10 Months Old - Getting SO BIG!

Weeks 42 AND 43!

I've been slacking, so I'll do the past week and the current week together. Then maybe I can get back on track! Last week:

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 42 weeks (Approximately 9.8 months) old now.
Your baby is no doubt giving you plenty of exercise! He or she's constantly on the go and discovering new and faster ways to move. Now that he or she's crawling, maybe cruising and perhaps even standing for a moment or two without holding onto anything, he or she may be close to taking his or her first wobbly, unassisted steps. As time goes on, he or she will build confidence and will stand on his or her own for longer periods of time. The more time he or she has to practice using his or her legs, the stronger and more coordinated he or she will be. Your baby's memory is improving steadily. He or she's mastering the concept of object permanence and can form mental images of familiar objects when they're out of sight. He or she may remember a favorite toy even after it's been carefully put away (and cry for it). Although it may take several weeks, or even months, for this concept to completely set in, you'll notice separation anxiety lessen as he or she realizes that you continue to exist when you have left and that you'll soon return. As your baby becomes more mobile and independent, you may notice that he or she has a renewed appreciation for cuddling on your lap while you read a book or two at the end of the day. He or she is still your little baby and needs comforting and security after a day of exploring and playing. He or she is also taking a greater interest in the book's pages, and may stare at the images, babble to them, and try to touch them. He or she will love to help turn the pages too. Remember, the more sounds and words he or she hears, the more easily he or she will develop his or her own vocabulary. Take time out each day for this wonderfully educational ritual.

And this week!

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 43 weeks (Approximately 10.0 months) old now.
At ten months old, babies usually range from 26.75 inches long and 16.75 pounds (10th percentile) to 29.75 inches long and 22 pounds (90th percentile). Are you feeling ignored? Matthew is probably not intentionally ignoring you; he is just concentrating on what he's doing at the moment and some babies have a difficult time switching from one task to another. Try not to take it personally. Be patient and be sure to allow Matthew a sufficient amount of transition time when changing activities. Matthew may also be developing a dislike for confinement, whether it is in the stroller, his highchair or car seat. Try to plan outings that give him an opportunity to explore a bit on his own. Let him play in the grass or walk while holding onto the stroller. However, the one rule you must enforce from day one is that Matthew must be buckled into his car seat whenever he is in a car. You can be flexible about some things, but you always must be adamant about safety, no matter how loud the protest. Is Matthew scared of everything all of a sudden? If he used to get in the way trying to "help" you clean and cook, the simplest noises such as the vacuum or microwave may now send your baby into a fit of tears. This is because as he gets older, he is becoming more aware of danger. To make him feel better, vacuum or run the dishwasher only when he is sleeping or out of the room. Or try buying Matthew a toy vacuum or push popper and let him vacuum with you. Remember not to laugh or get upset at Matthew for these fears, but rather sympathize and show him that you understand and that you don't want to scare him. Eventually he will get over these fears, and you will be able to cook and clean without a screaming infant by your side.

The bumps and bruises that come along with being mobile have definitley begun! Poor little guy hit his head and his face yesterday during 2 separate incidents. But he's OK. Hid Daddy and I try not to make a big deal out of it when he gets hurt, but it's hard to watch. We've had to go out and buy him some new clothes - the temperatures have been close to 80 degrees the past few days - way above normal for this time of year. Matthew looks so cute in his little shorts and short sleeves. He can clap now, and act up on purpose. Yesterday I had a heck of a time feeding him his dinner because he thought it would be fun to spit it all over the place. He knows what "no" means (and I said it repeatedly) so he knew what he was doing. It's just too hard to be mad at him, though, when he sprays his food and then smiles proudly. What a goober.

A Week Late

OK, so Matthew will be 42 weeks old tomorrow and I'm just now getting around to posting his week 41 info. Sue me ;oP

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 41 weeks (Approximately 9.6 months) old now.
Teaching your baby to feed themselves can take a lot of practice and create quite a few big messes. Keep in mind that this new skill will take some getting used to - be patient. It may seem more like play to your baby in the beginning and more food may end up on the floor, the wall, and him or her than down his or her throat. Be prepared for the fact that it will also take your baby much longer to feed themselves than it takes you to feed him or her. One other piece of advice: invest in a drop cloth or use an old shower curtain to protect the floor and make for easy cleanup, just until your baby gets the hang of it. You may have re-read the same book to your baby the past several nights because he or she would not stand for any other story. He or she is comforted by seeing the same images and hearing the same words over and over. Be patient and try slipping in a new story every once in a while. Your baby will also probably love books that have different textures on their pages or ones that make noise as you turn the page. Your baby may finally be mastering the fine art of sitting down by bending his or her knees. This is a big improvement (in his or her eyes, no doubt) from sitting by falling down. Your baby may also have learned to wave bye-bye back to you as you leave.

Matthew is a horribly messy eater if left to his own devices. Which, unfortunately, causes his father and I to not leave him up to his own devices for very long! He squishes his food, puts it on his highchair or the wall, drops it all over, tries to fling his spoon and cup, etc. He's good about Cheerios and puffs, but those don't really make messes. He really has gotten to the point where he LOVES food of all kinds. Which is good...just messy :o) He likes to hear the same stories. My parents gave us another book to read to him (I was So Mad!) and he likes that one too. So now we're up to 4 books that we can read to him without him getting fussy about it. Well, 5, if you count this really short one with farm animals playing peekaboo. Great Grandma F. got him that one for Christmas! He can walk pretty long distances when holding onto his new push/ride toy, and he's just starting to be able to get himself down gracefully. For the most part, though, he still whines when he's standing because he would much rather someone come rescue him instead of having to figure out how to get down by himself! The stinker :o) Anyway, more to come tomorrow...

Pictures from Yesterday

BIG BOY!!

A few things before the newsletter. At Matthew's well-baby visit he weighed 20lbs 9oz and was 29.5'' long. Still a little above the 50th percentile for weight and just below the 90th for height. He has an appointment at the eye doctor (I can't remember if he's an optomotrist or opthamologist) on March 30th because of a lazy eye. It's only intermittant, though, so the doctor says the most likely they will just have us patch the good one for a little while every day to make him use the lazy one. Some new developments: Matthew is now pulling up on furniture like a pro and (this is a big one) he got his first tooth yesterday!! So a lot later than average, but almost 2 months earlier than I got my first tooth. Trying to outdo his mama already. Oh, and my husband called me today because Matthew kept saying, "mamamamamamama" and he wanted me to hear it. What an ego boost :o)

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 40 weeks (Approximately 9.4 months) old now.
Your baby loves to imitate you at this stage and might mirror your movements as you brush your hair or teeth. Toys that represent adult objects, such as a play telephone or tool set, will be among his or her favorites right now. Mimicking is an important way for your baby to learn. Your baby is getting close to taking his or her first steps and may lift one foot off the ground to take a practice step while standing with assistance. If he or she has mastered crawling and standing against furniture, he or she is probably very close to cruising, or walking while holding onto furniture. If you have several pieces of furniture close together he or she will love to walk around them all, as long as he or she doesn't have to completely let go at any point. Your baby's stomach and back muscles are increasing in strength, and his or her balance is improving. He or she can go from lying on his or her stomach to a sitting position all by themselves, and he or she can also recover his or her balance well while sitting. When crawling, he or she can now balance on one hand while reaching for an object with the other.

Yep, it all sounds about right! He doesn't mimic too much, but he has started to try to clap his hands when my husband or I do it. He doesn't quite have it down yet...he doesn't usually have his hands open all the way, but you can tell that's what he's trying to do. All of these new developments are making mommy and daddy very proud :o)