A Southern Belle From New Jersey: July 2013

Ten Months Old

July 19, 2013

Your Monthly Stats

*We have not been to the doctor, so these stats are approximate.

Height: 28.5 inches (57%ile)

Weight: 21 pounds

Head Circumference: 46 cm (78%ile)

Hair: Blond and Curly

Eyes: Blue, Blue, Blue! See??

Teeth: 7 teeth and more on the way! You have 3 teeth on the bottom and 4 teeth on top right now.

Diaper Size:Size 3's

Clothes: You're wearing some 9 month clothes and you're starting to wear 12 month clothes. All of a sudden, you're stretching out and growing again. You've worn a couple of 9 month outfits only once and outgrown them already. Most of your sleepers are 9-12 months. You have a few pairs of shoes that friends and family have given as gifts. You're not really ready for shoes yet, but we've put them on a couple of times "for show". You're in a size 3 now.

Eating:

This month, you've explored lots of new foods---and liked ALL of them! Even better--you haven't had any negative reactions to new foods. PHEW! Here are the new foods you've tried this month:
*organic sprouted quinoa
*nectarines
*Happy Baby Organic Greens Puffs (puffs made with green fruits and vegetables)
*cottage cheese (you'll eat it, but you're not a huge fan)
*Happy Munchies Organic Carrot Rice Cakes
*Puffed Kamut cereal
*zucchini
*black beans
*peas
*carrots (not your favorite either)
*freeze dried organic mango

I'm happy that we've been able to introduce some carbs into your diet. They're easier to tote along when we're out and about. But, to be honest, you would much rather eat fruits and veggies. So, I usually have a baggie of green beans nearby. Healthy boy!

You also love to drink water. We tried many sippy cups, before we were introduced by your Aunt Ang to the Zoli cup. It's your favorite, and you love to drink out of the straw!

Strength:

You're all over the place. Standing. Crawling, Walking while holding one of our hands. Climbing underneath things and on top of things. Scaling the furniture. You are very strong--especially when you want to show dislike of something--like diaper changes. It takes all of my strength to tackle you.

Likes:

*Swimming

*Walking while holding Mommy or Daddy's hands-We started out doing this a while ago, and it was more like us pulling you. But now--you are pulling us! You're pretty much walking on your own, and you're only holding on for balance.

*Climbing the stairs--check out this video:

*Throwing yourself on the ground, kicking your legs, and laughing about it--You think this is the funniest thing ever. It looks so silly.

*Playing all of your musical instruments-I ordered you this Melissa and Doug music kit. You love to shake the maracas and play the tambourine. Many times we end up taking a walk in the stroller and you shake those maracas all the way down the street. I hope the neighbors like your music!
*Reading Books and Practicing Flashcards--Especially animal ones!

*Eating--You love to pick out your own spoon for meals. You're getting really good at feeding yourself finger foods too!
*Dogs--You just looooove playing with Zoe and Lola.

*Talking--You definitely have your own language and know exactly what you're talking about most of the time. Luckily, you're starting to say some words that we all understand too!

*Mimicking us when we speak or do something

Dislikes:

*Waking up-No matter how much you put up a fight to actually fall asleep, you are one grumpy guy when you wake up (in the morning and after naps). With your eyes still closed, you thrash about, kicking your legs and whining until you're ready to wake up. It's not fun for any of us--especially when you're waking up in our bed.

*Being put into your carseat-It takes some serious distractions to get you into it. Once you're in and moving, you are fine. But if you don't want to go in, you are stiff as a board and no amount of wrestling and bending your legs will get you in there.
*Diaper changes--nothing new here!
*Being separated from Mommy-This has gotten worse this month. I know that it's a normal stage--and actually quite healthy. It shows that you're attached and feel safe with me. But, it is the longest stage ever. Sometimes I just want to go to the bathroom by myself.

