Baby, Lately: 10 Months

Summer has officially arrived which means we are getting deep in talks of planning somebody's very special first birthday! Somehow, some way, 10 months have passed since Ronan was born and he has started to turn into his own little person with his own feelings and preferences instead of the passive newborn we once knew. He still falls asleep in my arms almost every single night before I put him in the crib and each night, once his eyes have closed, I linger - probably a bit longer than I should, but I study his face, memorizing every eyelash, small movement and slight changes that are happening from day to day. He doesn't look all that different from yesterday to today but when you look at photos from even a month ago (and how far is legs now hang over our rocking chair), it's easy to see how rapid his growth is. I'll continue to look at him with loving eyes as he sleeps and every moment he is awake but no amount of love or care will slow time down and that's a hard realization. 

On the other (less solemn) hand, we are having SO much fun! At 10 months old, this guy comes everywhere and does everything with us: Ice cream runs, lunch at our favorite restaurant, hanging out on the deck, going to the park, visiting the toy store, making coffee stops, going to the farmers market and so many other fun activities that I love sharing and experiencing with him. I am not exaggerating when I say he is truly the happiest and most adaptable baby who just goes with our flow and really seems to enjoy every part of life, especially being outside - Just like his Mama! He is our greatest joy and I am excited to share what he has been up to lately...

FAVORITE TOY(s): 

• I found this line of toys that I love buying for him - Bioserie products are plant based and contain 0% oil-based chemicals, because the materials are derived from plants, not oil. They also do not add any oil-based chemicals during the manufacturing process to “enhance” the performance or color of their toys. There's a whole method to their madness, you can read more about it here. He likes this toy sorter/stacker and we also have this rattle which has been a favorite for a few months now. The material of both toys feel so much nicer because they aren't plastic and I feel better about it since everything goes in his mouth.

• His water table! I bought a small one on sale at Home Goods for $10 thinking it may not to get much use but brought it up to our lake house over Memorial Day weekend and I kid you not, it kept him busy for hours at a time. This is a child who NEVER wants to sit still so I was amazed and we filled this table up pretty much every instance he was awake, lol. He loved playing with the different pieces and splashing with his hands. He did tip it over multiple times but he was usually in his swimsuit and was totally unfazed. This is a huge win and we will definitely be investing in a larger, stand-up version closer to his birthday. P.S. The small one is selling for $50 on Amazon but check your Home Goods! I found it for literally 10 bucks.

(swimsuit is Carters)

• He also likes anything that gives him the ability to pull himself up and stand there while he plays with it like this activity cube and v-tech walker. Oh, and our cabinets, couches, window sills, new drapes, dining chairs and so on. It's only a matter of time before our house is pretty much ruined, I'm sure of it.

FAVORITE FOOD(s): 

• YOGURT! I would say this is his favorite food BY FAR. There are some foods that he seems less interested in and takes longer to eat but no matter what time of day it is, he will eat the entire cup in a matter of minutes. The Stonyfield Organic Yobaby brand is our go-to and now has become a "must-have" on our weekly grocery list.
• Breakfast in general - He likes waffles (I buy the whole wheat Eggo ones and let's not lie, this is a great excuse for me to share), cinnamon toast, banana bread, pancakes, egg & spinach quiche (this one from Fresh Thyme is SO good) and egg whites. Basically, he's a man after my own heart...who doesn't love all the breakfast carbs?!
• Purees: He'll eat pretty much any flavor but seems to prefer sweet potatoes, pumpkin, any apple/cinnamon/sweet potato combo. Happy Baby and Plum Organics are two of our favorite brands.

• In addition to his baby food, we are basically feeding him a little bit of whatever we're having at each meal or I'll make something small for him on the side. Cooked pasta, grilled chicken, fruit, roasted veggies, bread, etc. He loves to eat with us and try things but still seems to have trouble swallowing people food. He likes to keep it in his mouth for a while (saving it for later, maybe?) but I feel good that he is continually trying things and practicing learning how to eat real food.

SLEEP: 

FYI, lengthy share ahead...

