Baby Jail

I'm thinking Jaxon might need one of these for Christmas.

Maybe we'll be sweet and get him this one so he can have a little fun while he's in baby jail. Doesn't this baby look like she's having fun in her little baby jail?

I used to think these things were for lazy parents who couldn't be bothered to babyproof or watch their kids. But now Jaxon's here. And now I understand that these are also for tired parents. Jaxon is constantly into everything he can possibly get into. He is obsessed with cords of all kinds. We have outlet covers on the outlets, and we've moved everything else out of here that needs to be plugged in (or covered the plugs with furniture) and now only have one lamp in our living room. Jaxon seeks it out and unplugs it. 


We have stairs that lead down to the girls room in the finished basement. He listens for them to come up and heads for their door in the hopes that they will forget to close it and he can dive down the stairs. He pulls our vents out of the floor. He can spot tiny toys or bits of paper across the room and he will go after them and put them in his mouth as soon as he sees them. Did you lose a pencil or a tiny Lego? Rest assured, Jaxon will find it. Today he found a dime that had fallen out of Jason's pocket. Luckily, we are always right with him so we can "rescue" him. 


This boy is busy, busy and he really keeps me on my toes. He has also convinced me that no matter how much you babyproof, a kid can find something to get into or eat or use to get hurt. There is really no substitute for parental supervision, I guess! 


But still, a baby jail might be nice every once in a while when Mommy needs a break... 

Do you have a busy baby or toddler? Do you have a "safe place" where you can put them when you need a few minutes to yourself?

The Strong Willed Baby - Jaxon at 9 months

Jaxon is now 9 months old. He actually was 9 months old a few days ago but I wanted to wait until I had his nine month checkup to post his official weight and height. At his doctor's appointment, he weighed 19 lbs and 8 oz and is 29 inches. He's 75th percentile for height, and 50th for weight - he's been in roughly the same percentiles since birth. 

Reading a book with Daddy while waiting at the doctor's office

He has now been outside of me for as long as he was in me. Why does time go by so very slowly while you're pregnant and so very quickly once the baby is born?


Jaxon is cruising around all of our furniture. He pulls up on everything. He is into everything. He has to be watched constantly. The bathroom doors have to stay shut because he has discovered that he can tip over the trash cans and find fun things to play with. He also discovered the toilet. Babyproofing has proved to be a challenge this time around. His three older siblings do things like remove outlet covers and forget to replace them and drop everything from beads to leaves to pencils that he later finds. I can't leave him alone in a room for more than 30 seconds. He goes with me to the bathroom, or has to be put in a pack and play or crib everytime I need to do something without him. I started using the back carry in the Ergo recently and he loved it - that has allowed me to make lunch for the older kids and do some things in the kitchen that used to be hard with him.


He has no fear. He climbs stairs very well. He thinks he can go down them as well...he certainly would try if I would let him.


But he also cries every time he gets hurt. He is not a kid who barely notices when he bumps his head. He cries with tears and a lot of drama. 


He has one tooth on the bottom and seems to be working on a second tooth on the bottom. He's been a good teether so far. He's not very fussy and it mostly just results in longer naps and restless nights for him. Thankfully, he has not yet used that tooth to bite me. He still loves breastfeeding, but he also loves eating anything else. He will put anything in his mouth, even if it's not food (he seems to have a fondness for paper). He loves yogurt melts and the Gerber Lil' Crunchies -all flavors. He also likes yogurt and frozen yogurt. As for pureed foods, he loves mango, peaches, pears with cinnamon, avocado, kiwi, and banana (but not from a jar). He loves the Happy Baby brand of pouch foods, with the spinach mango pear flavor being his favorite. He also loves pretty much anything I'm eating including grilled chicken from a Zaxby's salad, vegetable soup, pasta, or french fries.

One of my favorite parts of nursing- the little breaks he takes to smile up at me :)

He's jabbering up a storm but he only has one new word that I can think of right now. He'll say poopoo when he has a poopoo, but only after we ask him "Do you have a poopoo?". He says mama more now, though it comes out more like ma-mom and is always said in a whiny "I need you now" voice. 


He loves the swings and being outside at the park. He still likes being in the stroller, though he does not tolerate the sling as well these days. He seems to prefer the Ergo. He is much louder in church now and will probably have to start going in the nursery soon. Up until now, I've worn him in a sling every Sunday as I go about my tasks there.


His favorite things in our house are my husband's computer, the power cords to our computer, our phones, and the vacuum cleaner. He LOVES the vacuum cleaner. He will just sit and stare at it. When I vacuum he crawls around behind me following me, in awe of it. He has plenty of toys, but they seem to take a back seat to our gadgets and things. He clearly thinks he is older than he really is. Shopping for him for Christmas has been difficult. Jason and I both look at toys that are technically too old for him, and the things that are on the baby aisle seem to be "too babyish" for him. Then we have to remind ourselves that he is still a baby.


Jaxon is a very fun, smart boy who seems like he is going to be strong willed. He knows what he wants and what he likes and he will persist until he gets what he is after. 


Do you have a strong willed baby or toddler? What types of things do they do that demonstrate their strong will?





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