8.5 months!

Karl turns 9 months on July 10th. I can hardly believe my little baby is that old. I remember my father saying to me at the age of 6 or 7 "I wish I could put a brick on the top of your head and stop you from growing". I feel the same way! Karl is such a sweet and happy boy. Here are some Karl updates.

1- Karl is close to walking. He can pull himself up like a champ and is now letting go with both hands and standing on his own for a second before falling to the ground. This is a fine thing to do most times, but Karl has been known to stand on our first step, smile at me, let go and then fall straight back and whack his head. He also did this at the bottom of his highchair and fell forward knocking his forehead into the base of the seat. Poor boy. He's fine, just a little bruised everywhere. From all the standing his big toes have started to feel the wear. They are red and sore.

You may have to click on this picture to enlarge it.

2- Vampire baby now has 5 teeth (almost 6). Since his incisor came in next to his canines he has unknowingly begun biting me while nursing. It hurts, but usually only happens when he is half asleep. Here is a picture of Karl in true vampire form. Also, note the bruise on his forehead from the highchair incident mentioned above.

3- Karl sure hates to be away from me when we are at home. He especially hates when I hand him off to Erik because it usually means that I am going to do something for a while. If we are out at church or somewhere that toys or new faces can distract him he doesn't mind if I am not in sight. Strange baby. This is usually the face that Erik gets to handle at home when I am not near.


4- If I am at home and just not paying full attention to him I generally hear crying/whining getting closer to me. In the kitchen I will feel two little hands on the back of my legs and if I am sitting on the bed I will see the top of a head at the end of the bed shuffling along until he reaches my side.

Sadly, in this picture Karl walked all the way around to my side of the bed to discover "DADDY!?! Noooo"



5- Karl is getting the hang of eating- still won't eat purees- but is happy to chomp away on things he can pick up with his hands. Charlie has also discovered that the highchair is a magical place just waiting for his nose and mouth to find tasty treats. After dinner our dog is very helpful and cleans up any remaining crumbs underneath the highchair.

6- Karl loves reading books. On our way to a pool party we discovered he had fallen asleep while reading. It must have been some intense plot line!


7- Karl loves shaking things. Anything you put in his hands will get a good shake. He really loves rattles. Oh boy! We went to the pool yesterday and Karl found many things to shake- a hat & goggles!



Incidentally...I just noticed Karl shaking one of Erik's socks while I wrote this.

8- We should have named him Karl Empathy Sax. If Karl hears another baby crying he will chime in with his own wails until the other parent attends to their baby. It is awfully sweet, but can make for trouble in densely baby populated areas.

Overall, Karl is a wonderful child. He is happy most of the time and loves being with people. I look forward to seeing him take his first step and say his first word...but I also wish that he would be a baby for longer.