pearson {10 months}

Dear Sweet Pearson- 

You are 10 months old today, sweet boy!!  

This month's picture were once again a challenge.  Daddy had to assist to entertain and keep you from crawling off the chair.  You were definitely more in interested in climbing the chair than taking pictures.

It has been so fun to see you learn and explore this month.  You do lots of exploring these days.  You love to open doors and cabinets.  I've didn't really want to put those annoying child-proof things on the cabinets, but it looks like I'm going to have to.  You are into everything!!  Your favorite thing to get into is the TV stand with sliding doors. What were we thinking buying a TV stand with sliding doors.  We have no idea how to baby proof it so it's just a constant "no-no".

You definitely know what NO means, but most of the time you just look at us and go about what you were doing.  We have had to start popping your leg or hand when we don't listen to us, but that doesn't seem to phase you either.  Ah-oh.....we are in trouble!!

Since the weather has been so nice we have been spending more time outside.  You love to go on walks, swing in the swing and take strolls around the pond to look at the ducks.  I can't wait to take you to the pool.  I think you will really love it, because you love bath time.

Speaking of bath time, you have discovered how to splash and it is so funny.  I have to either close the curtain or step back out of the "splash zone" or I get pretty wet!

You are so fast crawling, little man!  You really have no desire to start walking because I think that it would actually slow you down.  Every single time I pick you up from the nursery at church the nursery workers always comment on how fast you are.  At the end of story time last week when we were doing bubbles, you were literally crawling circles around all the babies.  The other Moms just looked at me and said "Wow, he is fast!!" Mommy and Daddy are just hoping his speed turns into him being a fast runner for sports!! 

About a week ago, you walked with your walking toy for the first time.  You don't usually start walking on your own with your walker, but if we stand you up you will walk for a little bit.  You are so cute, because you get so excited that you start laughing and then lose focus and fall.  You are so proud of yourself when you really get going!! If we stand you up and hold both of you hand you will not take any steps, so I think we are a little ways away from walking.   

You are still doing LOTS of babbling! You make lots of different consonant sounds, /b/, /w/, /d/, /y/, & /g/. You love talking to yourself in the mirror, especially the mirror in the car!  You still don't associate any sounds with objects.  Sometimes I think you know da-da is Daddy, but then sometimes don't.  I think you will get it soon!! I have also been working on some sign language with you.  You haven't caught on to anything yet, but I hope you do soon.  I'll be glad when we can communicate with each other even before you have words!

Your top two teeth finally popped through the skin on March 30th.  One of them is really starting to show.  You are going to look so different with top teeth.  It makes you look less and less like a baby.  This round of teething bothered you so bad.  You woke up every night for about 3 weeks.  I'm not sure if it was all from teething because you were also sick for about a week in there, but I think most of it was because teething.  I'm sure glad this round of teething is over, because Mama loves here sleep!

After our crazy week of sickness last month, you are all better now.  You ended up not having the whooping cough, so we were super thankful for that.  We have really been so blessed with no major sickness.  We are praying you continue to stay super healthy! 

You are still just taking two 45 minute naps, although this month if you aren't asleep after 5 minutes of me rocking you I lay you down and make you cry it out.  For about a week cry it just didn't work.  You would cry for an entire hour then I would get you out and we would just skip morning nap.  I make sure I get a break every morning whether you nap or cry it out, I get 1 hour to myself.

This past week I quit rocking you entirely and you have been falling asleep within about 20 minutes!! Finally after 10 months of trying crying it out, it is finally working.  It's now giving me about an hour and a half of nap time.  (20 minutes of crying plus 45 minutes to an hour of napping) There are definitely still days that you just cry the whole time and skip now, but I think we are definitely making strides to being a better napper, or atleast I'm hoping so!!

You are still doing great with nursing four times a day.  I nurse you usually aroudn 7:30, 11:30, 3:30, & 7:30pm.  I kind of accidentally dropped your 11:30 feeding.  There was one week that I either away from you or we were out and about so you just got a formula bottle at 11:30 every day but one day.  I still nurse you 4 times some days but it seems like most days I end up giving you a bottle once.  Most of the time it's the 11:30 bottle, but sometimes if someone is watching you it's the 3:30 bottle or 7:30 bottle.  If you get a 7:30 bottle, I usually just get you nice and full by nursing before I put you down for the night.

I'm so proud of myself for making it this far in nursing you.  I hope we can make it 2 more months so we can make the full first year of nursing and just go straight to milk.  

You are still eating 3 meals a day around 8:30, 12:30, and 6.  We have started incorporating more table food into your diet.  Your favorite food is definitely bread.  You get that from your Mama.  You love any kind of bread, tortillas, biscuits, buns, waffles, rolls, etc. For a while you were just not really interested in eating anything else, but this past week you have had a break through and have done really good trying new things.

This month you have tried (and liked) kiwi, bananas, avocados, blueberry waffles, blueberry muffins, pinto beans, mac 'n cheese, broccoli, & pineapple.  We also have given you some of the 3rds babyfood with meat.  You have seemed to like those as well.  You still get so excited and squeal when I get the babyfood out.  I have to do table food first before you even see the babyfood or you won't even think about eating it.  You just love babyfood.  

You are so good at playing.  You can play great at home by yourself and you also play great with your friends. The nursery workers at church always tell us how happy you are to play with your friends! I recently moved all your toys to the baskets that are in our sofa table.  You seem to love your toys more lately, and I think it's because you think you are getting into something that you are not supposed to.  You're favorite toys these days seem to be your book.  This make your Kindergarten teacher Mama so happy! I hope that you love to read someday!!

This month you have had a few babysitters other than my parents.  Our friends The Hutchison's watched you one evening, my friend Christine watch you one afternoon, and your Aunt Ashley watched you too.  They all said you did great!  I love that you have had any sort of separation anxiety.  You always seem happy when I drop you off, but you are so happy to see me when I pick you up, which makes my heart swell!!

They really weren't kidding when they say "Time flies when your having fun".  We are having so much fun with you and it really seems like we have blinked our eyes and we almost have a 1 year old.

 You are such a fun happy boy and we love so incredibly much.  You bring so much joy and happiness to our lives and we can't even begin to imagine life without you.

Happy 10 months to my favorite little boy!!

Love-

Your Mommy

{10 month Stats}

Weight:    21ish pounds

Length:  29 1/2ish inches

Eating: nursing 4 times a day with (around 7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm, & 7:30pm) along with 3 meals a day (around 8:30, 12:30, & 6:00)

Bedtime: around 7:30pm

Awake: around 7:00am

Naps: usually 2 45 minutes to an hour naps around 9am and 1pm or sometimes 4pm

Diapers: size 3's & size 4's at night

Clothes: 12 month and 12-18 month

Favorites: getting into everything, splashing in the bathtub, going on walk, swinging outside, Puffs

Latest Tricks: crawling fast, clapping, "dancing", waving bye-bye, babbling lots of sounds, pulling up to stand, cruising around furniture, walking with the walker, opening cabinets and drawers

Look how you've changed.