The Gregoire 4: Nine Months Old :: Shopping Carts and Protein!

The big news this week is that Ethan and Sophia got their first rides in shopping carts. Because most shopping carts have only one seat, one baby needs to be carried while the other one rides in the cart. Ethan graciously offered to ride in the cart while I carried Sophia in our ergo baby carrier. Ethan absolutely LOVED his cart ride. He beamed through the store, smiled at people, babbled, and grooved-out in the cart. Meanwhile, Sophia snuggled next to me and chewed on the ergo strap. Later in the week, we went to Costco and both Ethan and Sophia rode in a double cart. I am loving the newfound freedom to actually use a cart again! It also feels great to be able to leave the stroller in the car!

Aunt Jo-Ann came for dinner on Wednesday night and had fun playing with the kids. I gave her the update on our journey into cloth diapering. She thought my waxing about cloth diapers was hilarious! I am still having so much fun with it - and with 56 stairs between me and the washer/dryer, it's also turning out to be a new workout program for me!

We went to see Dr. Benjamin on Thursday for our 9-month check-up. Both Sophia and Ethan are healthy and growing well. Sophia is getting more and more mobile - while she's not officially crawling, she is rolling to where she wants to go. Ethan started clapping this week and is working on getting more teeth. Their 9-month stats are below:

Sophia
21 pounds (80th percentile)
29 inches tall (80th percentile)

Ethan
18 pounds 10 ounces (20th percentile)
28.5 inches tall (40th percentile)

We got the go-ahead from our pediatrician to start meats and protein. So far, Ethan and Sophia have had cereal (rice, oatmeal, barley), sweet potato, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, potato, peas, spinach, broccoli, green beans, swiss chard, carrots, bananas, peaches, apples, plums, pears, cheerios, zwieback toast, and gerber puffs. Today we added chicken, egg yolk, and tilapia (fish) to the mix. We were a little surprised and very glad that they enjoyed all three of the new items. The only things we need to avoid now are shellfish, raw honey, egg whites, and peanut butter... We're so excited that Sophia and Ethan can start to eat what we're eating!

Ethan enjoys his first ride in the cart...

While I don't have a picture of Sophia in the ergo (I need to get some shots of that - we have 2 ergos and use them a lot!), I thought I'd include a picture of one to show what it is... It operates a lot like a backpack and puts the baby's weight on your hips instead of your shoulders. I still carry our kids in front, but it is possible to use the ergo to carry a child on your back, piggyback style.

Ethan and Sophia in their new car seats... Ethan's car seat has a sports theme, and Sophia's has pink butterflies...

Aunt Jo-Ann came for dinner on Wednesday night and had fun playing with the kids. Ethan posed in his new cloth diaper while Aunt Jo-Ann made rabbit ears...

Aunt Jo-Ann, Sophia, and Ethan...

Later in the week we went to Costco. Ethan loved riding in the cart again. Sophia tried riding in the cart for the first time and while she liked it okay, she didn't find it to be the transcendent experience that Ethan had described to her...