10 Months & Counting

It's hard to believe Grayson is already at the 10 month mark. He's been in the outside world longer than he was growing inside me. Though he had a pretty good thing going in the womb, it's safe to say that his current life isn't too bad either.

He's had a big month, perfecting his mobility skills to the point that he's confident enough to cruise around the coffee table and can nearly stand up from a sitting position without needing something to pull up on. Grayson's vocabulary has also expanded from bye bye and dada to now include mama (which thrills me to no end). He seems to be associating other words when we say them and point to things (like baba for bottle or Roxy's name).

We're back into another teething cycle which seems to be going slower than the last four teeth. Grayson's top front tooth on the left side has barely cut through and the one next to it is shortly behind. He's as drooly as ever and even his plastic-backed bibs don't seem to keep his shirts dry these days.

Ahh, how nice it will be when he no longer needs bibs. Sometimes I feel like he'll be getting his driver's permit around the time we take them off. Most of his bibs are now stained from various food experiments and self-feeding, or the velcro has been washed so much it no longer works. I can't seem to bring myself to buy more because I keep telling myself he'll be out of them soon enough, but in reality I should just bite the bullet and get some that don't make him look like the dirty kid in class.

Over the last month, Grayson has really taken an interest in music. He loves his musical toys, as well as "playing" his Little Tykes piano. He also enjoys singing all kinds of nursery songs (with me moving his hands in motion to go along with the words, of course). As I sing songs like The Itsy Bitsy Spider or Pat-a-cake he holds his mouth open like he's trying to sing too, but can't quite figure out how. He squeals with joy at the hand motions and claps afterward like he wants to go again.

Other fun games include hide-and-seek/chase like the video in the last post, playing with any kind of blocks and crawling through tunnels. At Grayson's school they have a tunnel made out of tent-like material that he thinks is endless amounts of fun to crawl through. His Johnny Jump-up also continues to be a favorite pastime.

I'm hopeful that someday our son will have a full head of hair. The hair on the sides and back of his head is really filling in, but it's extremely fine and the top just won't seem to grow. He's still having a few eczema outbreaks on his scalp, so that may be part of the problem. Fingers crossed the top hair will catch up with the rest someday soon.

Not much to report on the food front. He continues to be a non-discriminating eater (have you checked out this kid's thighs?) and is transitioning from pureed to chunkier foods and finger foods. We introduced a sippy cup several months back, although we haven't been very consistent about using it. I probably need to work on that if we want to eventually transition him off the bottle.

A monthly update would not be complete without a report on Roxy. Though she isn't always a fan of his mobility, she is more gentle with Grayson than we thought she would be. She has yet to snap at him even though he pulls her hair before we can stop him and tends to charge at her in a full-on flailing crawl that is sure to scare anyone at floor level. Her latest pleasure is staying at a safe distance and then running in to give Grayson a quick lick on the cheek or leg and then run away before he can catch her. Someday he'll catch on to this game and take her by surprise, but for now she enjoys having the upper hand.

Can't say that I blame her. I'm enjoying the upper hand while it lasts as well. I'm sure he'll be outsmarting me soon enough.