Alex at 10 Months

I just posted the 9 Months post...now that Alex is 10.5 months old! It's been here for a while in draft mode, but I just remembered to actually hit "post". You can click on the October tab and look for "Alex at 9 Months" if you're really curious...but it's probably not that exciting.

Alexander at 10 Months

These are just a random assortment of facts about Alex at this age...

• eating almost everything we put in front of him...even a dill pickle and a chunk of raw onion. He made funny faces with the pickle, but kept asking for more. He loved the onion!
• FINALLY willing to eat breakfast! I made a bunch of milk-free pancakes, froze them, and thaw one for him in the morning. Or I give him some banana or diced pears with Cheerios. He does NOT want rice cereal or any other mushy cereal (oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc) for breakfast.
• Eating pretty much anything we're eating, as long as it's dairy free. He loves spicy foods - spanish rice, jambalaya, shredded taco chicken, etc. He's not a huge fan of ground beef.
• He still eats a little baby food (or applesauce) for lunch & supper most days, but only after he's had "real" food.
• SCREAMS when he can't eat what we are eating. He's so jealous if he can't try our food...that's tricky with the dairy thing.
• May be outgrowing the dairy allergy!!! I'm slowly working dairy back into my diet, and it doesn't seem to bother Alex. I'll probably offer him just a little bit of something with dairy at 12 months, wait a few days, try again, and just see how it goes from there.
• loves froot loops, cheerios, diced fruit, applesauce, spaghetti, jelly bread, graham crackers
• getting very good at throwing his food to the dog...and at crying when we scold him for this! (Why is pouting so cute?! It's so hard not to laugh!)
• still not too interested in a sippy cup, but likes to sip water out of a regular cup
• Standing much more often, walking along furniture a little, but not too much
• Crawling like a pro..and getting into everything!
• Good at entertaining himself for long periods of time...but ya better watch closely or he'll entertain himself with dangerous things.
• Likes us to "chase" him as he crawls or hide around the corner to surprise him as he crawls into the room. Daddy likes to chase Alex and then pull Alex's legs out from under him. Alex giggles!
• Loves cords & wires on computer, phone, lamps, etc.
• loves to pull out all the CDs in the office.
• attempted to put a toy in the toilet for the first time. (Gotta be consistent about closing that lid!)
• loves remotes, cell phones, all things shiny and grown-up, knows how to turn on the computer printer..and is doing so right now ;)
• has his own computer keyboard - an old one with the cord removed - so he can type while Mama or Daddy types
• loves to shred magazines, newspapers, etc...loves to play with all my expired coupons. I dump them on the floor when I'm sorting, and he's entertained for 15 - 20 minutse.
• dumps the dog's toy basket on a daily basis
• makes me wonder why we own Fisher Price & Little Tykes when he prefers the dog's squeaky toys & bones.
• loves music, especially if kids are singing...so we now have 2 CD slots in our car dedicated to Alex's music.
• Still fighting naps - he might miss something if he sleeps
• lately, he's whimpering when I carry him into his bedroom...even if it's just for a diaper change. I think he's afraid that I'm putting him in bed again. That makes me sad; I don't want him to dislike his bedroom. I try to bring him in there & play on the floor a few times a week, just so his bedroom is fun.
• If I didn't mention it, last month we removed the mobile & music box from his crib. Instead of laying down, he would sit up and play with everything. We just removed his excuses for not sleeping. The music box is on the floor, and he still plays with it when he's crawling around.
• Still a light sleeper...so much for vacuuming while he slept as a tiny baby...that did nothing for helping him sleep soundly. The ringing phone, the dog barking, the hair dryer...it all wakes him! Sigh.
• "TALKING" constantly. Some might actually be words, but there's no way to prove it...He often says "Muh" for more, mama, daddy, "Dee" for dog, "Bah" for ball. Ah-ma (when looking at a picture of Grandma) is a new one that I've noticed 2 or 3 times.
• plays ball - I roll it to him, Alex picks it up & hands the ball back to me
• He loves to jabber with lots of expression in his voice.
• smiles when we look at all the family pictures on the wall and name everyone
• LOVES his nightly bath! He gets very excited & crawls into the bathroom as soon as he hears the running water.
• Sleeping pretty well most nights. He usually is asleep in his crib by 8:30PM at the latest (unless we're out...) and doesn't wake until about 4:30 or 5 AM. Then he nurses and goes back to sleep until a little after 7 AM. We were trying to eliminate that early morning nursing, but Alex wasn't cooperating. He'll scream for an hour if I don't nurse him...guess he still needs it! I think I'll try again when he's 12 months unless he changes his own schedule sooner.
• Understanding the signs for milk, all done, eat, doggy, and maybe a few others. Signs milk. Holds up his hands without twisting for "all done".
• Does 'So Big' on occasion. Likes clapping when we say "yay!" Has picked up the scrunchy face again, but does it with a twist. Instead of fast, huffy breathing through his nose, Alex now does one deep breath with the scrunchy face.
• Doesn't like to hold still for diaper changes
• still fascinated with tags
• still loves outside
• enjoys picking up almost-invisible specks/crumbs from the floor with his thumb & pointer finger
• loves to eat leaves that Maggie brings in on her fur. Sigh.
• loves the mixer, terrified of the blender
• loves the hair dryer, terrified of the vacuum
• fascinated by toy cars & trucks
• loves to grocery shop & see all the people/things in the store
• loves to watch the trucks as we drive down the interstate.
• loves to watch the traffic go by when we pick up Seth from school
• loves Seth, for that matter...it makes Alex very happy to have Seth around :)
• doing very well in church nursery...as long as he's not wanting to nurse, that is. He loves to play with the toys, and he rarely cries when I leave him. We keep him in church during the singing at the beginning of the service...he just LOVES the music! Then we go to the cry room during communion (to nurse, but still hear communion meditation), and then it's off to the nursery.
• loves to go for stroller rides, although we're gonna have to start bundling up for our walks soon! He sits forward, holds on tight, and bounces if we're not going fast enough for his liking. It's cute!
• Just last night, he learned how to crawl up a step at Kevin & Jen F's house. They have a sunken living room with one step, and Alex repeatedly crawled out of it.
• snuggling is a very short-term thing, but I usually get one 30 - 60 second head-on-my-shoulder snuggle from Alex each day... LOVE IT! :)