10 Months

I woke up Saturday morning at 7:15 AM. I turned to Judd and said, "wow, Max isn't up yet". We both looked at each other and then almost in unison we said, "He's getting big." It's that moment as parents when you know you have finally arrived - your baby is FINALLY sleeping better. You are FINALLY getting rest. It is getting just a little bit easier. But, that means they are getting bigger.

Max is walking 80% of the time. He still gets down to crawl if he wants to go somewhere fast - but for the most part, he has been content to wobble around the house. It's amazing. It also means he is starting to get hurt a little more. He wobbles to withing about 2 steps of an object, then lunges forward to hold onto it. Half the time he misses and smacks his head against whatever it is he lunged for. He has a big bruise on his forehead this afternoon where he missed the table at the dentist this morning. Poor little dude.

He occasionally will say "Dada" & "Mama" directed to the proper person. Other than that, there is just a lot of noise coming out of his mouth. We try to get him to wave "bye-bye" or clap or raise his arms for "SO BIG" - but he's not interested. I think he has his mind on mobility and that's it.

He is sleeping better. We have kept him away from night feedings this past 5 nights - we have been putting his paci back in during his VERY early morning wake up. This has usually done the trick until 6:30 or 7 AM. We are SO thankful that he is finally sleeping 11-12 hours. He goes to bed like a champ every night between 6:30AM-7AM. Takes 2 good naps a day. Overall he's a great sleeper.

He's eating great. Eats 3 solid meals a day of all finger foods. He takes about 4 bottles a day - I guess I need to start thinking about cutting that back. He does OK with a sippy cup, but not great. He does pretty well with a straw.

He is an absolute JOY to be around. He fits in so nicely with our family. It's like he's been here forever. His fussy periods are not often, and he can usually be soothed with a pacifier or a snack. His smile is never far away. He loves to cuddle after his naps.

One morning last week I woke him up at 7:15AM. (I wanted him to take a nap at 9, so I didn't want him to sleep too late). He wasn't really ready to wake up. I brought him downstairs and he laid down on the couch. He just laid there for 10 minutes or so while I rubbed his back. It was such a sweet, quiet, still moment.