• So, they say there's a 4 month sleep regression (for us, this was true) and a 9-10 month sleep regression - Again, for us, this was UNFORTUNATELY very true. In early May, we went through 3 weeks of sleep hell after getting a good nights rest for so long. I think it's even harder when you get used to them sleeping through the night and then something like this comes out of nowhere, but I know that will always happen with kids sleep patterns. Ro started waking up every night at the same time (usually between 12-1), standing up in his crib and screaming, usually for 2-3 hours straight. During those 2 hours, we would get him to fall back asleep in our arms a few times but the second we put him back in the crib, he was screaming again and it would only get louder and more heart wrenching. The first few times it happened, I thought something was wrong (gas, teething, etc.) but after about a week of the same routine, I realized that it was just a phase of something he was going through and we were going to have to endure it. The pediatrician said it could be night terrors or separation anxiety, both of which made me so sad that he would be feeling scared or alone.

• Let me say this upfront - I am not a supporter of "cry it out" - even that title makes me cringe. We made it 9 months without resorting to that (even though I can't COUNT the number of times it was suggested!) and Ronan learned to take decent naps and sleep through the night anyway. However -- After those 3 weeks of not sleeping (and me crying in the Starbucks parking lot on my lunch breaks), my husband was convinced that it was the only thing that was going to teach him to go back to sleep on his own, because it seemed he had it all figured out: "I'll just stand here and scream until someone comes to get me." I did feel that he was "playing us" to a certain degree but I also couldn't ignore how my stomach felt when I heard that sound and I wanted to take away his pain immediately. We had tried so many things to fix it - Left a night light on, changed his sheets, tried different pajamas, lowered the sound machine noise, nursing him at night, adjusted the temperature in the house, and so on, but none of these things were the root of the problem.

• He really just needed to work through it himself and figure out how to self soothe. After about 3 weeks, there was a MAGICAL night where progress was made and we began to see the light again. He woke up and started crying as usual which we let happen for about 15 minutes, not for the sake of "cry it out," but simply because we were just too exhausted to get up. And after those 15 minutes, we heard him quieting down and then suddenly, it was silent on the monitor. Could it be? No way...Could it? I looked at my husband, both of us too afraid go to in there and check. I waited a little while longer and when I peeked my head in, he was sound asleep. Did this guy just put himself back to sleep on his own?! Something he really hadn't done EVER in his life? I woke up so proud and excited the next morning. Since that night, he has gone back to sleeping through the night, about 10-11 hours and waking up with a smile on his face in the morning. Now we just wait for the next "regression" or change in sleep patterns to drive us crazy... 👀

WEARING: 

• Mostly 12 months, some 18 months. This guy is in the 96th percentile for height which means he grows out of his pants on a daily basis. He's still fairly slender so they always fit him better in the belly than they do in the legs which is frustrating but I can't let him out of the house in short pants...That's just the epitome of nerdy so we're basically at Carter's every other week. 

• On that same note, I wish I would branch out and buy his clothes at more smaller, independent stores online but Carter's is literally across the street from me, very cheap and hard to pass up, especially once you become a rewards member...dat #momlife. Actually, Shaheen recently shared a great roundup of great clothing resources for kids and a few of them, I was unfamiliar with so I'm excited to do some shopping! 

WHAT'S NEW:

• More gray hair for Mom & Dad! No, but seriously, his mobility is a huge game changer and I am not exaggerating when I say Ronan never sits still. For so long, I just wanted him to be able to sit up without toppling over - I thought it would be nice just to plop him down and enable him to play with his toys but once he DID learn to sit up, everything after that happened so fast. It was just a catalyst to him pulling himself up, standing, moving along the furniture and knocking the dogs food and water dishes over every second (anyone else's kids drive them crazy with this?!).
• Talking - He has started saying Dadada quite often so we're also working on Mama, Papa and Baba
• Dancing to music! You can tell has always loved music but he has recently started swaying when he's standing up and tapping his feet in the bath tub, especially when we listen to Hall & Oates. He's got good taste, that's for sure ;)

I am so proud of everything he has learned and accomplished in only TEN MONTHS on earth. It is amazing to watch him flourish and so sweet how fascinated he is by the smallest things, like his bath tub filling up with water or Fitz barking in the window. I am honored to be Ronan's Mom and feel lucky for every moment we spend together.

Thank you so much for stopping by for our update!

Next time I share one of these, we may have a 1 year old... BRB, crying 😂