Mean Mommy

Social Skills:

We've had lots of fun summer playdates this month. We took our first trip to the NJ shore with our friends Katie, Michael, Michelle, and Declan. You LOVED everything about it--the sand, the waves, the seagulls. We were surprised at how long all three of you lasted at the beach. We're planning a day trip to the beach with Daddy next month. We've also spent a lot of time swimming in Lulu's pool and our friends' pools. You're starting to kick your legs more while swimming and you love to splash yourself in the face. You've even started sticking your face in the water and tried to imitate us blowing bubbles. What fun! We still take at least one walk a day (usually two) in the stroller or the wagon. Mommy likes to get the exercise, and you love to see the sights of the neighborhood. Lots of times, we take walks with our neighbors, Jess and Mia. You love smiling and waving at Mia while we walk.

Sleep:

I just reread the "sleep section" from last month. And, I could have just copied and pasted into this month. You are teething once again. You had been sleeping REALLY great at night AND we were on a napping schedule--IN THE CRIB!! Notice how I said were. Then, those mean old teeth decided to pop through and that went out the window. The past three nights, you have woken up at 1:34 (exactly). I feel like I'm living in that movie, Groundhog Day. You're inconsolable, and as much as I don't want to start a habit of feeding you in the middle of the night, the only way you'll settle down is nursing. I just tell myself that you're uncomfortable and in pain. So, it's okay if we need to do that now. We're hoping we're back on a better sleeping pattern soon!

Talking:
You started imitating us and saying some words this month. That was SO exciting! Some of the words you just repeat, but some you definitely associate with meaning. Here are the new words you say:
~mama *This started when you were crying in your crib refusing to take a nap. Not exactly how I pictured you saying Mama for the first time, but I'll take it.
~Daddy *You've only said this once or twice when looking at Daddy through the glass sliding door outside. But when I say Daddy, you know exactly who I'm talking about, and sometimes you head toward his office to look for him.
~wawa (water)
~ba (ball)
~uh-oh (when you drop something you repeat this after I say it)
~"eh, eh, eh" (what I say when you're going near something you're not supposed to touch. See this on video here.

We can't wait to hear you saying more words soon!

Little Man,

You have really shown us your personality this month, and I love learning who you are "going to be". You are strong-spirited, yet gentle. You're determined, yet hesitant in trying new things. You're chatty, yet a "people watcher". You're tough, and you can be a cuddlebug. You are funny, and love to laugh. I'm sure every parent feels this way, but I really do think that you are the coolest kid ever.

You are on the go, and nothing slows you down. You love to push EVERYTHING around on the floor--the kitchen chairs, your toy trucks, tupperware, anything! One of your favorite things to do is pulling objects out of a container (laundry out of the basket, toys out of the toy bag, your instruments out of the box). Then, you put them back in. You also love to chase any kind of ball around the house. As you do that you say, "ba, ba, ba, ba, ba, ba...." (ball). Sometimes you get really silly and roll around the living room floor giggling to yourself.

You love to be outside. Going to the park, taking walks, hanging out on our new patio, and swimming in the pool have been our big activities this month. As long as you are outside, you're happy. I hope this never changes.

You are our little buddy, and we love you so much, Maxwell Mouse. XOXO

Love,

Mommy

Phew....I am exhausted! We have been going, and going, and going....for weeks. And it's all been fun! I have a ton of pictures to download and share, and I want to start with our trip to Boston. JB was up in Boston for work for over a week, and Max and I flew up to meet him. It was our first time traveling solo (without JB or a friend to help), and we did great! Everyone on the plane told us how much they loved his babbling during the whole flight. At least he wasn't screaming!

We stayed with JB's parents, and we had a great visit with Grandma and Bup. I took over 300 pictures, and there are so many good ones I want to share. Sorry for the overload!

Bup was on feeding duty. Mmmm, yum!

Grandma had TONS of new toys for Max to play with, and she is always prepared with everything we need for Max when we come to visit---it's such a lifesaver! We spent some time at the park across the street where JB used to play as a kid. (Some things never change!)

JB was confused about why we were at the park. He thought we were there for his band's photoshoot.

We had a barbecue at the house and visited with lots of friends and family while we were there. It was extremely hot and sticky outside, so we ended up spending most of the party inside. It was great!

Twins

We finally got to meet Max's new buddy, Nolan.

We went into Boston one day and rode on the Swan Boats (a tourist attraction that I had never done on previous trips to Boston). It turned out to be a beautiful day, and we enjoyed lunch in the city, a fun boat ride, and we visited with the ducks in the pond.