Emerson's 10 Month Update!

Emerson is 10 months old and actually getting closer to the 11 month mark at this point! I've been taking in the "baby" moments with her recently because I can see her slowly transforming each day into a little girl. While this time period leading up to Emerson's first birthday is bittersweet, I absolutely love the stage that she is in now! Her personality is blossoming and she is just so much fun! Here is a little bit about our sweet Emerson Faith at 10 months old:

Height and Weight: No updates on height or weight until Emerson's 1 year check-up in August! She's definitely growing though....my arms are getting more of a workout than ever before with her!

                              Enjoying her first Oreo! 

              Emerson is more interested in reading books this month!

Eating: Emerson has been eating table food and lots of it this month! She's really amping up the quantity of food she can eat. Sometimes she eats more than Grayson! Emerson loves almost all food and doesn't have too many preferences. Once in a while, she won't be in the mood for something, so she will spit it out, but overall, she likes most everything. I tried purees with her again recently and she did okay with them. She liked the puree sweet potatoes, but not nearly as much as table food, so I think we will just stick with regular food from here on out. Emerson really likes scrambled eggs, cheese, and baked beans. Emerson does well with meat, but she really has started to like fruits (blueberries and grapes are her favorites) and veggies (she likes any veggie as long as it's soft/cooked). Grayson is my meat eater and Emerson loves all the "sides", so they make a good team when splitting a meal. It's fun to be able to make the same plate for both of them at this point. It's starting to feel like I have two toddlers on my hands. Emerson has started really wanting the same food as Grayson. She actually ate a hot dog recently because she really wanted Grayson's and just couldn't stand that I wasn't giving her any. It's funny what your second child eats and so much sooner. She definitely understands what sweets are and she's a fan! Emerson still loves carbs and will munch on any type of bread or cracker all day long. She has also started wanting to feed herself more and more. She loves to hold her own spoon and fork. She is getting much better about sitting in the high chair and feeding herself. I think she finally finds it fun! Emerson is still nursing, but has been cutting out a day time feeding recently. She usually nurses every 4-5 hours, but she can skip a feeding if needed and it doesn't bother her much. This is definitely a good sign as we go into 11 months and beginning to wean her. She drinks out of a sippy cup like a champ these days, so I'm hoping the transition to whole milk won't be too bad. She does love her feedings and bonding time with mama, so I'm soaking those in right now. Emerson is very "all over the place" while nursing these days. She gets very easily distracted and loves to play with my face while nursing. But sometimes, she wants to nurse extra long and just lay with me and it's the sweetest.

Emerson's first time riding in the "car" while grocery shopping!

Sleeping: Emerson hit a major milestone in the sleeping department this month! She sleeps 9-11 hours straight each night and has for a solid month now. I can't tell you how amazing it has been! I did nothing "different", so I am not sure what changed for her, but she's been sleeping so well! Emerson takes two naps a day, but usually one isn't very long. She tends to take a shorter morning nap and a longer afternoon nap. Typically her morning nap is between 45 min - 1 hour, but can be shorter or longer depending on if we are home or not. She sleeps well in the car, but usually won't stay asleep long once we get out. Emerson is also like my little alarm clock each evening reminding me of exactly what time it is. She gets extra fussy every night at exactly 8:30 just in case I forgot it was her bedtime. She keeps me on the ball! Emerson doesn't fall asleep while nursing a lot anymore, but she is getting really good at being laid down while drowsy and putting herself to sweet. Hopefully she makes that a habit!

Clothes: Emerson is now in size 4 diapers. While size 4 is a little big, size 3 was too snug. She's all over the board when it comes to clothes! She can still fit in some clothes that are 3-6 months depending on how it runs, but she can also fit in some 12 month clothing. Overall, she more 6-9 mo. or 9-12 mo. in most things!

                              Hoarding sippy cups! 

                Emerson's face while swinging! So happy! 

