At ten months you are already more toddler than baby, Judah William! You took your first steps this past month, and we've seen another big developmental "leap" with everything you are suddenly able to do. You've seemingly reached a new "level" of delight and joy... you get so excited about things now, and squeal SO happily at the things you love - Daddy coming home, dogs/animals, your favorite books etc. You've figured out the house now, and you go from room to room like you own the place (and while you may not own the place, you certainly do run it!). Your favorite thing is to "escape" and crawl speedily down the hallway to the bathroom, while I "chase" you, because you know you're not allowed in the bathroom without Momma or Daddy! You have unraveled the whole toilet paper roll one too many times, and now you've decided that the actual toilet is a fun toy... ummm yuck!
How big you are:
At your appointment at your new pediatrician's office on 12/11/2012 (2 days before your 10 month birthday) you weighed 23lbs 9oz with your diaper on :) They didn't do a height or head circumference measurement.
You are wearing 9 and 12 month clothes since you're still pretty short, size 4 diapers, and size 3 - 3.5 shoes (wide, to fit your short and fat little feet!).
What you LOVE:
Wheels - You love to play with wheels... stroller wheels, toy cars/trains/walker wheels... any kind of wheels... you go straight for them!
Holes - You love to find little holes in things and stick your thumb or index finger in them!
Your tunnel from Nana and Grandad - This was a Christmas present that momma got out early for you one day when we needed something new and fun! And my oh my, do you love it... You love to crawl through it and pop out the other end. You love to drag some toys in there and just sit and play inside it. You love to roll around in it.
The Christmas tree - You are completely fascinated with it. We put up our small 4-foot tree on a coffee table and we had enough trouble keeping you away from that one, so we decided not to get a big real tree this year. Maybe next year! You just love coming into the room in the morning and watching the tree light up when I turn the lights on. You often go stand at the coffee table and stare at it in awe.
Dogs/animals in general - You go absolutely CRAZY when we see a puppy or any kind of animal. You love to go down to the lakes and chase the duckies and squirrels around. Whenever we visit someone with a dog, you squeal with delight every time the dog comes into view. You love to crawl around after puppies and you crack up whenever you get licked. If we had a dog I would never have to entertain you!
Playing chase! - You love to run away from us and play "I'm gonna getcha!" games. You especially love when Daddy gets down on all fours and roars like a lion... you squeal and crawl away, looking back to make sure the "lion" is chasing you!
Daddy - He is your absolute favorite person in the world. You love momma too of course, but you kinda have to because I'm with you all day every day and I'm your food source :) BUT Daddy is the favorite one because you only get to see him in the evenings and he's just SO MUCH FUN and you don't like to be parted from him when he's home!
What you don't like:
Diaper and clothes changes.
Waking up alone in your crib at night = screaming (how dare you have left me in here alone!)
Being overtired = you're either Mr Grumpy Pants OR you're so wound up that you're hyper and have to have a crash were you burst into tears and then settle down and fall asleep.
Doctor's offices - for some reason, even though we went to a completely different pediatrician's office this month, you KNOW when we are going to see the doctor and you CLING to me with all your might when the nurse or doctor walks into the room!
What you've been up to this month:
WALKING! - You took your first steps on 12/4/2012, and you get more steady every day! You still mostly prefer to crawl though, because it's your fastest way of getting places at the moment :)
Talking - you become more of a chatterbox every month! You first word (at 6 months) was "mama" for me. I love when you wake up in the mornings or after naps now and yell "mama! mama! mamama!" for me to come get you! You started saying "dada" for Daddy around 7 months old. Around 8 or 9 months you started trying to say "peekaboo!"... it's more like "ah-boo!". This month you've started saying "bah-bah" for "bye-bye", usually while waving :) You are making more complex sounds/words now too. Your favorite sound right now is to say "Grrrrrrrrrrrr", rolling the "R" at the back of your tongue. Over the past couple of days you've also realized that you can roll your "R's" at the front of your tongue too! Momma is actually jealous of this because I've never figured out how to roll my "R's" like that! One of your favorite words/sounds this month has been to say "blah-blah-blah-blah" over and over... we think it's kind of hilarious.
This month the mimicry has EXPLODED... if I say "mama/dada/gaga/nana etc." you say the same thing... if I squeal with delight, you squeal with delight... and the CUTEST thing is that you will try to copy dogs when they bark! It's more like "squeak squeak squeak" than a barking sound... but it's so hilarious and cute.
The mimicry is happening in other areas too - if I bang on a pot with a spoon, you have to take the spoon and bang on the pot. If I wrap the ribbon around the toy, you try to wrap the ribbon around the toy. If I point at the mouse in the book, you point at the mouse in the book. If I jump up and down, you jump up and down (more like a bounce :)). If I wave or clap, you wave or clap. If I "dance" (I use that term loosely, haha), you dance. It's so precious, but also a little scary, because it is more and more obvious that you are watching EVERYTHING that we do! One of the funniest things is that you know how to use our phones now... you swipe your finger across the screen to change screens, and hold it just so and tap on the screen with your two little thumbs like you see us doing when we're texting/typing something!
You little brain is going a hundred miles a minute when you're awake... it's like I can actually SEE the connections happening as you figure things out.
Teething - you got your 3rd tooth (top right middle) on 11/21/2012, and then I noticed tooth number 4 (bottom right middle) on 11/26/2012. You now have your two top middle teeth and two bottom middle teeth! And you sure like to use them to bite and chew on things. Fortunately you don't bite me while nursing though - you did it 2 or 3 times but I quickly nipped that in the bud and you know not to now. But you like to bite/chew everything else... your toys, our shoulders, your crib etc.
Sleeping - Sigh. I could do a whole post on this. This month it seems like you've either been teething like crazy or sick... the WHOLE MONTH (seriously... two teeth, two major colds, and one weird stomach thing that had me changing nasty diapers for a week). So sleep has gone out the window. For all of us. On a really good night you wake up twice. Most nights it's 3 or 4 times, and on the most extreme nights when you couldn't breathe or were just uncomfortable from teething or having a cold I just ended up sleeping in the recliner with you on top of me, or on the futon in your room with you next to me. When you're better from this latest cold, we're going to gently work on getting you to sleep through the night, with hopefully only one feeding wake-up (or maybe even none, but I'm not holding my breath for that one!). Momma is tired! (And therefore so is Daddy).
Eating - Solid foods are another thing that kind of went out the window this month. When you are sick or teething, all you want is to nurse. You protest loudly and gag (even before it's in your mouth, drama king!) if I try to give you any solid food. So on the worst sick days you just nursed, and on other days it's been a chore to get you to eat even one solid food "meal". And yet, somehow, you gained OVER a pound this month eating little to no solid food each day. I'm so thankful that I can still nurse you and know you are getting all the nutrients you need!
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What a busy, happy month! You are just so delightful even when you're teething or sick. Every month gets more fun, watching you become such a little person.
We love you Judah William! I sometimes feel that my heart is like a never-ending water balloon and it just keeps getting fuller and stretching bigger every month... it feels like it will burst but instead it keeps growing to fit all of my love for you. I know your Daddy feels the same way.
