10 Months

10 months old! 

 We had plenty of fun “firsts” this month as we celebrated the Christmas season.  

Sam was immediately captivated by his first Christmas tree (and the mini tree we put up just for him), and loved all of the presents underneath it.  He is still very drawn to sparkly things, so for his interest, I sprung for some beyond festive paper that was SOLID red glitter.  He definitely loved it….and he spent a decent amount of time in the bathtub as I tried to scrub that off of his face.  He also loved a bowl of ornaments that we kept on the floor for him, and any sort of jingle bell we had hanging around.

We took our first family road trip to get home for the holidays.  Seventeen hours to St. Louis with a packed car, a dog, an infant, two adults, and a classic North Dakota blizzard on I-29.   It should have been a nightmare, but it actually wasn’t too bad.  Sam did the best out of all of us.  It was only his second day in his new carseat, so I was impressed that he wasn't throwing fits.  The Chicco carrier has been retired.

We spent a few days in STL with Zach’s family, which was lovely.  We celebrated Christmas on the 23^rd there, and it really did feel like Christmas morning!  Sam had his first round of present opening, which had his attention for all of about 5 minutes.   After the first present was opened, he was focused on that toy and nothing else (well and the brick fireplace).  :)  The Playskool Busy Ball Popper and some cars that you pull back and let zoom forward were some of the big hits. 

On the 24th, we zoomed over to Kansas in time to eat dinner, open gifts, and get to bed so Santa could visit Sam for the first time (FUN!).   Santa brought things like a kid sized lounge chair with Sam's name on it, an activity table with songs/lights/things to flip and open, a Sesame Street keyboard, magnetic letters for the fridge, a walker that turns into a baby bike, and plenty of other goodies.  Sam also opened presents from family that morning.  Some favorites were a toy camera, tool belt, stuffed Batman, rainstick, blocks, and puzzles. That afternoon, my mom's side of the family came for the Gray Family Christmas celebration.  It is one of my favorite days, not just because it is Christmas, but because there is so much family tradition.  I am so excited to be able to include Sam in the fun now.  A few of my cousins have kids, too, so Sam had two other little boys to meet and play with.  It will be fun to see them year to year as they grow up. 

It was the perfect first Christmas.  :)

Sam is still full speed ahead with crawling.  He LOVES to be chased around the house as we act like we're struggling to catch up to him (although, I'm not going to lie.  I run out of breath after crawling around for about 10 minutes.  He is really fast).  He also learned to crawl full flights of stairs while at the grandparents' houses...so that is fun.  Our basement stairs are not carpeted...and since he doesn't know how to safely go DOWN the stairs, the baby gate is officially up.   He is able to do "Patty Cake" and "So Big!" on command.  He will also come at your cheek with an open mouth if you ask him for a kiss.  Sometimes if he is feeling really lovey, he'll keep his mouth resting on your face and end up closing it...so we are working on kissing without teeth.  He loves to open and close things like cabinets, bedroom doors, and the washer and dryer (when I'm there to help).  He loves unloading things like the dishwasher, the dryer, and my Tupperware drawer, and will sit for 5 minutes straight to watch the washer and dryer spin around (five minutes on his own is amazing...very clingy these days).  He has become very curious about Mia, which I wouldn't say she enjoys. He has gotten a little too close to her food, and she isn't liking the fact that he is moving so quickly at her level.  Lots of running away to avoid his little fingers coming towards her face.  Poor dog.  

For food, he is doing really well with fruits, veggies, and meat.  It is still all pureed, but we are branching out.  He has started eating cheese and yogurt, but they don't seem to be favorites.  He would much rather eat a whole bowl of green beans and sweet potatoes over yogurt or even fruit.  For clothing, he is fitting best in 12 month things, but we still have a few 9 month separate tops that still fit.  Such a skinny kid!   His hair is starting to lay flat, which is sad because it has become his trademark .... but I'm kind of relieved to see that it is capable of not looking wacky.   He is still very intrigued by textures, lights, songs, and high pitched voices.