10 months old!!

Max has been very busy this past month.  He is really becoming less baby and more toddler....don't get me wrong he is still a baby.  He has quite the personality.  He is a sweetheart but when he doesn't get his way he lets you know!  I blame his stubbornness on Scott and temper on me..... He has also started throwing his head back when he cries, temper tantrums here we come.  Now we try our best to ignore him and not feed into his fits(he doesn't have them every day) to hopefully prevent them from escalating :)  Max also finds the littlest things hilarious.  He will almost loose this breath laughing if I put his paci in my mouth and spit it out.  I also think Max(who has been saying da da for a couple months now) is started to realize that da da is Scott. 

Max is quite the eater.  I think he would eat all day long if we let him.  He is still breastfeeding but is weaning himself.  On days I work he will nurse in the morning before I leave for work and in the evening before bed(I pump twice at work and get about 6oz).  On days I am home I try to add in a feeding before his lunch and mid afternoon.  He doesn't always eat good though.  I am still making most of Max's food.  I love that he is getting to try so many different foods that he wouldn't get to if he was only eating store bought food.  I am hoping by letting him eat a lot of different foods he won't be a picky eater like his dad.  We are giving him cereal and about 2oz of fruit in the AM, 2oz fruit and 2oz veggie for lunch, 2ozfruit or veggie and about 2 oz of yogurt for dinner.  He also eats a bowl of puffs for a snack and puffs/soft fruit in small pieces/ small cheese cubes after his dinner while we are eating.  The biggest acomplishment Max has had in the food department is drinking out of a sippy cup.  He is now on average drinking 6-8oz of milk a day out of his cup. That is a big relief for mommy b/c I was stressing about him not getting enough milk(supposed to be his main source of calories) a day.  He is still not getting what he should but much closer.  I have a TON of milk in the freezer so we are set for a while.

Another HUGH accomplishment for Max is sleeping through the night in his crib.  Thats right- through the night in his crib!!!!!!!!!!  Scott and I finally were sleep deprived enough and I was worn out of nursing Max 3-4 times a night that we just cut him off.  The first few nights were rough.  It would take about an hour to get him to sleep.  We would lay him in his crib and turn on his mobile pat on his belly till he was "asleep".  As soon as we walk out of the door he would start crying.  We did our version of the Modified Ferber Method. I could not let him cry long and we already had a good bedtime routine so this fit us best.  He would wake during the night a few time but we would turn the mobile back on, reinsert paci, pat and then leave.  Max now falls asleep in about 10min and usually only wakes once during the night(5am ish) and goes right back to sleep.  I am nursing him before I leave for work about 6:30am and I lay him back in bed and most mornings he is sleeping until 8am.  Great for Scott who is on summer break.

Little Max is also starting to use his legs.  He will pull himself to his knee's but has not fully pulled up.  However if you stand him up he will stand for a pretty good time.  He loves it!  I have found that when I go to sit him on the floor he will straighten his legs and try to stand. Todat while we were at the pool he actually pulled himself all the way up on his feet and took a few steps while holding onto the edge of the pool.  Now he was in about 3 inches of water and water can make it easier...but it was only 3 inches, so I am calling today his first time pulling all the way up!

I am amazed at how our little boy is growing and learning. I am sad to see him grow but so excited to see him changing.  It is an amazing experience to watch a child grow!