My little man turned 10 months old on Thursday.  He is getting to be such a big boy!

this face makes me melt...

He’s talking up a storm now.  He says Mama and Dada, but still not connecting those sounds to us, I don’t think (although he tends to say Mama when he’s upset, so who knows).  His favorite word lately is “babby”, which Ben and I think sounds like he’s trying to say “baby”.  I’m pretty sure it’s the first non-repetitive two syllable word he’s said.  He’s also started to say “hey”, like the Fonz.  Heeeeeeyyyy.  And he’s trying to wave now, too.  He loves imitating the noises we make, and will cough after we cough, blow raspberries on command, click his tongue, etc.  It’s adorable :).

He is really enjoying being  mobile these days.  He loves following me around the house while I clean (he loves the vacuum cleaner and chases it around while I’m using it), playing with his barnyard magnetic toy on the fridge while I cook, and exploring all the nooks and crannies in the den.  He finally discovered the pet door, and although he sticks his hand through, luckily hasn’t tried crawling through yet (that will come in time).  He loves pushing the stools around the kitchen, and still loves using his walker to get around the house.

'sploring the cabinets

Isaac has really shown an increased interest in food lately.  He finally enjoys banana, yay!  As soon as I grab one, he crawls over to “share”.  He’ll eat about 1/4 of my banana, then I’ll put him in the high chair and he’ll eat a couple strawberries or some blueberries and yogurt for breakfast.  Some days he has scrambled eggs or I’ll feed him the yolks out of an over-easy egg.  Occasionally he’ll have bacon, but only if it’s super crumbly.  He still loves cheese – it’s his favorite food hands-down, although sweet potatoes and fermented beets are a close second.  He manages two good meals and a snack most days, and really prefers to feed himself.

sweet potatoes!

Sleep has improved a lot over the last month, and continues to improve even over the last couple of days!  Isaac goes to bed awake now, and generally falls asleep with no crying and within 10 minutes at night and 20 minutes (and some fussing – he still fights sleep during the day sometimes) for naps.  He still wakes up twice a night to nurse, but is back asleep within seconds afterward.  He’s in bed from 7 pm to 7 am, and I think that is quite a good stretch!  This morning he woke up at 7, but played for about 20 minutes in his crib before he called for me.  It was nice to have that extra 20 minutes to stretch and wake up before I had to get up ;).

sick boy sleeping with Daddy

We all came down with a cold week before last, followed by a stomach virus, and Isaac didn’t eat much for several days.  So this is the first month he hasn’t gained much weight, as he had to regain the 7 or 8 ounces he lost.  He’s still around 21 lbs 6 oz, although I haven’t weighed him in a week or so.  I think he’s gotten taller though – some of his 12 month pants are looking shorter than they used to.  He’s definitely in 12 month sizes now, and we even bought pajamas in 18 months!  He needs bigger sizes in the brands that run slim, even if he doesn’t fill out the length just yet.  It was so hard to buy such a big size for my little guy.  I can’t believe how fast he is growing!

Uncle Ben hung a swing for Isaac on our front porch.  I wanted to do it back in the fall, but thought it would be wasted effort right before a cold winter.  It turns out we aren’t having much of a winter at all, so mid-February up it went.  And Isaac loves it!  It’s sheltered from the rain, so we can swing all spring and summer long, and he has a great view of the yard and trees, with all the squirrels and birds (and occasionally deer).

Yesterday I looked up to see Isaac holding the dog’s toy.  Instead of putting it in his mouth (ewww), he held it out to Eddie, who quickly nabbed it and ran away.  And then 15 seconds later, he came trotting back and dropped it in Isaac’s lap again!  They “played” for a couple minutes before I thought to get out the camera – and then of course stopped as soon as I hit record.  This morning once again, Isaac crawled over to the dog’s toy, picked it up and then held it out to Eddie.  It was adorable!  He knows that’s the dog’s toy!  What a smart boy :).  I tried to get it on camera, but of course he wouldn’t do it again.

I am really trying to hold out cutting Isaac’s hair until he’s one, but oh man, we might not make it.  Here’s a shot of his long hair back in early January.

It’s even longer now, and I can’t even imagine how much hair he’ll have in another two months!  Still, I really, really, REALLY, don’t want to cut it.  I’m just not ready for him to look like a little boy yet :(.  Can we keep the baby look just a little longer?

I’m trying not to think about how close Isaac’s first birthday is getting.  I know it’s just around the corner…I just wish I could keep him this small forever…

I love you little man.  You make my heart swell and burst every single day.