Happy 10 Months!

Hard to believe but this little guy right here is 10 months old today!

He continues to keep us on our feet. He is our most physically active baby. He is all over the place. Hardly ever sits still. From morning till night. He'll get down for a few naps but other than that? Nonstop. Fortunately he relishes in being worn so we still get our cuddles in and I'm able to get some things done while he hangs out in whatever carrier he's in. Take out the mei tai and he crawls over to it, Ergo? He gets all excited and happy. Louis fights him over who gets to ride on my back. I love it. The two of them are always so cute together. Leah continues to be a stellar big sister and Gabriel cannot get enough of her.

Gabriel loves to bang things together and make a lot of noise. Today he enjoyed banging some pots and pans. He claps his hands all day long and does so with the biggest smile & the best laugh. He loves to feed himself and is not a fan of how long it takes for someone else to get a spoon into his mouth after he's down swallowing. I've taken to letting him feed himself. Sure it's messier but like with Louis and Leah? Gabriel is happier doing it himself. He also has a few extra teeth to help him out. He now has his two top front teeth, with two more on top coming in, along with three bottom teeth. Teething has been wearing him out a bit.

One activity all the kids enjoy is being read to. Gabriel will even stop moving for about 10 minutes while myself or Leah reads a story to him and Louis. It's great to see him interested in stories and books, even at 10 months old.

He has some personality. I noticed he is much more assertive about what he wants than the older kids were at his age. If you aren't doing what he wants he will climb onto you, pull you, smack you until you pay attention and do what he wants. I suspect we'll have to set some limits sooner rather than later for him.

It's been a joy to see his growing relationship with Matt. I would say there has been significant growth over the past month. Gabriel loves to walk over to him and climb all over him. They will play together and only Matt can elicit the most hilarious belly laughs from Gabriel.There is such an awesome bond between a father and his children.

A year will soon be upon us and our little baby will soon be into toddlerhood. I am trying to enjoy these last few months of babyhood with Gabriel as much as possible. 

10 Months Milestones 

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)

Stand holding on to someone or something

Walk holding onto furniture

Pull up to standing position from sitting

Waves goodbye - Gabriel hasn't really waved goodbye much. He does do hi.
Picks things up with pincer grasp
Crawls well, with belly off the ground 

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)

Says "mama" or "dada" to the correct parent - says dada but not to Matt yet but if I ask him where dada is he goes over to Matt and says dada. He does however say Lada to Leah. I noticed he also says "eh?" in the same tone we do around the house.
Indicates wants with gestures - I've noticed he has started to do this a little bit when he wants something but usually he just gets himself over to it rather than gesture for me to get it for him

Respond to own name- Gabriel definitely knows his name. He'll respond to it even if someone else references him in a conversation.  You can call him and he will usually come towards you when you do.

Stand alone momentarily

Understand the word no but doesn’t always obey it- if I say no (which I usually only reserve for things that may harm him) I can see that he responds by stopping and looking at me. He doesn't always follow my instructions.

  
Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)

Says one word besides "mama" or "dada" - other than Lada (Leah) and eh? I haven't noticed any specific words
Stoops from standing position - He does stoop but usually falls forward very shortly after his attempt

Drink from a cup independent - Gabriel likes to play with cups full of water but they isn't much drinking going on. I think it'll be a while before he gets this down.

Walk for a step or two

Put toys or object into a container - He loves to collect items together and put them in a box, then take them out again, put them back. Rinse and repeat

Play ball and patty cake - he enjoys rolling a ball back and forth and likes to try to play patty cake but he doesn't really grasp what is going on yet.

Stand alone together

Happy 9 Months!

Here we are at 9 months! Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that in 3 months we will have a one year old...but let me not get ahead of myself. The thought of Gabriel being one? Not ready for that.

I've been trying to cherish every moment with him as a baby as much as possible but he sure isn't making it easy! Every day I see more signs of a soon to be toddler rather than baby.

His walking skills have really picked up. He will stand up and take a few steps, fall back down and then he's back up again. If he's cruising along furniture he lets go and independently gets his way across from one thing to another. He can climb up the stairs and pretty much anything else in his way. It is not unusual to see him using Louis as a step stool to get what he wants or what he shouldn't have. Baby proofing has never been something I've been over the top about but with a 9 month old attempting to walk? We've had to step it up. He has started to go feet first to climb off the couch.

He went from no teeth to now having two on the bottom, a few more forming and his first front tooth pushing its way through. His interest in food, especially finger foods, has grown over the past two weeks. He still nurses around the clock and this month presented us with the challenge of a growth spurt and teething...but we're getting through it.

Sleeping is...what it is.  Like his big brother and big sister at 9 months he wakes at midnight and 3 am to eat. Though I noticed he is starting to skip his 3 am wake up more often than not. He is usually up by 6:30 or so.  It works for us. I am typically up until midnight so the late night feedings aren't terrible. I know it won't be forever and with that I try to remember that I will actually miss out solo late night feedings. It goes by so quickly.

His personality is very different from Louis and Leah's at this age. Gabriel is much more serious. He is happy and will laugh and smile but his overall disposition is one of major contemplation. He lights up when his siblings make their way down in the morning and when Leah gets home from school. He follows Louis everywhere and wants to do whatever he is doing. Generally they play beautifully together...well as much as a toddler and infant can play nicely together.

Gabriel is not fond of anyone from his day to day life disappearing on him so he does not appreciate Louis's attempts at hide and seek. Had our second separation the other day while I attended a PTA meeting. It was only 2 hours but I think it went well for the most part.

His babbling has increased some and he appears to say Leah's name when he sees her. He waves hi/bye and has started to clap his hands.

I'm unsure of how much he weighs right now but he's been gaining 2lbs a month for the past few months and from how his clothing fits him I'm going to guess that he's around 22 lbs or so right now based on last month's weighing.


9 Month Milestones

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Stands while holding onto something
Jabbers or combines syllables
Understands object permanence

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Cruises while holding onto furniture
Drinks from a sippy cup - While Gabriel can drink from a sippy cup he prefers his milk 'straight from the tap' ;)
Eats with fingers
Bangs objects together 
 

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Plays patty-cake and peek-a-boo - He likes to try to play patty-cake and does play peek-a-boo as long as you don't completely disappear.
Says "mama" or "dada" to the correct parent - While I've noticed some of the sounds and often times when we are around I don't think it is specific to a parent.

Getting His Walk On...

Gabriel is on the move and there is no stopping him, no matter how much I'd like to slow him down a bit. Today while playing alongside Louis he stood up at one couch and let go, walked three steps to the next couch. I couldn't believe it! His legs aren't ready for independent walking yet but I don't think it'll be long before he's attempting to take more steps on his own. He is also able to climb the stairs so we've been putting up the baby gate on the stairs---something we didn't even think to do until Leah and Louis were a year old. Basically? If Leah and Louis are off somewhere? It is EXACTLY where he wants to be.

Driveway Chalkboard

Gabriel doesn't know what to make of chalk. Is he supposed to eat it? Throw it? Smash it? He has no idea but he still loves to play with it. Here he is getting ready to take the chalk from Louis.

We have a tooth!

Surprisingly Gabriel has cut a tooth BEFORE a year :) Leah was 9 months or so, Louis was 14 months so I had no idea when Gabriel would get his first tooth. It's a little itty bitty thing and has yet to make the rest of the way through. I wonder when the rest will make their way out of his gums.

Bagel Bandit!

Better guard your plates if Gabriel is around! Louis moved away from his plate for a split second and Gabriel was right there to take his place. This is the same child who 2 weeks ago would've screamed bloody murder if you tried to give him food.

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