Ten Months

Z is now ten months old and one day. Have I mentioned recently how fast this is flying by? Oh I have? Sorry.

Today was a big day for him. He finally pulled himself up. He has been just about ready to do it for weeks, but he'd get up on his knees and decide he wasn't all that interested. Today, while he was supposed to be napping, he was crying instead. He usually cries for about two minutes when I leave his room for his nap, but today he was still crying after ten. And since he didn't seem to be calming down, I went in to see what was up. Turns out... it was Z, standing in the corner of his crib, looking like he may not be entirely sure how to sit back down. Ahhh. So we've reached this phase have we?

Anyway, here is my obligatory run down of Z's 10 month stats According to the authors of the What to Expect... book series, at 10 months a baby...

... should be able to:

• stand holding on to someone or something
  check
• pull up to a standing position from sitting
  Yay! A day late, but I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.
• object if you try to take a toy away
  check
• say "mama" or "dada" indiscriminately
  still no "mama," but just about every other syllable
• pay peekaboo
  Boy does this kid love peekaboo. While he's getting his diaper changed, he'll put his pants over his eyes and lift them up himself repeatedly as long as I keep saying, "peekaboo."
• exchange back-and-forth gestures with you
  I have no idea what this means. That he gestures with me? Sure. I guess.

... is probably able to:

• get into a sitting position from stomach
  check
• play patty-cake (clap hands) or wave bye-bye
  Hmm. Unobservant mommy alert. No bye-bye. Not sure if he claps his own hands. He bangs on mine all the time. Not quite the same thing.
• pick up a tiny object with any part of thumb and finger
  Still clumsy, but yes.
• walk holding on to furniture
  no
• understand "no" (but not always obey it)
  He looks when I say, "no." Does that count?

... may possibly be able to:
Oh no, here we go. The part where I wonder why I even include these.

• stand alone momentarily
  no
• say "dada" or "mama" discriminately
  no
• point to something to get needs met
  no

... may even be able to:

• indicate wants in ways other than crying
  no
• "play ball" (roll it back to you)
  No. But boy does he love playing with balls. He holds them, looks at them, rolls them on the ground, crawls across the room to get it, and starts over. He can amuse himself for quite a while with a single small ball.
• drink from a cup independently
  no
• pick up a tiny object neatly with tips of thumb and forefinger
  no
• stand alone well
  no
• use immature jargoning
  no
• say one word other than "mama" or "dada" discriminately
  no
• respond to a one-step command with gestures
  no
• walk well
  no

*sigh* Oh well, at least he's cute. :)

Nine Months Old!

Oh my goodness, Z is nine months old today! As my husband reminded me today, Z has now spent as much time outside my belly as he did in it.

So now it's time for the monthly rundown of Z's development. According to the authors of the What to Expect... book series, our baby Z...

... should be able to:

• work to get a toy that's out of reach
  Check. And now that he's finally "crawling" (sort of) he's off to the races after those toys. And he's almost to big for the Bumbo, since if he drops a toy, he'll practically pop himself out of it stretching to reach a toy that's out of reach.
• look for a dropped object
  Check. Thankfully, this has not become a game... yet.
  

... is probably able to:

• pull up to standing position from sitting
  Still no. Geez, Z! What gives? We still haven't even lowered his crib yet. He doesn't even try.
• creep or crawl
  Creep, yes. Crawl, no. He gets up on his hands and knees, but when he wants to get around, he's back on his belly. He looks like he has no use of his legs as he drags himself around. However, his time in the jumperoo confirms: his legs are fully functional.
• get into a sitting position from stomach
  No. Gosh my baby is a slacker. Instead, he just props himself up on his elbow when he's laying on his side. But he won't try to actually sit.
• object if you try to take a toy away
  Definitely yes. Enough said.
• stand holding on to someone or something
  Another no for the probably column. Hmm. Z is not into being upright.
• pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger
  Nope. He still grabs those Puffs with his whole hand.

Well, Z... the "probably" list wasn't promising. So the "may possibly" list is going to be a hoot.

... may possibly be able to:

• play patty-cake (clap hands) or wave bye-bye
  No.
  
• walk holding on to furniture
  No.
• understand "no" (but not always obey it)
  No.

... may even be able to:
(this should be good)

• "play ball" (roll ball back to you)
  No.
• drink from a cup independently
  A cup? Really? Was I supposed to be giving him cups?
• pick up a tiny object neatly with tips of thumb and forefinger
  No.
• stand alone momentarily
  No.
• stand alone well
  Still no.
• say "dada" or "mama" indiscriminately
  Um, no. He says "baba" and "yaya" indisriminately.
• say one word other than "mama" or "dada"
  YES! "baba" I'm not getting too excited. It is very indiscriminate.
• respond to one-step command with gestures ("Give that to me," said with hand out
  Really? OK, no. My baby cannot do that. Whatever. Why do I do this every month?

More about Z:

• Z still only has the two teeth (both on the bottom). No new teeth this month.
• Z is regularly sleeping through the night. He's in bed between 7-8 and wakes up around 6:30. He's been a little sick lately, so he's been waking up around 5. We are hopeful that this passes when the virus vacates our home.
• Z has been spoiled and has been being rocked to sleep every night up until this last month. Rocking suddenly became playtime instead of relax and fall asleep time, so he's been put in his crib awake. He is not a fan. But he usually falls asleep within 30 minutes, which is wonderful! And as I said, he's sleeping through the night.
• Z still has a solid two naps, but they are also pretty variable. Never know whether he's going to sleep for one hour or three.
• Z is still eating stage two baby food. But he's also a huge fan of crackers. Actually, he's a huge fan of anything edible. If he could get food out of the pantry without my help, I'm pretty sure I'd have a 100 pound baby.
• Z still has a pacifier when in his crib. Mommy is still not happy about this.
• Z LOVES peek-a-boo. Whether we cover his eyes while changing his diaper or peek out of the pantry while he's in his highchair, he is all smiles and giggles.
• Z can play by himself for long periods of time without getting fussy. As long as he's not hungry or sleepy, he can amuse himself quite happily with his toys while Mommy and Daddy take showers or do laundry or work.

So all in all, I'm pretty happy with this little baby of mine. He may not be sitting or cruising or standing, but he is sleeping through the night, plays by himself, and falls asleep on his own within thirty minutes. All in all, I'd say he's a keeper. Plus, he's super cute.