Zaden Update

So...Zaden turned 9 months old on May 24!  I'm sure one day I will look back and feel that his entire first year was a blur, the way I barely remember Arden's first year because of having a 3-year-old, 18-month-old, and newborn all at once.  But for now, I'm treasuring all the moments I can scoop up and stuff into my heart.

Normally I would have skipped the 9-month well-baby check-up, but since Zaden's weight has kind of been an issue, I figured I'd go ahead and schedule an appointment, especially since we were able to piggy back with some other errands at the hospital the same day.  Looking back at some of his stats...

2 months: 10 lbs, 15 oz (54th percentile)
4 months: 13 lbs, 9 oz (14%)
6 months: 15 lbs, 2 oz (7%)
9 months: 19 lbs, 5 oz (27%)

2 months: 23.3 in (84th percentile)
4 months: 26 in (76%)
6 months: 26.6 in (46%)
9 months: 28.5 in (50%)

So it was definitely nice to see that his weight is in a better range!  They asked me to bring him back for a check at the 7-month point, since he had dropped into the single digit percentiles.  I wasn't concerned, since he hadn't started solids until after he was 6 months old, so he was bound to gain weight once he was eating something besides breast milk!  As you can see, he definitely doesn't look like weight is a problem, ha!  Look at that double chin!

Some fun facts about Zaden:

• He is our first thumb-sucker!  It's so darn cute that it's pretty much impossible to discourage the habit!  It used to be he would only suck his thumb when he went into his bed or right after waking up, but he has started to pop that thumb in his mouth a lot during his waking hours, too.
• When we put him in bed (on his tummy, his preference), he sucks his left thumb and uses his right hand to stroke the hair on the top of his head.  A-DOR-able.
• He has a slight dimple on his left cheek.  This is rather a novelty for our family, although Lucan does have a slight dimple as well.  Stinkin' cute.
• While he looked like a little clone of Arden and Lucan the first few months of his life, he looks like a mini Ted now.  His smile, like his daddy's, totally rocks my world.
• Look out world--he's mobile!  He has the army-man crawl down pat!
• Tile floors are a bit of a deterrent at present, but I'm sure it won't be long before he'll be trying to explore the stairs.
• He's a great little eater but not terribly patient--once you put him in the highchair, you'd better make sure the food is ready to be shoveled in!
• His face totally lights up when someone smiles at him.  It's a good thing he is Number Six, because I think he'd be a very sad, lonely boy if he didn't have such a circus happening around him all the time.
• Seriously, he is the easiest baby I've had.  I'd have a dozen more kids if I knew they'd all be as easy as this boy!  He eats well, he sleeps well, he doesn't have any health issues, and he's so happy and easygoing that it is truly startling when he cries!