Mood: Emerson has been much more moody this month! She is starting to be much more opinionated about what she wants and vocal about not getting what she wants. She is also "putting up a fight" when I try to take something from her (specifically my phone or the tv remote which she always seems to find) or when I have to put her in her car seat. I actually have to use some force to get her in or take the object back from her. And then she screams. ;) She knows what she wants and is more of a firecracker lately! She has become much more sassy, fussy, and just expressive in general. While the dramatic side isn't always fun, she is also laughing out loud much more, giggling, smiling, clapping, dancing, waving, and playing peek-a-boo. She has really come out of her shell and into her own this month! She loves to play little games and has started copying things we do and noises we make. She shakes her head "No!" when she doesn't like or doesn't want something. She will also clap, wave, shake her head no, and give high 5's on command. She gets her feelings hurt very easily and will burst into tears if I get onto her or tell her no. Emerson is the most moody when it comes to Grayson. She really tries to defend herself and stick up for herself nowadays and Grayson is either her best friend or her worst enemy. She still thinks he's hilarious and gets excited when she sees him, but she also gets very annoyed and frustrated with him. She has started smacking him when he takes something from her. And she's also started hitting at me when I take something from her or just smacking me in general. It's somewhat funny, but also means it's time to start disciplining her and teaching her right from wrong (as well as you can at 10 months old)...which to me means the toddler days are fast approaching! Emerson has her sassy and dramatic moments, but also her sweet moments too. She is still a mama's girl, but has a soft spot for daddy! Anytime he enters the room, she is grinning from ear to ear! She still loves to be rocked by daddy and enjoys cuddles.

                                Two peas in a pod!

Teeth: Emerson still only has 4 teeth. She did visit the pediatric dentist this month concerning her upper lip tie. Thankfully, nothing needs to be done about it right now! Since it's not affecting her speech or eating, they aren't concerned at all and will wait until her permanent teeth come in to reevaluate. That was definitely a relief! She does have a big gap between her two front teeth though! :)

                                                                      Friends!

Emerson climbs and crawls all over the couch and even attempts to crawl on to the end tables!

Milestones: Emerson has become extremely mobile this month! She crawls and climbs like a champ these days! She is super fast and can cover long distances very quickly. She has started pulling up on everything into a standing position all the time...it's her favorite! We lowered her crib this month because of her constant pulling and standing up. She also climbs stairs and can get up an entire stair case in less than a minute. In less than a week, she went from having little interest in the stairs at our house to being able to book it up 15 steps and into her room in record time. We did buy a baby gate (for our sanity and her safety), but we are still letting her practice climbing when supervised. I do want her to get good at it! Emerson has been much more reactive and responsive this month. She is starting to understand what is funny or silly and respond to it! She is also learning to copy and repeat this month. Emerson has started taking "steps" while holding our fingers this month and is much more accepting of standing. A few times this month, she will get upset and say, "Ma" or "Mama", but ultimately she doesn't say many words....just random symbols. We play with her by saying, "Ahhhh" and she will copy us! Haha. She does say "Dada" when she sees her Daddy now, so it's fun to see her make the connection!

Loves: Emerson loves being tickled (by mama and by Grayson), exploring, crawling everywhere and anywhere and then pulling up to stand and climb, climbing stairs, still loves being held by mommy but more excited to get on the floor and play, loves bath time, splashing, and the pool, loves getting into everything, always has something in her hand to chew on and play with, loves to clap and immediately starts dancing when music comes on, loves to smile and wave at everyone and making friends/"flirts" wherever we go (as long as she is in mama's arms), loves riding in the shopping cart and swinging at the park (biggest smile on her face the whole time!), loves to copy to repeat, loves drinking out of a sippy cup, enjoys feeding herself now and wants to hold the spoon/fork herself, loves to babble and talk more and more. Emerson has recently started to really enjoy brushing her teeth! She loves to hold the toothbrush, but she even puts it in her mouth and actually tries to brush. Emerson loves phones and remotes! She loves whatever Grayson has and wants to play with it too. 

                  Cuddling with Daddy

Things I Want To Remember:

-Emerson's 1st Fourth of July -- I believe this was Emerson's last "first" holiday. It was really fun considering she's almost a year old and is a lot more aware of what's going on! We spent time swimming, BBQing with family, and seeing fireworks. Emerson loved swimming in the pool and splashing. She was even kicking while in the water like she was trying to "swim". Emerson really liked the fireworks which I thought was so cool! It was really fun to see her reaction. She watched them intently the entire time...she was a fan!

Grayson's 10 Month Update!

We are in the double digits! Grayson is 10 months old and getting closer and closer to his 1st birthday. This year is flying by, but at the same time it's hard to remember my life before Grayson. This month was full of more fun as Grayson is becoming less of a baby and more of a little person. Here's an update on our little man at 10 months:

**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.

http://brittanyhgale.blogspot.com/2015/10/perfection-motherhood-just-dont-mix.html

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!