Ten months

(I admit that I’ve been procrastinating on writing this post. I’m in a bit of denial that my baby is so close to becoming a toddler.)

Will at his first symphony

So you’re now ten months and a few days. Your motor-skill-acquisition is in high gear. You crawl all over the place and can pull up on furniture (or people). You grab things with much more precision and dexterity (sometimes to my chagrin or discomfort). You react with consternation when left seated or in a pack-and-play for too long because you want to be standing up and able to see ALL THE THINGS, ALL THE TIME.

You are also very vocal. You make your contentment or displeasure immediately known (sometimes at the same time). You use a variety of sounds to get my attention from across the room. You love to laugh and babble, but you also frequently fake-cough. Your babysitter taught you that “word” and you make good use of it.

You drank water out of a glass and luckily Mommy had the video camera handy! You’d prefer using the sippy cups as a chew toy rather than for a beverage, but you’re starting to get the idea. (You still have no teeth, by the way.)

At your last checkup, we learned that you are strong and growing and healthy. But we also received information for early intervention; your pediatrician mentioned that you were eligible for it because you were born so early. She emphasized that she wasn’t worried about you, but that this was a tool at our disposal to make sure you progressed well with development.

But once you were evaluated by the nice lady with the state department of education, we learned that you have no developmental delay at all. And you’re *really* smart. And you’ll walk early very soon.

:::Cue relief:::

Swim classes continue to go well. You love splashing around in the water and enjoy kicking your feet at every opportunity. You don’t object to doing a sit-jump off the side of the pool and you enjoy floating on your back. We went to the neighborhood pool last weekend and you enjoyed sitting on the step; you also liked standing up on it so you could see more. We don’t stay very long at the outdoor pool though because you inevitably get hungry–and breastmilk just won’t do.

You have a HUGE appetite! You nurse first thing in the morning, then get more breastmilk, fresh fruit and cereal for breakfast, formula, vegetables and cereal at lunch, and protein, vegetables and cereal for dinner. You also nurse one last time as you go to bed. I guess this is why you’re becoming such a big, strong boy!

You recently attended your first performance by the Nashville Symphony at Centennial Park. You crawled around the blanket on the grass and played with your feet and a few toys. You remained happy until the very last song, a piece by Tchaikovsky that is admittedly a bit long. You then fell asleep in your stroller and slept straight through the transfer into the car, the ride home, the trip upstairs into your crib, and for the rest of the night.

Everyone we meet marvels at your happy disposition and sweet smile. We have so much fun every day that I want to press ‘pause’ and enjoy each moment as long as possible. Even though you’re much more distractable now and usually only want to nurse long enough to quell hunger pains, there are still plenty of occasions when you’re inconsolable and want that Mommy time. I treasure those times the very most.

I love you, sweet boy.