10 Months...

Cy Wesley begins his 10th month of life today...what a big boy we have!!! The past few months have been so fun as Travis and I have watched our son gain mobility and independence a little more every day. He is such a happy, mellow little guy and we have been delighted to witness his sweet spirit, while not so delighted with the occasional touch of stubbornness that makes us laugh during the increasing number of teachable moments we encounter daily. Here are a few milestones that Cy has checked off in recent weeks...

He is completely orally fixated right now...as is obvious from the pictures below. His tongue is constantly in full view, checking out new textures, feeling newly erupted teeth and blowing raspberries throughout the day. This has become a bit of a discipline problem during meals, but we're working on it. He gives the sweetest kisses & associates those kisses with affection which makes them even sweeter!

LOVES Elmo! He sits mesmerized during "The Best of Elmo" video & giggles as mommy sings his favorite Sesame Street song "One Fine Face" MANY times a day. Other favorite songs include "Old McDonald", "The ABC Song", "Pat-a-Cake", "The Lord's Army" & "The Wise Man".

Is a big fan of touch & feel and flap books..."Ears, Nose & Toes", "Elmo Loves Hugs", "Tails", "Dogs" & "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".

Has become quite the chatterbox-spouting out lots of consonant sounds...ma-mah, da-dah, ba-bah, na-nah. We're still working with sign language (momma, poppa, please, thank you, milk, more, all done, eat, drink, help, ball and I love you) and are trying to instill the verbal courtesies "please", "thank you", "yes, ma'am", "no, sir", etc.

As mentioned in a previous post, he's tried several new table foods including shaved turkey, string cheese, jello, yogurt, ice cream, mashed potatoes, refried beans and fresh bananas.

Is cruising around and THROUGH furniture. Yesterday, he discovered that he could crawl through the ends of the coffee table...fun!

Has a grand total of 6 teeth- 4 on top and 2 on the bottom, but if the abundance of drool and frequent chewing on his fingers are any indication, I suspect that the lower laterals will make their appearance soon.

Loves to sit in momma's lap and spin the toilet paper roll.

Is all boy...enjoys crawling on, around & over anyone who will sit in the floor with him and act as an obstacle.

With Cy's growing independence has come a clear need for boundaries and thereby discipline. My sweet little fella inherited a bit of stubbornness (I'm assuming from his father- LOL!)...and because of that trait, teachable moments abound. Travis and I have agreed to try to avoid use of the word "No" which has proven challenging. We instead use the phrases, "Not Cy's toy", "Not for Cy", "That's a pretty", "This can hurt Cy", "This is Momma/Poppa's toy", etc. Our most recent teachable moments have come during meal time, when Cy is tempted to blow raspberries while eating, and attempts to stand up in his high chair. Consistency, praying for wisdom, and focusing on each and every moment as an opportunity for training our sweet boy in righteousness is now the goal of each day.

Here's what a normal day for Cy at 10 months looks like:

7:30-7:45am: Wake-up, Breakfast- 3 Tbsp. cereal mixed with fruit, 6 oz. bottle (usually only drinks 4 oz.)
9:30-10:00am: AM Nap (about 1 hr)
11:00am: Lunch- Veggie & fruit, 6 oz. bottle (again, usually only takes 4 oz)
12:30-1:00pm: PM Nap (1-1.5 hrs)
2:30-3:00: Snack- some combination of puffs, yogurt melts, fresh fruit, yogurt, shaved turkey, string cheese & 6 oz bottle
5:00pm: Dinner- Meat & veggie mixture & 2 Tbsp. cereal mixed with fruit
6:00pm: 7 oz. bottle
6:30pm: Bath, prep for Bed, read 2-3 books
7:00-7:30pm: Bed