10 Months!

James is a full 10 months old today!  Here's what's going on-

-Probably the most notable change is his eating - he's actually eating food!  He completely skipped the baby food stage and a few months ago, I went full force with the baby led weaning approach which advocates giving the baby whole foods (as opposed to purees) and a variety of foods.  We offered him Cheerios a couple of weeks ago, and he liked how he could pick them up and put them in his mouth.  I wasn't thrilled about giving him Cheerios, so I decided instead to give him the organic baby puffs made from vegetables and rice (but they still have a similar size and overall appearance to Cheerios).  He loves to pick them up and put them in his mouth.  He only swallows about half of them, but nevertheless, he's eating,  I offer him the puffs after I nurse him in the mornings.  Around lunch time and dinner time, I offer him food again - usually whatever I'm eating or whole fruits or vegetables.  He does not eat a ton, but he picks it up and puts it in his mouth.  His favorite foods right now are bananas and avocados.  It's so much fun watching him experiment with food and learn how to eat.

- He has two teeth.  His bottom middle teeth are coming in - they are not all the way in, but they are for sure there.  He has always enjoyed biting our fingers.  Let's just say that we don't play that game as much anymore.

- He is still taking two good naps a day.  He naps around 9am for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours and again around 1pm for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  I have learned from experience that it is best for everyone involved to let him nap at these times.  Two different times in the last month he missed his morning nap because we were out and about.  While he was happy at the time, it took about 2-3 days to get him napping like he did before the interruption in the schedule.  He thrives when he has the schedule.  It's miserable for everyone when he gets off and we have to try to get him back to where he was.  I know that people always say that second or third babies just adapt because they have to... and I'm sure that he could become flexible if we had to... but for now, it's just easier to keep him on schedule.  When James is happy, mama's happy :)

- He still wakes up 2-3 times a night to eat.  I'm hoping that the transition to eating more solid food will help him sleep better, but I truly doubt it.  We've adapted as a family and we feel like this is what is best for James in this season.  When he wakes up in the night, Ray brings him to me in bed and I feed him for about 10 minutes (Side note - I learned how to nurse laying down when James was about 2 months old and it's the best thing ever when feeding in the middle of the night).  Then Ray takes him back to his crib and he goes right back to sleep.  I have the most amazing husband and James has the most wonderful dad for doing this every night.

- He's rolled over a total of 2 times in the past month.  Yep - still not that thrilled about rolling over.  Both times it was from his back to his belly.  So he's not crawling.  He can turn in a circle when laying on his belly, but no crawling yet.  I'm fine with that though because we've been doing some messy home improvements and I would not want to have a mobile baby right now. 

- He is loving standing up at his little standing table or leaning on furniture.  He can't do it independently though.  He needs my support to stand up and I am right there beside him because he will fall over without warning.  He likes the view when standing on his own. 

- He is learning that he has a voice.  He can scream very loud and I think he likes it.  I have started to read a book on discipline.  I need prayers in this area ;)

And some pictures -

Chowing down on some banana-

He wasn't feeling the chili and rice, but he was loving the pear and avocado-



This is how I found him after his nap.  He's scooting around in his crib some.  But when he's really tired, he doesn't move at all - he just lays flat on his back and is out. 

Shopping with mommy!  The front of the cart only lasts so long.  I prefer baby wearing for longer trips.

He wants to give Snappy love so badly!  But Snappy does not have much patience for him.  Thankfully, Snappy is a very sweet cat and she has never even though of scratching him - even when he takes a full handful of fur and shakes it. 

James loves his daddy so much!

Nothing better to chew than your toes, right? 

In 2 short months, you'll be a year old!  My how time flies when you're having fun with a little one.