I feel like we've had a kinda boring month! Our jogging stroller had a flat tire so we didn't go on as many walks, the weather has been getting colder so we stayed home more, and then A was sick for the last week. But at the same time, he keeps growing up and learning so much that I feel like time is going way too fast!
When our stroller had the flat tire, he was a really cute helper in trying to figure out what we needed to do to fix it. And then, as you can see, he was thrilled when we got it fixed and hit the road again!
While our stroller was out of commission, we spent more time in our backyard. A loves chasing bubbles but we discovered that it's even more fun when he is able to swing right into them! He also loves finding all of the plants in our yard and especially loves picking the green baby tomatoes and trying to eat them. And then gets really mad when I make him spit them out because they are the perfect size for him to choke on. We can just add his love of tomatoes to the ever-growing list of how he is just like his dad.
He loves experimenting with all sorts of sounds lately too. He loves shrieking, growling, yelling, etc. And he loves copying every sound he can. Something I'm {not} really proud of is that yesterday I burped... and he even tried to copy that. Hilarious kid.
He also has been figuring out a lot of new things with his hands. First, he figured out how to wave. Then we tried to get him to clap, but he thought clapping just meant waving with both hands. It was so cute!! And then he figured out how to actually clap and now, as you can tell by his official 10-month picture, he loves to clap all the time. M was watching a soccer game on TV this past weekend and A heard the crowd clapping and joined in. He has also learned how to give high-5's and giggles almost every time we do it. He is also really good at finding people's noses and has been learning eyes and mouths too. Finally, his latest thing is that he learned how to stretch by raising his arms up high in the air when we say "stretch."
As I've mentioned before, he eats pretty much anything and everything we will give him. Recently, he loves to play with his spoons and tries to figure out how they work.
We also got to visit the Idaho grandparents recently and A used the exact same high chair that I used 28 years ago! He makes it look so cute!
Part of the reason that I think he is so much fun to be around is because he is really expressive. He is usually really happy and smiles. A lot. But he also has a focused/determined look when he is exploring or figuring something out. And then there are other times where he just makes the funniest expressions and I have no idea where he learned some of them!
He loves reading books together and has an impressive attention span for a baby! He enjoys looking at the pictures and pointing at the things he likes best. He will sit with me for quite awhile just flipping through pages of the same book. But his dad is his favorite to read with, especially when they read one particular book... A doesn't care about most of words or pictures in it, but it repeatedly reads "oops" and he bursts into giggles every time M says it.
As I already mentioned, he and his dad have so much in common that it is really fun to watch them play together. They can chase each other around a room forever! And A is insanely ticklish {particularly on his inner thighs and along his jawline} so he bursts into some pretty fabulous giggles when M starts tickling him. But something else they share is their crazy love of dogs. Anytime A sees a "woof woof" on our walks, he starts squealing and gasping. Most of the dog owners comment on how amazing it is that he gets so excited. He definitely gets it from his dad, considering the fact that I've always been kind of scared of dogs {needless to say, I'm learning to get over that fear since we seem to attract dogs almost every time we go on a walk}!
He loves his stuffed animals almost as much as real animals! If he had to choose, I'm pretty sure he'd choose a stuffed toy over almost any other toy {the only exception would probably be a soccer ball}! As his 8th tooth broke through, he spent quite a bit of time snuggling {or maybe calling it attacking would be more appropriate!} Kayla, his koala.
Sometimes, I am shocked at how grown up he seems. He has a true love of learning and a curiosity for everything in life. He will spend a great deal of time investigating the smallest details on toys or looking for things in the funniest places.
He enjoys playing with his toys but he also gets really creative with what he thinks would be fun to play with... such as my glass essential oil bottles. He makes a beeline for the bottles as soon as he sees one within his reach because he loves tossing them onto our hardwood floor to hear the really loud sound they make. But I've had to put a stop to that game once he broke a full bottle of oil!!
He loves playing games and is very perceptive. Recently, he and his dad discovered a really fun game where M sits A in the corner of the couch and then A flops onto the cushion and rolls until he dives off the edge and into M's arms. This game always has both of them laughing hysterically. A is always very aware of where the edge of the couch cushion is and he always cautiously hesitates for a quick second before launching over the edge. I love that he is smart enough to think about what he is about to do before making the plunge. And I also think it's really interesting because he only plays this game with M. He knows that his dad is there and will always catch him; but because I've never played it with him, he never tries to roll off the couch when his dad isn't here.
Another particular favorite game is to chase and be chased. He starts it out when we are sitting on the floor by him and he instigates a chase by looking and then running {eh, crawling} away as fast as he can. But then he stops a couple feet away to see if you are going to come get him. And then squeals with excitement, when we lunge after him as he runs away. He laughs with pure delight and it escalates until he gets so excited that his crawling starts to look a little like he's intoxicated and he falls down giggling.
Another game that entertains him for a long time {and is the only way I can get anything done without him constantly tugging on my legs} is when he rolls his ball away from him and then chases after it - over and over again. Our living room, dining area, and kitchen are all connected so he has lots of space to play. And recently, he especially likes rolling the ball under the kitchen table and chairs so that it becomes an obstacle course for him to work his way through.
This game also works really well outdoors and he loves crawling through the grass in wide open spaces, like the park or a big backyard, while chasing a ball.
Something really cute about this game is how he plays it with his best friend, Parker. Babies this age typically mirror each other, meaning they will each do their own thing while playing near another baby. But when these two boys play, they sincerely interact. It is so cute to watch how they actually share the same ball together and take turns rolling it away and letting each other chase it.
I am so grateful that he has such a perfect best friend to help him learn and develop while they both have a blast together. There is only a 3-day age difference between A and Parker, so they are discovering and learning a lot of the same things at the same time. It is so fun for Parker's mom and me to watch them excelling in their social skills.
Speaking of how much he loves chasing after a ball, he also loves taking one on walks in the stroller. And I think it's adorable because he holds onto it faithfully for the entire walk. He's at the age that he likes to watch things drop when he lets go. But it always amazes me how much he understands things, such as the fact that if he chooses to toss the ball while in the stroller then it could roll away.
