Nicole and Brandon: January 2016

Whoa! We've made it to double-digits. I think it would be safe to say mommy and daddy are now seasoned parents...ha ha ha ;).

Here's what our attempt at your monthly photo has turned into:

And mommy thought it was hard when you were a newborn, HAH!

It's a new year and we've officially left behind the year of your birth. Mommy was a little sad about that to be honest. But, we love you more and more each day and LOVE watching your little personality begin to peek through. It seems like the newborn days are so long gone (~~that mommy already has baby fever).~~ Ha ha! Truth be told, you don't need a sibling yet, but, I sure do miss those newborn snuggles, even if I was a complete walking zombie.

Anyways, on to our look back at the last month!

Memories from the first half of month 10:
-You started crawling on Jan. 1, 2016! Happy New Year! Here's to exploring! At first you were very slow but it only took a day (literally) for you to speed up. It took about a week for you to figure out how to crawl on the kitchen floor because it's slippery.

"Mom, it's hard to crawl on this floor...I think I'll just lie down for a bit."

-As a direct result of becoming mobile, your new favorite pastime is "chasing" Zoey. Poor dog. Every time you get near her she moves (because you like to grab her fur) and then you follow her. She's not so sure about your new found ability. You also LOVE her bones. You make a beeline for them, ignoring all of your stuff....of course.
-You do not seem to like beef flavored baby food. Everything else is good.

-We started some Stage 3 baby foods but we are giving you more and more table food as well. The majority of your food is still Stage 2. You still do not use your fingers very well so we spoon feed you. I let you practice using your fingers with puffs, but you don't like those very well. They don't have much nutritional value so I'm not too worried.
-We give you a sippy cup with water every now and then. You don't like it. I think the flow is too fast for you. Your bottles still have the slow flow nipples. Of course I just returned all of the medium and fast flow nipples because we weren't using them and now I wish I wouldn't have. I think eventually you'll get used to the faster flow though. I'm going to give it some time.
-Mommy and Daddy took you in for your 9 month pictures. Technically you were 9.5 months, but, close enough. ;) You were such a good little boy and the photographer said you were one of the easiest kids he's photographed. Phew. You did get a "boo boo" during the shoot. You were on a chair that had the legs cut off and you started rocking your body (one of your favorite things) back and forth and before mommy could catch it, the chair fell backwards and you bonked your head. You got pretty upset and cried, so a few pictures had teary eyes, but you recovered quickly and we got great pictures. Here are our three favorites:

Memories from the second half of Month 10:
-You LOVE dinner time! You usually eat all of your food right before daddy gets home and then stay in your high chair while we eat. Daddy feeds you from his plate too and you can't get enough. Little piggy! Usually it's bedtime by the time we finish eating so I nurse you (more food!) and it's off to bed.
-On the weekends you love taking "big boy" baths in the tub. I have to support you so you don't keel over and bonk your head (not speaking from experience or anything) but you love it! We have lots of fun bath toys; Boon toys are our favorite. And, FYI, during the week, grandma baths you when you are with her. I wouldn't want anyone to think we only bathe you on the weekends!
-You are still in your infant car seat but I think the transition to the convertible car seat will be soon. I don't know how much longer mommy's arms can carry you in it! We've already purchased two convertible car seats for each vehicle. I'm just trying to wait for the snow to go away....which I'm sure will be a long while. It's so much easier to get you buckled up inside and just snap the car seat into the car base. I'll sure miss that!

-You are already a pro crawler.

And with it has come a mischievous streak. Which leads me to my next point...

-We have had to start disciplining you. I have literally no idea what I'm doing (there's some honest mom talk for you), but, you are trying to get into things you shouldn't. At our house it's the TV table drawers and dog stuff (bones, toys, dog dishes, and the baby gate separating you two) and at grandma's it the electrical outlets. Right now we are saying "No" and sometimes slapping your hand. Often you will pout and then smile and try again...little goober! Sometimes we just physically move you. We'll figure it out in time.

-You love, love, love daycare and your "friends" there. You literally cried when I picked you up to go home last week. Breakin' momma's heart just a little bit. ;) Actually I didn't take it too personally; I'm glad you have so much fun while I'm at work!

-You are loud! When you talk or cry it's loud! I've realized this more lately.

-Ironically, compared to my last statement, you are awesome in church. The last four or five Sunday's you've sat through church without a pacifier and been quiet and good! I just bring a whole library of books for you, specifically the ones with "feely" things and you're happy.

-Our FAVORITE store, BabyGap, is closing it's doors in our mall. Mommy is devastated. Good thing I can still shop online. :)

-Mommy has been on the lookout for new shoes for you. You're going to need more practical walking shoes soon enough. I just can't believe how much they cost! They sure are cute though!

-You still don't have any teeth! The dentist said that's a good thing and that you're less likely to get cavities. I guess I'll go with him on that.

-Even though you don't have any teeth, you are getting more and more comfortable with table food. Sometimes we don't even feed you baby food you just have different things that we have in the kitchen.

-Your clothes sizes range anywhere from 6 to 9 months to 12 to 18 months, depending on the brand. You are long and lean so you grow out of most things in length first.

-You are pretty much over your exersaucer now. You loved it for a long time but get easily bored with it now. We've left it up to contain you in the morning while we are getting ready. If we put it away the changing table will be the only piece of baby gear left in the living room.

As always, here are some pictures from the last month: