James: Ten Months!

James is just such a blessing. He has such a sweet, gentle, easy-going temperament. Even though he can be feisty at times, especially towards his brother, and his will is coming out, he is just such a sweetheart. He is in a pretty big mommy phase right now and is constantly wanting me. I have to sneak out of the house so he does not see me leave, if other people are holding him or playing with him and he sees me, he will make it known that he wants me. This attention is definitely welcome since his big brother is in a major daddy phase and doesn't want much of me.

During his tenth month, James went on his second road trip of his life to Indiana, 10.5 hour drive each way! While he was there, he stayed in his first hotel, went to his first wedding, went on a train, went to Chicago and went to the beach at Lake Michigan. He also attended his first Reformation Day Party and went dressed as baby Moses in the basket.

He got two new teeth is month, making his tooth count 6, and seems to be growing and developing more and more each day. It seems like everyday I am amazed at some little thing that he has learned how to do.

Eat
James continues to eat real food and we are expanding his palate and what he eats. For breakfast he likes to eat waffles, pancakes, toast, some type of fruit, dried cereal and yogurt. Lunch he usually eats cheese quesadilla with beans and/or spinach, fruit, veggies, toast with avocado or hummus. Dinner he eats whatever we are having. He has started eating chicken and beef and loves chicken. For snacks, he likes to eat puffs, arrowroot cookies, honey wheat pretzels, yogurt. Carbs are still definitely his favorite food of choice.

James does still nurse 4 times a day, although his nursing sessions are a lot shorter and sometimes feel like a wrestling match. He does wake up once a night to eat. 

Sleep
James is still napping two times a day. His first nap is usually around 9:30 and it has been taking longer for him to fall asleep. He likes to play and read in his crib before falling asleep. His second nap is at 2:00. Both of his naps are usually between 1-2 hours.

James goes to bed between 7:00-7:30 and usually wakes up around 7:00/ 7:30 in the morning. He still does not sleep through the night :( This little man had another rough month with teething (2 new teeth!), traveling, and getting a cold. 

Play
James is becoming such an adventurous little boy and loves to play. He does not really enjoy being held and will arch his back and wiggle around trying to get down. It makes it kind of difficult since he cannot stand by himself yet for long periods of time. He now gets down at the park and will climb the stairs at the playground, crawl or cruise along the play structure and go down slides. He really enjoys swinging, especially if it is next to his brother. He climbs the stairs and makes a mad dash for them countless number of times a day. When he wakes up in the morning or after naps, he likes to stand in his crib and start 'jumping.' He stands up on just about anything and has even let go and stood by himself for a couple of seconds. He likes to go over to the bookshelf and pull all of dad's books out, open cabinets and pull out pots and pans, and completely destroy his brother's train table.

James continues to be a pretty good independent player. It is so much fun to see him make his way around the living room and finding different things to play. He is usually interested in what his older brother is playing with, and depending on the mood, that is either welcomed or given a strong, "No James!" (which we are working on). He has really taken an interest in books and likes being read to or just sitting by himself, and flipping through the pages on his own.

Likes: Moving around (crawling, cruising along the furniture), climbing stairs, eating, carbs, playing with his brother, train table, motorcycle pulling books off of bookshelf or nightstand and reading, being outside, beard tickles from daddy, mommy
Dislikes: Being in the car, sitting while taking a bath, getting his diaper changed/ getting dressed, getting faced wiped off after eating

Size:
Weight: 20 lbs. 8.5 oz. (33rd percentile)
Height: 29.5 inches (69th percentile)
Diapers: Size 3
Clothing: Tops- 12 months, Bottoms- 6-12 months/ 12 months, Pajamas- 12 months.
Nicknames: Jamesy, Jamesy Boy, Little One
Number of Teeth: 6

Milestones:
Tooth #5- Upper Left Lateral Incisor [10.12.15]
Tooth #6- Upper Right Lateral Incisor [10.21. 15]
Wave hi
Pulling to stand/ cruising along furniture
Stand for a few seconds by self
Words: Dada, Hi/Hey

A Note from Mom:
Little one, you are definitely starting to enter the toddler stage. You prefer to be down more, than you like to be held. You are becoming more daring, adventurous and exploring more with every passing day. It is so fun to see you be able to do things that I consider a 'big kid' thing, like roll a car along the carpet. With you becoming more playful and wanting to be involved, I feel like we are starting to get a glimpse as to what it will be like to see you and Zach play with each other. I still can't believe that you are almost one year old. As we enter the holidays, it is so hard to think back to last year when I was super pregnant with you and wondering what you were going to be like. You are such a gift, James. I love how you are your own unique person. You add so much to our family and we love you so very much.

Ten Month Pictures