Ten Months

Ugh!  FINALLY got this one done after my computer ate the first draft...

This has been a very busy month for you - all sorts of growing and changing and learning going on!

*First, the big one:  You learned how to crawl!!  After many, many weeks of trying to figure it out, you finally did it!  It's been 3 weeks since you learned and you are already lightning quick.  It's a full time job making sure you don't get into something you shouldn't.  You follow me room to room just like a little puppy often ending up literally under my feet.  :)  When you're really on a mission crawling after something you make this funny little "Huh huh huh huh" breathing sound while you're crawling.

*Directly after learning how to crawl, you started pulling yourself up.  Now, you stand all over the place just because you can.  Hanging onto the jumparoo with one hand, balancing on the tub for your blocks, leaning against the chair, in the bathtub, on the couch (while trying to spy the kitties), on momma and daddy's legs, in your crib. 

*(I'm whispering this one and knocking on wood at the same time!)  You have started sleeping better this month.  After we got settled in the new house, we decided it was finally time to order you a crib.  Well, it arrived and we got it all set up and figured we would let you at least sleep in there for the first 2-3 hour stretch of the night.  You surprised us and slept for 5 hours the first night, then 6 or 7 hours the next few nights.  Awesome!  So, now we have a pretty good routine down.  You nurse and then go to bed in your crib at about 7:00, I get you up and nurse you again before I go to bed around 9:30 or 10:00, then you get up again around 5:00 or 6:00 and come in bed with us. 

*You learned a new trick this month and love to show us all that you are: SO BIG!!  You get a big smile on your face every time we ask you "How big is Miles?" and stretch yourself out as far as you can go.  Your hands must be touching every time you do this and you always suck your little tummy.  Cracks us up every time.  :)

*You are still a big fan of eating and you have discovered that if you throw your food over the side of your chair the kitties will come over to check it out.  You LOVE the kitties, so lots of food goes overboard.

*You are making lots of sounds now.  Your standard "Ahhhhhhhhhh" sound is still your favorite, but you say dadadada, babababa, and yayayaya now.  I keep lobbying for mamamama, but no such luck.

*You have seven teeth - three on top, four on the bottom.  They are quite sharp and I have to be careful if I'm sitting around without socks and shoes on.  More than once you've snuck up on me and decided to use my toes for teething toys - that hurts!! 

*Your hair is starting to really come in!  It's still kind of hard to tell in pictures, but it is there.  It's especially noticeable when it's wet.

You are so much fun right now and changing every day.  I keep reminding Daddy (and myself) of this poem:

Cleaning and scrubbing will wait 'til tomorrow,

but children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.

So, quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

~Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Happy 10 months, Miles-y!  We love you so, so much!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

We had a busy week! 

My mom had back surgery at Meriter on Tuesday.  Devon came to our place that afternoon and then we all headed down to the hospital after I was done at Weight Watchers.  Mom was still pretty out of it from the anesthesia, but she did manage to demand a Rocky's breadstick and part of one of the Banana-Berry Muffins I made, despite still being on a clear liquids diet.

On Wednesday morning Devon, Miles, and I packed up in the morning and made a run out to Deerfield to drop off some food for my friend Kelly, her husband, Scott, and their new little guy, Oliver.  He is so tiny and sweet!  :)  Then we headed back to Madison and met Abbie and Josie for lunch at The Mermaid Cafe.  After we were done there, we went back to the hospital for a couple of hours and Miles entertained my mom for awhile before they both got tired and cranky.  On the way home, we stopped at Target and did a bit of shopping.  Devon brought the first sweet corn of the season with her on Tuesday, so we got home and had that for supper along with some swiss chard chips.  Yum!  I also made a cherry pie with the fresh Door County cherries that I found at the market last weekend.  SO delicious. 

Bill had to work again on Thursday, so Miles and I went to a few garage sales, then headed back down to the hospital.  Bill met us there after he was done with work so that he could take Miles home while I went to my Holistic Mom's meeting.  My dad stayed at our place that night since my mom was being discharged Friday morning.

Friday kind of got away from us a bit.  Bill did get to go golfing though, so that was good.  Today we worked on projects around the house.  Bill did all the touch up painting that has been bugging him and I finally hemmed the stupid curtains.  (They're Ikea curtains and just have an iron-on strip to hem them, but it was still a pain in the neck because they weren't all the same length and I had to keep adjusting how much I hemmed them.)  Bill also started working on putting the hardware on the cabinets in the bathroom and I got started on the mountain of laundry that was taking over our closet. 

As for Miles, he had been enjoying a lot of naked time this week.  For some reason he has been pooping more than ever the last 3 weeks, despite starting an iron supplement and us feeding him all sorts of high iron foods.  We were all worried that he would be constipated, but that is definitely not the case.  He had 6 poopy diapers on Friday alone and his poor little butt was so red!  So, he has been having naked time and lots of tub time to try to help that problem.

He was NOT very impressed that Daddy wouldn't let him go downstairs with him.

A Day at the Park

Last Monday Bill and I decided we'd better take advantage of the short break in the miserably humid weather and get outdoors with Miles for a day.  We packed up the stroller and some water and drove down to Olin-Turville Park in Madison.  We spent the afternoon just hanging out, playing on the playground, and sitting in some shade watching the boats on the water.  Miles was loving every second of it (as he usually does while we're outside) and it was a really nice day.  Bonus:  I got a couple of pictures that I really love!  :)



Swinging with Momma
(And, no, that's not all drool on his shirt!  He was practicing with his sippy cup.)



Snuggles with Daddy



Miles taking it all in



I <3 this one!



This one KILLS me!  I LOVE it!  :)
I was sitting behind him saying "Miles, look at Momma" and this is what I got.  Ha!



Momma and baby feet



Aaaaand, we're done!



Standing!

Gosh, it seems like Miles is literally adding another trick to his repetoire every day!

We figured we had a little while before he became really efficient at crawling to get things really baby-proofed, but we were wrong!!  He was pretty slow at the whole crawling business for about 3-4 days, but now it's like he moves at warp speed.  NOTHING is safe from him!  Garbage can, books, Momma's purse, clean laundry, cords of all kinds, books, remotes, every type of electronic gadget, kitties.  Basically everything except those things which are meant for him.  :)

Note the rapturous expression on Miles' face.  Then, note the slightly-less-than-rapturous expression on Greta's. :)

He also uses his crawling to throw himself upon my feet and beg for mercy (or just to nurse).  It is kind of funny and pathetic and cute all at the same time.  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF51OIpsghE

Then, no sooner did we adjust to the crawling business, then he started trying to pull himself up on things.  Again (we're not that bright, apparently...) we figured we had a little while to prepare before he became really good at it.  Yup, you guessed it.  Wrong again!  Now the books on the second shelf that were secure a week ago are no longer, anything on the couches (including the kitties!!) is fair game, the computer sitting on the side table almost ended up on his head a couple of days ago...  You get the picture.

Yes, we are definitely busier these days, but it really is amazing to watch him learn and grow and develop.  It's the times like this, where he is literally changing every single day, that I am especially thankful for the opportunity to be at home with him.  Sure, every now and then I miss having an adult, professional conversation, but I would not trade this time, these oh-so-short moments, for anything.  I am definitely lucky.  :)

Some random pictures: