Carter: 10 Months

My teeny, snuggly, squishy little baby is 10 months old!!!  What?  When did this all happen?!  (Okay, now that I got that out of my system, let's move on to the less dramatic stuff.)

This has been a great month for us -- Carter included, I think.  Brian and I were both off for the majority of the month, and our time at home as a family has been such a blessing.  I know that a lot of people resent educators for having the summer off and taking it for granted, but I can honestly say that this year we've actually come realize how blessed we are to be able to do this.  Normally, I work all summer, but my program was cut this year.  I thought it was a mixed blessing, but I was wrong -- it was an act of God.

We haven't done much, per se, but we've been working hard to get Carter into a routine.  I actually feel sort of bad for the lack of excitement he's experienced this summer, but we hope to make up for it next year when he's old enough to really enjoy a good adventure.

Eating my frozen yogurt, Billy Idol style :)

Carter had his 9 month check-up on August 18th and -- Surprise!! -- he's not actually the biggest baby on earth!  He weighed in at 22 lbs 8 oz and was 29 1/2 long (both just above the 75th percentile, according to the pediatrician).  His head circumference, though I can't remember the actual measurement was in the 95th percentile.  (There is just SO much brain in there.)

Likes:

• Standing.  He pulls up on anything and everything... even flat walls.  It's funny to watch him because he's always visibly ecstatic to have gotten up.  He's also starting to let go and stand on his own, for maybe 10-15 seconds at a time.
• Crawling up the stairs.  Brian really needs to get the gate up... (edit -- it's up!)
• Feeding himself.  He'll eat virtually anything we put in front of him, with the exception of peas, green beans and avocado, unless said avocado is in guacamole form. (That's my boy!) 
• Parmesan cheese -- we've even started putting it in oatmeal to get him to eat it.  It makes me ill to think of oatmeal mixed with formula and cheese, but he loves it. 
• Being chased.  Carter loves it when someone crawls behind him and makes a big deal of it.
• Playing peek-a-boo with a blanket.  When you throw a blanket over him, he goes hysterical.  It's funny, but if he's sitting at the time, he throws himself backward with reckless abandon, which then often leads to tears.
• Going grocery shopping.  For the most part, he's very entertained by all the colors and the people who talk to him.  Of course, he has a pretty distinct breaking point, but it makes him happy for quite some time.
• Having his face washed... weird huh?  He doesn't complain, and he loves to bite the washcloth we use so much that it actually makes him happy.
• Gretta -- she doesn't return the feeling.  No scratching yet, but it's clear that he's in for some trouble. 
• The bush in our front yard.  Just tonight as he was melting down from exhaustion and we had another 1/2 hour to kill before bedtime, I took him out to touch it and he lit up.  He also loves to have it "prickle" his neck and back -- he squeals and grabs onto me but laughs hysterically the minute it touches him. 

 Dislikes:

• Being told "no no," especially if you say it while pulling him away from his intended target.  He kicks, screams, arches his back, flails his arms and cries.  At first I felt bad for him... now it's just comical.
• Diaper changes.
• Strangers.  I think (well, I know) that stranger anxiety is finally kicking in a bit.  Sometimes he does really well, and others it's a mere 5 seconds or so before the lip comes out and he's reaching for me.
• Banging his head, which he does ALL.THE.TIME.
• Waking up in the car = Scream-fest, almost always.

 New Tricks:

• Crawling like a crazy man.
• Napping!!  He's down to two naps a day, and sometimes he'll even sleep for longer than a 1/2 hour.  We're headed in the right direction!
• B's, D's, G's, N's and M's, though he has yet to say mama!  (Brian often brags that Carter says "dada," so he must be the favorite.  But, the other day I caught him calling the wooden spoon "dada," so I'm thinking maybe it's not a game of favorites yet, haha.)  He's combining a lot of these consonants now, and it's super cute to hear him garble it all up.  He'll also bust out with a "rah-rah" sometimes.  Brian says he's just singing the Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" song, but we both hope he's not :)

Oooh, I see a nose to grab!