Ten Months Old!

Happy Ten Month Birthday, peanutbutterfaceangel.

Double digits, no big deal

Sadly, I wasn’t able to actually write the 22^nd this month.  These past two weeks have been tough….just very busy with work and a clingy boy.  By the end of the day I am DONE.  So done.

John, however, is wonderful.  He is really into interactive play right now and totally lights up when I look at him.  There are times throughout the day when he’ll happily play by himself, but there’s other times when all he wants is for me to play with him.  It’s absolutely impossible to be frustrated with a kid that just wants me to tickle him and say “Peek-a-boo.” Impossible.  His independent play mostly consists of these 3 strange “games” that he’s really into right now.  This is most of my day lately…

1) Dragging the chairs away from the kitchen table.  Who knows why this is fun, but it’s pretty much the best thing ever.

Doesn't it look fun?

2) Pulling every book off the book shelf in his room.  Whatever…if it makes him happy, go for it.  Not sure it counts as reading, but he is technically really into books.

Not sure if I got every book on this shelf.  Let me stand up and take a look.

3) Sucking on this red string that’s attached to one of his toys.  I swear he could care less about two-thirds of his toys, but god forbid if the red string is out of sight.

Sleeping:

As of last week, John officially went to one nap per day.  I fought it for a while, but realized that I’d rather one really amazing long nap than two kinda shitty 45 minute naps.  This week was amazing…he napped at least an hour and a half every day (and over 3 hours twice!).  This is huge.  I HOPE, HOPE, HOPE that this will last because I’m desperate for predictability.  It really makes both of us happier people. 

This morning, John forgot that "he's down to 1 nap a day" and feel sound asleep in my arms at 9:00 am.  I was not amused.  And yes, this screwed me later in the day when he completely refused to nap.  You know, because 10 minutes at 9:00 am is enough for the day.

Eating:

John has finally realized that food is awesome and will pretty much eat whatever we give him lately.  He’s still not much of a meat eater, but woofs down any fruit and vegetable we give him.  I think he prefers real meat (whatever I’m eating) over the pureed jarred stuff.  Can’t say I blame him.  I’ve given him small nibbles of my food…chicken, turkey, cheese, bread…and he’s loved it all. 

Crushing puffs like a boss

I’m still nursing him, but am down to 4 times a day, sometimes 5.   I still intend to get to 1 year, but lately I’m so over it.  I don’t know why, but I’ve felt so frustrated and annoyed by it.  It’s hard to explain.  I guess it’s easiest just to say that I have a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding at the moment and I’ll be glad once John is weaned.

Size:

Basically the same size as last month.  He’s in the same clothes (9-12 months) and diapers (size 4).  He has maybe gained about a half a pound or so.  Everyone said that the weight gain would really slow down once he started crawling.  They were right.

Teeth:

Six.  Well, I guess 4 teeth and 2 that are just barely poking through, but are not quiet out.  Four on top, two on bottom.  And no, he doesn’t bite me when nursing (I know I’d be curious).

Hair:

Amazing and luxurious.  You guys, the cashier at Target said “Hiiiiiii Princess” when we rolled up last week.  Hahaha. She was super embarrassed when she asked “her” name and I said “John.”  He’s just a pretty boy.

Bud assures me that it’s not a mullet because then it’d be short on top too.  So the question is….should I make it a mullet by cutting it on top and let it get all Billy Ray in the back?

Other milestones:

A sad one.  John had his first injury with blood this month.  I cried.

He and I were happily playing in the living room and fell face-first onto one of his toys.  It caught him square in the mouth.  I knew it was going to hurt.  He froze, looked at me, and then started this completely pitiful and weirdly high pitched cry that I had never heard before.  I scooped him up right away and open his little mouth which already had blood in it.  He stopped crying pretty quickly and I (naturally) called my mom right away.  She assured me that he’d be fine and that I wasn’t a horrible mother. 

After a drink of water (of course) and some rocking in his room, he was fine.  I was pretty shaken though.  I need to toughen up before this kid starts walking and really hurts himself.

Favorite Picture:

Holding hands on a walk with my great-grandmother.

Others:

Grease is the word.  You better shape up.

After his "injury" we went for a walk.

I can't get enough of this one.

I worked the Jacksonville Walk to End Alzheimer's on Nov 16th and Bud brought John to see me and support the cause.  I loved showing him off to my coworkers, but it was even more fun to show him to all the Walk Participants that I've become close with over the last couple years.  They were so supportive when I was pregnant last walk season so it was awesome to introduce them to John.

John just liked the beads I was wearing.  

Look out Mardi Gras 2034, John likes beads.

I understand, Lun Lun, I understand

When I've been with John all day the only thing I want is to get away from him.  That's not the nicest thing to say, but it's true.  He's a lot to handle lately.

Getting away always seems like a good idea, but after about an hour, I basically turn into Lun Lun when I return.  

As crazy as it sounds at 5:00 pm on Thursday afternoon, I can't get enough of this kid.

Happy Halloween!

John’s 1^st Halloween was a hit!  Bud and I were a bit stumped on what we wanted to dress him up as, but I think we nailed it.

I don't always wear a belt-buckle, but when I do my mom makes it out of tin foil and safety pins it to my pants.

 At first, were first thinking we’d get him a costume online or at a Halloween store.  I was “pinning” all kinds of adorable costumes (dinosaur, dragon, penguin, marshmallow man, etc.), but the prices were kind of silly considering we weren’t even going to leave our front yard so we were trying to think of something we could do and reuse most of it.  Bud was lobbying pretty hard to dress him up as one of his many nicknames, President Taft, but in the end he got to be the Man in Black, Johnny Cash.

His hair was my favorite part, but it didn't really turn out that great in pictures.  His hair has gotten so long so we put some product in it, slicked it back on the sides, and tried to get it as high as possible on the top.  I've had a thing for pompadours since my Conan phase so this made me so happy.

John was so relaxed and sweet that night.  The three of us sat in the driveway for an hour and a half just handing out candy and watching families walk by.  He happily sat in my lap the whole time.  Bud and I half-joked that if this is the way to keep him happy in the evening we’ll sit out there every night.  Not everyone got what his costume was right away, but everyone smiled once I said “he’s baby Johnny Cash.”  I mean, come on.  It’s too much.

Just sitting in the driveway being a badass.

John also had a back-up costume that was crazy adorable.  I was at Target on Halloween afternoon and started panicking that my Johnny Cash costume would be an epic failure and then my poor child wouldn’t have any 1^st Halloween pictures because I’m a neglectful mother.  When I saw this puppy costume for only $15 I threw it in the cart.  I’m planning to bring John to see my grandma in his puppy costume this week. Not sure she’d appreciate baby Johnny Cash as much as the rest of us, but any one with the ability to see will love puppy-Johnny.

How could I say no after he tried on the hat?

Gramma and Pop

My parents got to see him in his "back-up" costume because I didn't have time to get him in his Johnny Cash costume before they needed to leave.