, crying loudly!

With just over a week of experience under his belt, he has already gained more independence as a result of this new skill. This morning I set him down then a minute later when I turned around, he was nowhere in sight. As I walked into the hall, I could see him scampering into the bathroom. He was just about to knock over the garbage can when I scooped him up and turned him around.

Looks like we'll be in for lots more fun and adventure as he continues to crawl faster while working on standing at the same tome.

A Video of Mommas Little Helper

I finally figured out how to get these videos off my phone and really wanted to post this one of Sebby helping check if the clothes were dry.

Eek! That laundry drying rack isn't very sturdy. Can't let him make a habit of helping with this chore.

A Day in The Life of "Mommas Little Helper"

I thought it would be fun to document a day in the life of our busy little 9 month old. Here are a few shots that I was able to capture on my phone in the midst of the chaos. 

Here goes...

Making sure the straps on his high chair are secure and then pushing it out of the way.

Helping get rid of things we don't need...like this Ikea catalogue!

Giving bunny an eye exam.

Finding the chocolate that Daddy hid from Momma! (This one is a bit dark because he found it in the bottom of our bedroom closet!!)

Making sure the washing machine is getting all the stains out of our clothes.

Cleaning up spilled rice so Momma doesn't have to scrub again.

Making sure there weren't any broken clothespins in the bin.

 

Whew, what a little helper!

Other activities that I didn't capture on camera: eating phone cords, pulling "baby books" off the shelves, disconnecting the internet (to prevent Momma from getting distracted?),  climbing the clothes drying rack (to see if the clothes were dry?).

Tips for childproofing and entertaining a 9 month old welcome!!!

9 months!

Wow, I can hardly believe that Sebby is 9 months! I think I write this every time but SO MUCH has happened over the past month.

He went from having one tooth to four, more like two and two half top teeth that are trying to push their way out and causing him lots of pain.

He is getting louder! He went from saying only "mama" to babbling regularly and even screaming. He still says "mama" most often but also says "ah ba", "ba ba," "mmm", spits and makes clicking noises with his mouth. He screeches loudly when he's excited like when Daddy comes home from work or when he wants something (like more grapes).

He has developed a love for grapes and rice cakes. Everything else I offer gets dropped off his tray on to the floor. He is getting more coordinated and better at picking up food and small pieces of dirt. When he eats bananas, he mostly squishes them between his fingers. He likes to eat other fruit when Daddy holds it and helps him.

He went from just barely being able to pull himself up to standing, to walking around the furniture and pulling himself up on everything. If I leave him on the ground, he crawls over and pulls himself up on my leg.

He also likes to walk around the house holding our hands but he especially loves to stand and jump in his crib, knocking the rails so hard that the whole crib shakes.

He still commando crawls most of the time, being particularly fast if he sees a cell phone or cord lying around. He also likes playing with wooden spoons, the Tupperware cupboard in the kitchen. He plays with one "real toys", a Thomas & Friends book that plays music.

Outdoors, he loves to watch the birds fly by, pull leaves off trees and swing in the park.

 Overall, Sebby has gotten so busy that the days seem to just be flying by! I can barely keep up with the blog or anything online because as soon as he sees the computer open, he pops over to help type...or bash on the keyboard!

Sebby's Latest Adventures with Food

He LOVES plums & nectaries. He climbed up and helped himself to this one!

He enjoys eating fruit out of his mesh feeder.

He loves packets of baby food puree and baby rice cakes with blueberry and raspberry. They're all he wants to eat some days. I think they feel good on his teething gums.

We're still confirming and discovering new food allergies, unfortunately...

He tried zucchini last week and he started scratching his face right away. I could hardly believe how red it got after a few tiny bites.

I tried a soy latte because I wasn't 100% sure if he was allergic to soy since I stopped it at the same time as dairy. Now we know he is allergic to soy too, as soon as I fed him, he started getting little red bumps on his face, back and belly.

Freedom

I am so thankful for the friends who commented and emailed about my last post on Sebby's eczema. It was so helpful to hear others experiences and be reminded that sometimes eczema isn't allergy related. After talking to Darren about it, we decided that I would go off the hypoallergenic diet right away since I'd given it a fair trial period (3 long months!) and it wasn't helping to clear up Sebby's skin.

It has been just over a week since I went off the hypoallergenic diet and I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders. It is great to be able to eat out again as I will not have to be so hyper vigilant.

I still have a few dietary restrictions on Sebby's account since we know for sure that he allergic to: dairy, peanuts, sweet potatoes, green beans and zucchini. Avoiding dairy is still a huge challenge but I'm almost adjusted to it by this point.

I have learned a lot through this process. I gained a lot of respect for people who have dietary restrictions of various types. I also experienced how good it feels to eat healthy all the time. As a result, I am making some changes to my diet.

- At home I'm going to continue to eat gluten free, using gluten free flour baking and buying gluten free pasta, oats, etc... for home. Thankfully, it is really easy and affordable to get gluten free flour and other ingredients in the UK.

- I'm going to continue to eat lots of fruit and vegetables and less processed food (like cereal) than previously.

And amazingly, Sebby's eczema has improved since I stopped the diet! Crazy, I know! We're not sure if it's a coincidence, if he's growing out of the eczema or if the tincture from the herbalist has started to kick in. Whatever it is, we're so thankful to see his face ALMOST back to normal!

Thanks again, friends!