**Side Note: I originally wrote this blog right around when he turned 10 months old at the beginning of the month, but I have yet to do his 10 month progress pictures! He is almost 11 months old at this point, so I'm going to go ahead and publish the blog and add the progress pictures later! Yes, I'm a slacker mommy!
Weight & Height: Grayson weighs 20 lbs. 3 oz. (25th percentile) and I'm not sure about his height! He has really slimmed out in the past few months which the pediatrician said is probably just his genetics coming through because let's face it, mommy and daddy aren't very big people!
Feeding: We really hit a breakthrough with food this month! Grayson finally started really eating solids, so that's been very exciting. He usually eats 3 meals a day. He wasn't doing very well letting me spoon feed him any purees, but this month he's been opening up for the spoon and eating large portions of pureed fruits and veggies. He usually has 1 yogurt a day (still his favorite!) and at least one pouch of baby food. I prefer the pouches when we are on-the-go and Grayson loves chewing on the nozzle. He has also been eating whatever we have for dinner, so that's been really fun. He is still doing well with finger foods and baby-led weaning, but he is also letting me spoon feed him regular table food as well. He is doing great with swallowing foods of different texture and size. I find that letting him take frequent sips of water out of his sippy cup really helps while he's eating table food, so that everything goes down okay. He is open to eating almost any table food and loves corn, beans, rice, spinach, green beans, peanut butter, pasta, and all meat! He is a big meat eater like his Daddy and prefers seasoned food as opposed to bland (can't blame you there, Gray!). Grayson has actually been eating substantial amounts of food, so he is requiring less milk. It's really exciting to see him eat real foods and enjoy dinner right along with us. He still loves water and drinking out of his sippy cup (preferably on his own). We are working on slowly cutting down his milk feedings which he seems to be naturally doing on his own.
Sleeping: Sleep has also been better this month! Grayson still doesn't sleep through the night, but he is at the point where he normally gets up once to eat and then goes right back to sleep in a 12-13 hour period which is a vast improvement for him. He is much better at self-soothing and goes down for the night with absolutely no issues. We have really created a consistent bedtime routine and he goes to bed at the same time each night. Obviously, there is a huge part of me that is wondering when he will start sleeping through the night, but I can say that I don't feel nearly as sleep deprived, so that's encouraging. Grayson goes to bed at 730pm, usually wakes around 2am, then sleeps again until 8-830am. He sleeps longer stretches than he ever has in his life -- 7-9 hours straight, so I'm thrilled about that. Not every night goes that flawlessly, but overall I am still seeing improvements all the time! Grayson is also napping much better. He is taking longer naps which helps him not be as overtired by the time bedtime comes. He takes 2 naps a day closer to 2 hours a piece. Grayson is on a much more dependable schedule when it comes to sleep, so it's really nice to have something somewhat predictable to depend on. Most days ;)
**Mommy confession corner: Lack of sleep has probably been the hardest thing for me as a new mom. Not only have I struggled with being constantly exhausted and getting up throughout the night for 10 months now, but I fall into the trap of comparison a lot when it comes to this department. It's very hard for me to not feel like I'm doing something wrong most days. I tend to get very down on myself for having a child who still wakes frequently throughout the night when I know 2 month old babies who sleep so much better than my 10 month old child. I've really struggled with this in the past few months and with comparison in general, but I am trying my best to uplift myself as a mother instead of tear myself down. Just to clarify, I've never thought badly of Grayson for not meeting milestones in the way I thought he was "supposed to", but I've beat myself up as a mom when he doesn't do things in the way other children do. I kept thinking it was my "fault" or I wasn't doing too great at this whole mom thing or I wasn't meeting the unrealistic expectations I set for myself as a mother. Apparently, I set out to be perfect and know it all when it comes to babies and shockingly, that's not the case. I know I'm the only one surprised here! I wanted to share this because yes, it's personal, but I imagine I'm not the only mom out there who's ever felt this way. I wrote another detailed blog post all about this particular struggle if you are interested.
Clothes: He is still in a size 4 diaper and is in 9 month and some 12 month clothing. The clothes I bought for him ages ago that looked huge now fit and he looks like such a little boy!
Mood: Grayson is the happiest, giggliest, silliest little boy. He loves people, action, and dogs. He still cracks up at everything and is so interactive these days. He gleams with excitement when he sees other kids and even gets excited and giggly in the grocery store when he spots other children. Grayson is all boy and loves watching people play sports, loud machinery, and playing catch by rolling and throwing the ball back and forth. He is still opinionated and expresses his likes and dislikes, but it's easier to change his cranky mood by either going outside, swinging on his swing, singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider", just calling out Cedric's name (still obsessed with his puppy), and playing pick-a-boo. He gets temporarily very attached to random objects and then gets upset when you take them away from him. Recently, he has brought a spoon from dinner into the bathtub, the plastic tub stopper for the drain into his bed to sleep with, and he also loves the teething tablet bottle because it makes noise when he shakes it. It's so funny! Grayson has such a big personality and I love it!
Teeth: 7! He got his 7th (bottom) tooth at the end of this month. I thought he was cutting a tooth, but this time around wasn't nearly as bad as the previous times.
Milestones: Grayson now says, "uh oh" and continues to be chatty and vocal, he loves to do the moves for "touch down, "clap clap", the "Indian chant" and "I don't know" when asked a question and he can do all of these on command, he can give kisses and wave "bye-bye" and the biggest milestone this month was Grayson taking HIS FIRST STEPS! He's always been such a fan of standing and is so quick when cruising the furniture and the walls like a spider monkey, so I thought this might be coming. It's so exciting to see him grow mentally and physically. It's feels like a lot of things clicked this month for him and he is really beginning to understand us and do what we say.
Loves: Dancing, running around the house on his walker, anything that plays music, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, chewing on anything and everything, and his Daddy (he's been in a big daddy phase recently!)
Things I Want To Remember:
Trip to the Mountains -- Grayson and I went up to the Blue Ridge mountains with a group of my girlfriends from college for the weekend. We had a great time and Grayson particularly enjoyed himself. He was almost perfect the whole trip because he was so interested in his surroundings. I think he is bored at home sometimes because he is typically so well-behaved when we are out. He loves to observe, explore, and interact with new people. We had fun apple picking and enjoying the gorgeous scenery!
1st Halloween -- Grayson's first Halloween was fun! Obviously, he is still pretty little and didn't have an understanding of what was going on, but we enjoyed dressing him up in his frog costume! Surprisingly, he kept it on almost all day and wasn't bothered by it. We went to a festive in Downtown Woodstock during the day where Grayson was dancing and shaking his little booty to the music. It cracks me up that he loves to dance and gets so into the music! Then we handed out candy at our house that evening and took Grayson to a few houses for a proper "Trick or Treating" experience. Next year, he will actually be able to go from house to house and enjoy his "treats", but we had fun celebrating Grayson's 1st Halloween!
