The 9th Month Milestones

Well everyone, it's that time again! Time to wish my Monster another "Happy Month-iversary"! In celebration of Monster being on the outside as long as he was on the inside, we're going to go over his 9 month milestone checklist from What to Expect in the First Year.

Like previous months each thing is found in a section as follows:

By the end of this month your baby...
...should be able to:

• Work to get a toy out of reach - Check. Nothing is ever out of his reach unless it's on our dining room table or kitchen counter.
• Look for a dropped object - Check. Monster doesn't just drop his toys, he throws them.

...will probably be able to:

• Pull up to a standing position from sitting - No, for the last month he's been pulling himself up to one knee, and one foot. Just when I think he's about to fully stand, he flops onto his bum. 
• Get into a sitting position from stomach - Check! For a month now (basically since he started crawling) he's been able to get from his back to a sitting position. He rolls onto his stomach, and then sits up from the crawl position. 
• Object if you try to take a toy away - Check. We've moved on from here to "Tantrum if he realizes we've blocked off something he's not supposed to have".
• Stand holding on to someone or something - Check.
• Pick up a tiny object with any part of his thumb and finger - Check! Pincer grasp was mastered months ago when Cheerios were introduced into Monster's diet.
• Say "Mama" or "Dada" indiscriminately - CHECK!!! FINALLY! Monster started saying "Dada" three weeks ago when I returned to work, and now also says "Mama" and "Baba".
• Play peekaboo - Check! It's just not his favorite thing.

...may possibly be able to:

• Play patty-cake or wave bye-bye - Check! Monster has been waving for a few months now, but just started clapping about 2 weeks ago! I love clapping.
• Walk holding on to furniture - No, he can only walk while holding on to someones hands
• Understand the work "No" but not always obey it - I think so. He definitely doesn't obey it all the time.

...may even be able to:

• "Play Ball" (Roll back and forth to you) - We've never tried, I will certainly get back to you on that one.
• Drink from a cup independently - He can use a sippy cup independently and he can drink from a regular cup, but I've never leave him a lone with a cup with no lid. That is just a mess waiting to happen.
• Stand alone momentarily - No, most certainly not.
• Stand alone well - No, most certainly not!
• Say "Dada" and "Mama"  - I would like to think he knows who he's talking to or about... But I can't be sure.
• Say one word other then Mama or Dada - He says "Hi", "Hey", and "Baba"... But I honestly don't think he knows what he's saying.
• Responds to one-step commands with gestures - Check. Monster definitely knows what "Let go" and "Come here" means.

Here you have it! I am confident that Monster will reach and surpass all his goals by the end of this month considering he can do a lot on the list as it stands!