(Yay, I actually posted one on time...only one day late!)

Well, it's getting close to the end, only 1 more monthly update after this one and then the big 1-year update is already here!  It, like everything else this year, is going to sneak up on me I'm sure, but I'm trying to get myself ready for it...hopefully no break downs ensue.

Alright, Victor's 10-month update, let's go!

-Stats: Weight at 9 months (since I didn't post it last time)-18lbs, 6 oz, Height-unsure.  Weight at 10 months-around 19 lbs Height-28 inches or so.  He's in the 12th-14th percentile for weight, not sure about height though. 

-Wearing 6 and 6-12 month pjs, 6-12 month pretty much everything else, and I even pulled out some 12-18 month shirts that fit him!  Still in size small diapers but I'm thinking of switching over to the mediums in the New Year.

-Sleeping pretty much through the night most nights, except for the occasional night when he wakes up because his nose is stuffed up and he can't breathe (which means spitting out his soother and waking up).  I've been putting Vick's Vapo-Rub on the corner of his receiving blanket or on my arm so that he can breathe it in for a few minutes to clear his nose and then he goes back to sleep; it's usually no more than a 10-minute thing.  Lately he's been staying up later than I would like, usually around 9:00pm or later, and waking up a bit later, at around 8:00am.  Napping at least twice a day, and this month he has had some marathon naps, 2 hours or more, unheard of!

-Breastfeeding only once a day (from each side, so I guess two feedings), usually in the morning, and on occasion when comfort (or a distraction) is needed.  My supply feels really low so I imagine that in the next month or so we'll be completely done (which is kind of harder than I thought it would be, I guess that even though I don't enjoy breastfeeding, I like having the option of doing it if it I need to...soon I have won't have the choice.)

-Eating has grown substantially this month, both in quantity and variety.  In the last two weeks or so Victor has doubled, if not more, his intake of food.  Just out of nowhere, he started wanting to eat everything in sight and eating lots of it.  It still catches me off guard sometimes, I'm always thinking 'what, you want MORE?'  It's good though, I think that he's replacing breast milk with food, which is what we want.  Most mornings he'll either eat an entire small jar fruit or a small bowl of baby cereal, plus some Cheerios to munch on, then for dinner he'll have some veggies and meat (a lot of times it's leftovers from supper the night before), or some crackers and yogurt, then for supper he's been eating what we've been having when possible, if not then more veggies and meat (made by me), plus a dessert.  He'll also get some snacks throughout the day, and a 10oz bottle of formula before bed.  It might not seem like a lot compared to some babies, but for him it's a huge improvement!  This month he also seems to have dropped any picky-ness he had towards food, there's not much he won't eat!  I also love that he's eating what we're eating and seems to enjoy stronger flavours.  I had some leftover garlic mashed potatoes (heavy on the minced garlic) one night and gave those to him and he loved it!  He also had some homemade mac and cheese and last night ate meatloaf (made with quinoa) and rice with veggies.  So much easier when they can eat what you eat!  Anyway, it's going really well, the only issue so far is me being consistent in feeding him! 

-Related to the eating and sleeping more mentioned above, we're pretty sure that he's gone through a pretty big growth spurt this month, he definitely feels bigger than before, putting on a bit of heft (though not in his little bum, it's the same size, ha!) 

-Still only has the 2 bottom teeth, which is crazy, he's gone over 2-3 months without getting a tooth, I kind of hope he gets more soon!

-The big milestone this month has been crawling on all fours. At the beginning of December it was like a little switch went off in his mind and he all of a sudden figured out how to crawl properly, and now he's on the move! He's quite a bit quicker than he used to be, we have to watch out because he can be in one spot one minute and a different spot the next! He also pulls up/stands leaning against objects with no problem now, it's his favourite thing to do. He's starting to balance better when standing and is now walking around the coffee table and along the couch, but doesn't seem to want to let go anytime soon. I still don't think he'll walk before he's one, but that's ok, I'm not in a rush. 

His new stunt, climbing into the chair as opposed to out of it!

-One less-than-wonderful thing that Victor has mastered this month is pulling up on our legs and begging to be picked up.  He does this to me every single time he sees me, no matter what.  He still also wants to be in our arms more than I'd like, but I don't think that this is something that can be avoided...he's a mama's boy/clingy child, that's all there is to it. 

-He's got his babbling mastered this month too, stringing along little sounds into I'm sure what he thinks are words and sentences.  He's good at repeating what we ask him to say (dada or baba or bye bye), but he hasn't really learned any new sounds like mama or anything else.  He still likes to squeal/sigh now, it's cute, and when he's with just us he's quite vocal, but is still a bit shy about talking around strangers.

-I'd say that his favourite 'toy' this past month has been anything that makes noise and has buttons.  He loves to push buttons and hear the sounds, over and over again.  He also really loves magnets/playing on the fridge, playing with light switches, pulling things down off the coffee table, and chewing on anything he sees.  This month we also started playing ball with him (below), which he likes and finds quite funny.

-He's getting a lot braver with Shimi, coming right up to her face and 'talking' (yelling) at her, and also 'petting' (smacking) her.  He especially likes to bug her while she's trying to eat.  I'm not sure what she thinks of it, but for the most part she's been good with him.

-He loves to watch the washing machine run, which is pretty cute (and convenient) for me!  Anything to do with water, actually, he likes.  Most nights when Dan gets home from work and hops into the shower, Victor wants to be right in there with him, and will stand on the side of the bathtub, watching him (and getting himself soaked in the process).  He'll do this with me too, which is nice since I can pretty much take a shower whenever now, because I know he'll just stand there and wait.  The only downside is having to change him afterwards into dry clothes, haha.

 

-He's learning to do new things with his body, especially his hands. He now likes to hold them above his head, often reaching for a light or ceiling fan, or just anything in general.  He also really likes to 'bobble' his head, shaking it back and forth.  He especially loves to do it when you do it too, and we play this shaking head game often.  Sometimes he'll do it to music, but he hasn't learned to 'dance' yet, I can't wait for when that happens!

I am the champion!

-Victor loves to laugh, play, and interact with us, and for the most part is still a very happy child.  He can get frustrated, or be stubborn, or have his 'bad boy' moments, but that comes with the territory of growing up.  Any hard moments are far outweighed by the good ones; by the huge smiles, happy squeals, cuddles (yes I still get them), bright eyes, little and big laughs, and by the joy of having him in our lives.  



Happy 10-months bébé, stop growing up so fast.

G.

PS-I'll be attempting to post our Christmas pictures this week, along with my New Year's Goals and Word for 2011 (I've decided that I'm going to have one, can't wait to share!)