Tidbits: 10 months

The months are flying by. Ethan, how could you be 10 months old already?

You are a cruiser now. You almost never sit still, and you rarely play with toys unless I am sitting on the floor with you. You follow me around the house or else explore on your own, pulling up and cruising on everything that you can.

You had a painful month as you cut your first top tooth, which was quite the ordeal since it is huge! You definitely got your mama's teeth, just like Ryan. That has led to quite a bit of biting, even breaking my skin a couple of times... not so fun. You are also in a phase of wanting to grab faces all the time, so teaching you to understand "gentle" is a high priority for me right now.


Hanging out in some bamboo at Duke Gardens

You're still my constant companion and little love, but you've started bonding with Daddy a lot more this month too. Now as soon as he gets home from work each day, you lean out of my arms to try to get to him. It's very sweet.

My very favorite photo of us!

You've also been bonding with Kaeden a bit more. As you get bigger, I guess you're feeling a little less vulnerable around him. Anyway, part of his bedtime routine now is to lay down on his back and then I put you on top of him and you give him this huge kiss and snuggle. It's really quite adorable. He's also started trying to make you laugh in the car, which usually works. It can be a big help to Mommy when you're feeling grumpy about the car ride!

We just cut out your mid-morning nursing, so now you nurse three times a day (around 7, 3, and 7) and have a morning snack in addition to your 3 other meals. You like to finger feed, so you're eating a lot of cut up fruits (grapes are your favorite, but bananas are a close second), grilled cheese sandwiches, mac & cheese, etc. Pureeing is still the easiest way to get meat and veggies in you, and you tolerate it okay as long as there are other things on your tray.

You've gotten more agreeable about going to sleep. Most of the time when I start to sing to you before naps or bedtime, you just lay your head on my shoulder and snuggle. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. You seem to like it when I lay you down on the silky side of the blankie that Ms. Kristi made for you. You don't usually stay there to sleep, but you must like the way it feels.

Things that you like: your family, eating, balls, toys that make noise, swinging, reading books (especially ones with texture)

Things that you don't like: car rides, especially when the car stops and then starts again and you don't get out in between (like when we pick Ryan up from school.... screaming!!!), when Kaeden is rough with you or screams at you, loud noises, laying still long enough to get your diaper changed or get dressed.

And, just for fun, here are Ryan & Kaeden (and you) at 10 months for comparison purposes. You all look pretty similar!