Otso's 9th Month

Summary
Otso is still very cheerful except while we are trying to put him to bed. He is moving toward different toys and seems to be growing at a nice pace.

Events
23.6 8 Month checkup at Helsestasjon
26.6 grandpa and mama dollie arrived!
27.6 trip to Byrkjedalstunet 
28.6 train to Oslo, got to ride in the family car
29.6 hop on hop off bus in Oslo
30.6 train to Bergen
1.7 Flöibanen ride, bus to Stavanger
4.7 fever and first suppository pain killer
8.7 flight to Helsinki
9.7 drive to Nakkila
11.7 beach in Harjavalta
12.7 mökki with Kari family
13.7 yyteri beach with Sami and Ilona
14.7 cousins arrive in Nakkila
16.7 farm at Koivuniemen Herra (MuuMaa)
17.7 first concert at Pori Jazz festival (Bob Dylan, Suzanne Vega)
20.7 drive to Helsinki, first word?

Play / Development
He loves to move around. He seems to be involving both arms and his right leg in his "creeping". He still can't quite get from a sitting position by himself.

He and his cousin Veera hit it off. And Elmo too.
20.7 said "äiti" but sounded like "ättä"

Toys/Games
Otso is not interested in the early baby toys like crinkly things and rattles. Now he is happy if we give him Legos or interesting new things to touch (e.g. measuring spoons from the kitchen).
He is a friendly guy and smiles at strangers.

Eating
20.6 first cheerio
We have switched to offering solids before nursing and he is eating a lot, with good variety. I am trying to cook most of the purée foods myself. He still gags a lot on chunks of food, so we still can't give him non-soft food. For store-bought food, I am trying to stick to the 6 month label instead of 8 month. He is still using the mesh feeder to eat things like pears. He gets pretty excited when we hand it to him because he knows that delicious food comes in it.
He learned to use a straw on 29.6.
10.7 loves the TalkMuru cereal
He loves the strawberries and blueberries right off the plant in Finland. He doesn't like porridge.
He consistently eats: store-bought smoothie in a pouch, sweet potatoes, sweet fruits. Sometimes he eats yogurt enthusiastically. He doesn't fall for the trick of mixing foods he likes and doesn't like (e.g. porridge with berries in it is still porridge and he still doesn't want it).

Sleeping
Bedtime is 18:30 (now moving to 19:00?) . We do a bath, then pajamas, then song and closing the drapes, then nursing, then crib.
We had a difficult time getting him to sleep in the hotel rooms on our trip to Oslo and Bergen with Grandpa and Mama Dollie. He was restless and would not be put to sleep before äiti. He did fall asleep on Grandpa's lap during the bus ride and did a lot of napping in the Manduca while we were touring.
This is all messed up now on our Finnish visits. But no matter how exhausted he is, he still resists going to bed alone. The crib is still rejected.

Health
The 23.6 control visit at the Helsestasjon went well. The nurse is happy with his development.

4.7 had a cough and fever and runny nose. He couldn't sleep at night and we were having a game night so we ended up trying a suppository pain killer at 23:00. Then when it wouldn't stay in I tried to help him poo. He had a big poo and then we were successful getting the suppository in. The fever went down but he still didn't sleep. He just stayed on our laps until the game ended at midnight. He also gagged on a piece of cardboard box and threw up during that time.
5.7 Still sick and snotty, still feverish, still not sleeping in the evening. I took him for a walk at 5:00am because he wasn't sleeping in bed.
6.7 I got out of bed with him at 4:15 because he wasn't sleeping and we went for a long early morning walk in the rain.
7.7 he slept much better last night but still refused the crib. 
 
Stats
Clothes: a snug size 80 (12 month) in a onesie (bodysuit). His pants are also an 80, but they tend to be a bit long.
Teeth: 2
On 23.6 he was 9.16 kg and 71.5 cm. He is still pretty steadily following the 60th percentile curve for Norway.