10 month update

Eddie turned 10 months last Friday and it just sort of snuck up on me - I didn't realize it was the 18th until I heard a radio announcer state the date. He is an active explorer and expressing his wants more and more. He has no interest in his toys and gravitates towards things he cannot or should not have, like the computer - which we do let him play with for brief moments and he pulls up screens we have never even seen before. I am trying to teach him about limits, because he seems to think he is capable of doing things he cannot, as in reaching higher and higher for objects and flying down the stairs. He likes the climb the stairs and is trying to figure out how to go down them - one day he watched Marty do it and then proceeded to attempt to crawl down them like she did: head first. Of course I was right there quasi-holding him so it didn't happen. Today for the first time though he figured out how to go down a step backwards, so maybe it is a sign of more progress to come. He pulls up on everything and has starting side stepping and if there are objects close by that he can grab onto, he will shift his weight and move from item to item...sort of "cruising" as they call it, but I wouldn't officially declare that he is regularly doing such. He is making attempts at waving and clapping but hasn't mastered those skills yet.

Verbally, he is still saying "dada" and "mama" a lot, repeating the syllables. Often it seems like he truly is acknowledging us as he will say "dada" to his daddy and will repeat "mama" when he is trying to get my attention and wants to be picked up. But then again, he also says these things to inanimate objects, toys, walls, etc. so it isn't clear whether he truly knows their meaning. He also says a form of "dada" to his dog Marty, so we think he is trying to say "doggie." He also repeats "gaga," "baba" and "nana," but his main mode of expression of language is his gurgley hiss-like excited sound - actually it sounds like he is trying to cough up phlegm.

As for sleep, this past week or so hasn't been bad. He is going down well for naps and for bedtime. He naps for 1-2 hours in the morning and then takes a quick nap of 45 minutes in the afternoon. He goes to bed between 7 - 8 p.m. He is still waking up during the night. Last week he was averaging 3 times a night which was a bit ridiculous. Now it is down to 1 or 2, which is bearable but still puts me in zombie mode - 10 months of sleep interruption/deprivation is not good and I can acutely attest to that.

He is a good eater and primarily feeds himself via finger foods except for the few items I prepare that require me to feed him, such as cottage cheese and some grain and veggie mixtures. He seems to prefer cheese - loves cottage cheese, cheddar and mozzarella. He also loves all fruits and has recently tried strawberries and pineapple. He eats chicken, turkey, lamb and beef. He prefers salmon to cod. The veggies he likes are zucchini, peas, green beans and still loves sweet potatoes and winter squash. He has eaten kale and spinach too but I have to sneak those into his meals by mixing them with grains and pasta since they are impossible to eat as a finger food. He loves wheat and is eating whole wheat macaroni, cheese ravioli and bread. Sometimes I make French toast for him and he likes that a lot. I love watching him eat and play with his food - sometimes he mashes it all around or picks up pieces and holds them really high and then drops them to Marty. He communicates when he is done by trying to squirm/climb out of his high chair or twists around and starts sucking on the back of the seat.

He is good in the car now and can totally entertain himself, often to the point of laughter. He likes going for walks but is usually very silent and chill during the walk - a few weeks ago he pulled a newborn and fell asleep on a walk! He loves to be outdoors, loves crawling around on grass, touching leaves and flowers and playing with dirt - one day he actually started crying when I brought him back inside. And of course he still loves his bathtime which we do every night. Sometimes during the day he gets messy - either from the battle on the changing table or from crawling around outside - and I give him a mini bath in the sink and he loves playing with the faucet - also likes drains a lot. Maybe he will be a plumber. We ordered a baby pool and I cannot wait for its arrival so that we can play in the water outside.