Hellobee

Panda turned nine months and continues to remind us just how different our two boys are. Panda likes to show us exactly why babyproofing is important (we did almost zero babyproofing the first time around) and always seems to get himself into the most awkward situations as he explores our home. He is still the happiest little guy and we feel so lucky to have such an easygoing second child.

Panda refuses to sit still on the couch for a posed monthly photo!

Teeth: Panda now has seven teeth, with his top two teeth finally making their way in! He has four upper teeth and three lower teeth.

Eating: Panda pretty much eats everything nowadays. We give him what we eat, though we’re still struggling to get him to take small bites of apples and swallow before taking the next bite. I don’t know what it is about apples, but it is the one food that he consistently gags on. His favorite foods this month are edamame, lima beans, strawberries, raspberries, and white fish.

Trying to bottle feed himself.

Sleeping: Overall, Panda’s sleep has been much better than it was a month ago. Thankfully, he hasn’t hit a huge developmental milestone this month, after learning to crawl, stand, cruise and clap within a two-week period last month. He continues to fall asleep easily and without any sleep crutches, but sometimes relies on a pacifier to get back to sleep at night. We’ve been trying to let him fuss a bit more in the middle of the night, crossing our fingers that he doesn’t wake Lion up, and it seems like he gets himself back down to sleep most of the time by chewing on his lovey.

Favorite activities: Lion continues to be the biggest person/thing of interest for Panda. He enjoys following his big brother around now that he is mobile. He also loves to pull himself up to a standing position and tries climbing the stairs. We never bothered to put up a baby gate with Lion, because he never wanted to climb the stairs unless we were right there behind him; Panda definitely does not have the cautious sensibilities of his brother.

Two minutes after this photo was taken, he got himself caught in the legs of the stool and couldn’t find his way out.

Panda also enjoys exploring our home and getting himself caught up in all sorts of crazy positions. He will consistently push a ball around, chasing it underneath tables and chairs, then somehow manage to get himself stuck in between the legs of our bar stools or chairs. Today, I found him stuck halfway underneath our buffet/sideboard when he apparently spotted a small red ball underneath. With Lion, other than changing out our outlets with childproof plates, we didn’t do any babyproofing. Lion was super cautious, never put things in his mouth, and always wanted us to follow him around. By contrast, Panda is very independent and whenever we turn around, he seems to have disappeared. Panda explores everything with his mouth, doesn’t spit out inedible food, and throws caution to the wind. He is more of an adventurer, while Lion was more of an observer.

Fearlessly crawling and climbing!

Panda loves to pull himself up to a standing position and cruise a bit. He likes to practice walking and always gets a big grin on his face when he takes steps forward while holding our hands.

One of his favorite toys is the play kitchen. He is obsessed with pulling himself up to stand, banging the pots and pans on the stove, opening and closing the oven door, and sliding the drawer open. I think Panda gets more use out of the play kitchen than Lion does nowadays!

Milestones: Panda is crawling very well and cruising a bit, now. He is trying to stand independently, but falls every time. These falls don’t seem to deter him, or he doesn’t seem to have a long memory, because he is constantly letting go of whatever is supporting him.

We love watching Lion and Panda play together! These two!