Oh what do you do in the summertime?

Splash in the pool!

If we don't hit the community pool or go swim at a friend's house, we have fun in our teeny tiny pool in the backyard every day. Jasper can sit and splash for a good 30 minutes. Today we got together with 10 or so mom's from church and their kids at our community pool and Jasper and I stayed in for an hour straight. He loves the water! In our tiny backyard pool he likes to try and climb out of the pool and touch the fake grass or pick up a rock or two to bring into the pool. Yesterday he stood up in the middle of the pool all by himself a few times. I just know he is going to be walking soon. Today in the big pool I drug him around on a fun noodle for most of the time and he had a grand time. It was pretty noisy and with a lot of splashing going on with the big kids, but he did just fine. He has this funny little choking type noise that he does when he likes something and gets excited that he was doing for a while, as we swam around to say hi to different moms and kids at the pool. I asked Mike if he thought this meant that Jasper is going to have a speech problem or something. Mike thinks that Jasper has figured out how to make a new noise and is just having fun with it.

We have been working on a lot of chores around the house the last two days, and Jasper just follows me wherever I go and plays at my feet. I feel like I am on my mission and have a companion with me wherever I go. He really likes the fridge and freezer. When I open either of them he makes a beeline to get inside and get a hold of a shelf before I close the door. He also LOVES it when I open the pots and pans cupboard. Yesterday he entertained himself with a wok pan for 15 minutes. He tries to pull the silverware out of the cutlery tray of the dishwasher and LOVES to pull the folded clothes back out of the laundry basket.

I started feeding him watermelon yesterday and he seems to really like it. Nothing like cold watermelon on a hot day!

9 months and counting

Last Friday I took Jasper to see Dr. LaMotte for his 9 month check-up. Mike was scheduled to come, as he has done for every other well check. Mike had a client meeting come up a few days before the appointment, and I told Mike not to worry -- we would go alone. Besides -- this check-up did NOT involve shots. Of course we got there only to find out today was a blood draw AND they were going to give Jasper one of the shots they were out of last time. :>

Jasper is not really a big kid. When he was 3 months old he was a chunk-o, but he seems to have really thinned out. And now that is constantly on the go, I am sure he will stay long and lean. Mike and I always joke that pound for pound he is the most fit member of our family. :>

Here's Jasper's stats at 9 months plus 1 week:
27 1/ 2 inches long (10 - 25 percentile)
18 lbs 12 oz (10 - 25 percentile)
45 1/2 cm head circumference (50 - 75 percentile)

One thing that is nice about not being a BRAND NEW mom is that I have learned to not worry so much about things, including statistics. If you want to know how bad I was....I remember when the story came out about the 41 lb baby who was only 8 months old in China. This was right at the time when Jasper was a little double-chinned pork chop. So of course I wondered if Jasper was headed down the 41 lb. path. Silly new mom me!