Ten months update

Liam is 10 months old today! 

Liam in his new high chair

Overall:
At 10 months, he is a cheeky-faced boy who is a lot quicker to smile, although he still saves his best smiles for his daddy who is his favorite person in the world, with mummy coming in a close second. He is mostly a serious and observant child, and will sit on your lap quietly watching a conversation between adults and staring intently at faces for minutes on end.

Physical:

Liam now has first two bottom teeth, and they're sharp. He still enjoys chewing on things. Mainly, my hands, his burb cloths, the tags on his soft books, any pointy bits or ends sticking out of his toys, his bunny's floppy ears, and the cord of my sweater.

He doesn't crawl or walk yet, but he can sit by himself for a few minutes before toppling over, and his absolute favorite position is standing holding on to your hands or the edge of the couch. 

Check out my little teeth!

Eat:

He eats two 'meals' of solids a day, and we're slowly working in a breakfast meal. His meals consists mainly of a variety of fruit purees mixed with Griess, a type of wheat to thicken up the consistency and add some much needed carbs into his diet. He still gags on actual solid pieces of food and whenever he doesn't like the taste of something, but I continue to offer him bits and pieces of bread, meat and actual fruit so he can keep practicing until his gag reflex isn't as strong.

Play:
He loves exploring and playing with new things. I rotate his toys daily so he doesn't get bored and can play with something different each time. He likes things that crinkle (like plastic) and rattles, ever since he's worked out that they make a sound when he shakes them. He has a rattle bunny in his cot that he shakes whenever he's up from a nap so that we know he's awake. One of his favorite (and probably most expensive!) toy is the Fisher Price Jumperoo. He happily jumps in it for half an hour if you let him and I've never once seen him cry while playing in it. 

Fisher Price Jumperoo from Amazon

Sleep:

He sleeps from 6pm-6am on average with a short nap in the morning followed by a one-two hour nap after lunch. He sleeps really well in his cot, and not so well anywhere else which makes going out at certain times of day (lunch with friends for instance) not a possibility. But I'm willing to sacrifice lunching for my son's sleep. Yes, I deserve an award, I know.

The truth is, when he naps well during the day, he sleeps better at night, which makes for a happier family altogether. He still wakes up for a midnight 'feed' from time to time. I've not tried to wean him off it and I'm simply following his cues, as he needs to gain some weight. If he sleeps through the night, great. But if he wakes at 3am I give him some milk and he falls right back to sleep.

Sounds:
He babbles and 'chats' to himself. His favorite sound these days are bababababa, adadada, something that sort of sounds like mama only when he cries, yaayaayaaa, and he still enjoys blowing raspberries. He yells out when he's bored, angry or wants to be picked up. 

Emotions:
Liam bounces or flaps his arms whenever he's excited or happy. You can clearly tell when he's tired, uncomfortable or angry at this stage. He smiles when he sees you after a nap, when he's watching his favorite cartoon, or when you pull him up to a standing position. He hasn't done a proper belly laugh yet (perhaps we're just not very funny people!), but he opens his mouth wide and lets out a yell when he's really happy.

Time is flying past, and my baby boy is growing more and more each day. I can't quite believe that in two short months he will be turning a year old! It has been so wonderful to watch him discover the world around him and learn new things - like throwing down a toy and picking it up, or knowing exactly where his favorite doll is. He has been through so much and come so far in only ten months, and we couldn't be prouder of our little guy.