… took four steps last Wednesday! Then yesterday he walked from the sofa to Luke’s arms—a good two feet. He could very well be running by the New Year.
… finally holds his own bottle, though the occasional indifference to eating mentioned in last month’s update still applies.
… is still taking things slowly with table food. He’s had bits of pancakes, bread, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and turkey, but that’s about it. His stomach is just too sensitive, as evidenced yesterday morning when he took a sample of whole milk from Kara’s sippy cup and promptly threw up five minutes later.
... will bring you his favorite books when he's in the mood for a story (or so I hear. Luke is the only parent who can testify to this at the moment). Those books include The Shape of Me and Other Stuff, Moo Ba La La La, Chicka Chicka ABC, Big Dog Little Dog, Frosty the Snowman, and The Fire Engine Book.
... hasn't figured out the proper way to hold his books yet, so he can be deep in concentration while looking at a page that is upside down reading right to left. To each his own.
... doesn't care for socks. It used to be that at least one would fall off through the natural course of play, but now he pulls them off deliberately. During a diaper change at church last Sunday, he even peed on one. Way to guarantee at least partial nakeness, son.
... has a list of nicknames, including Buddy, Boo-Bah, Boo-Ba-Dee-Boo, and Momma's Little Handsome (my personal favorite).
... loves to play with his mini Taggies blanket, a set of Tonka trucks Molly brought with her to the hospital, Little People farm horses, and pretty much anything else that semi-fits into his mouth. He's also taken to pushing around the shopping cart walker we bought for Kara's first birthday last year.
... likes to roll around on pillows, the same red pillows Kara's been attached to since she was six months old.
... looks adorable in denim overalls.
... has bangs that are quickly growing into his eyes. Luke asked me when I wanted to cut his hair for the first time, and I gasped out loud and clutched my chest and told him there will be no scissors near my precious baby's head for...I don't know. A while. Definitely not today.
... is never placed in front of the TV, but there's no denying he watches it. Kara watches anywhere from two to three Max and Ruby episodes a day, depending on the day (though it hasn't been three in about a week, after a recent pledge to cut down her screen time), and while Luke is great about making sure it happens when he's eating or sleeping or otherwise occupied, when I'm home, more times than not he's hanging on the entertainment center, staring up at the screen, mesmerized by the colors and voices, at least for a few minutes.
... is still rocked to sleep for naps and bedtime, though he seems to switch his positioning based on the parent in charge of getting him down. Luke has the best luck with the traditional newborn cradle, while I find it easier to cuddle him on my shoulder or sit him on my lap with his head nestled in the crook of my arm. Not that he starts out that way, mind you--he thrashes around a bit trying to get comfortable until exhaustion eventually overwhelms him, and suddenly he's curled into my neck or sprawled over my arm. For a while there I dreaded bedtime with him, had plenty of choice curse words to share while bouncing him up and down through the squirming and crying, but now that he's a teeny bit more cooperative, the whole routine is more manageable.
... usually wakes up two to three times a night and requires anything from assistance with his pacifier to removal from his crib so he can be rocked to sleep all over again. His prime wake-up times seem to be between 9:30 and 11:30 p.m., with a third thrown in right after Luke and I turn out the light, no matter what time it is.
... is on the fence about bathtime. Sometimes he screams the entire way through, other times he's content to munch on one of his rubber boats. Keeps things spicy!
... has made a number of friends at church, with his eye smiles and boyish grin.
... tucks in his lower lip when he's lost in thought.
... adores playing with Kara, sometimes a bit too much. Sometimes, he's so excited that he ends up smacking her in the face repeatedly, no matter how many times we move his hand away. Luckily, Kara thinks it's funny.
... is still all about the pointing.
... loves full-on mouth kisses.
... will be the honored recipient of my first completed crocheting project--a short black scarf I actually started in college and finally put the finishing touches on today. I think I originally wanted it to be for my dad, but when I picked it back up again I found that the stitches were so tight that I couldn't add more than two or three rows before my needle just couldn't fit through another hole. It's way too small for an adult but perfect for a person who can't yet wipe his own butt. At first I felt bad, having something handmade for one child but not the other, until I remembered that Kara's closet contains at least six blankets handmade from family and friends, and Nathan has Molly's beautiful quilt, but that's it. It's not a terrible thing to try and even the score.
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As promised, here are some fun Nathan outtakes from his first professional photoshoot the Sunday after Thanksgiving. He was a pretty happy guy for most of the morning, so we even got him in two sets of clothing. Once again, the last one is my favorite, though we did get a handsome shot of him wearing his sweater vest, too.
If you're really, really, ridiculously good-looking, you can get away with not owning wearing shoes.
Doesn't he look like a mini-version of Richie Rich or something? So spiffy!
Cool! Fingers!
His eyes seem to change depending on his outfit, anywhere from green to blue to gray, but in this picture it's the wonderment that gets me, not the color.
Happy ten months and some change, buddy.
I can't believe you were still pregnant with Kara when I first found you (or were you even pregnant yet?)
Time. Wah.
Adorable little nugget.
Posted by: moosh in indy. | December 07, 2009 at 09:46 PM
Good golly I love a baby boy in a sweater vest! He's so precious and seems like such a cool little dude. How is he walking already!?!?!? Gah, it seems like he was born last week or something.
Good call with Moo Baa La La La. It's my favorite, too.
Posted by: Jen L. | December 07, 2009 at 11:51 PM
Okay, I'm totally jealous this month b/c Kayla isn't into walking yet. She'll stand and walk if we help her but no where near doing it on her own. Oh well... she'll get there.... Anyway - I love his eyes in that one picture. Awesome photo shoot!
Posted by: Katie | December 08, 2009 at 12:03 AM
So precious! I think it's pretty neat that his eyes seem to change with his outfit. :)
Posted by: Trilby | December 08, 2009 at 10:30 AM
I love his expression in the photos where he's standing up. He's all HOLY CRAP LOOK AT ME THIS IS SOOoooo COOL!
Posted by: Must Be Motherhood | December 08, 2009 at 12:16 PM
You and your early-walking-kids! This post makes me want a second. It took ten months, but I'm there...and a boy so I can enjoy small sweater vests too!
Posted by: eva | December 09, 2009 at 12:53 PM
He is so very much into doing. What a guy. He is always looking and thinking. That is the way to be.
Posted by: daddyd | December 09, 2009 at 09:11 PM
Sounds like N is doing great! I wanted to comment on the fact that he threw up after tasting K's milk. That can be a sign of allergy, so it's something to take seriously.
A call to the ped./allergist would be a good source of information as you progess with his food introductions.
-Mom of one food allergic and two non-food allergic kids
Posted by: Amy | December 10, 2009 at 12:22 PM
He is just getting to be too big! I can't believe you will have a 2 yr old and a 1 yr old very soon!
Posted by: AJU5's Mom | December 11, 2009 at 07:01 PM