Ryan is 10 months old!

The phrase that best describes Ryan at this ten-month mark is “perpetual motion.” Ryan is a very proficient crawler. He’s determined, curious, and QUICK … especially when heading toward something he knows he’s not supposed to play with. The fake moss surrounding our fake tree in our living room is his favorite destination. :) Other obsessions include cords, cabinet doors, markers, and pens. Life has gotten very exciting as Ryan teaches us areas in our house that we need to re-baby proof. :)
 

A month ago, Ryan could only pull up on shorter objects. Now, he can easily pull up on just about anything and squat back down to reach something or resume crawling. He can walk along furniture “cruise” but still seems to prefer crawling to get from one place to another.

Right before his ten-month “birthday,” Ryan’s two bottom teeth emerged. He had seemed to be in pain for about a week leading up to that point – not wanting to nurse or eat as much/as often and not sleeping as well. He seems to be feeling much better now that his first teeth have popped through – and they look so cute!

Our littlest one no longer looks much like a baby at almost 23 pounds! Between all of his (ever-lightening) hair and his size, he definitely looks older than he is. He is very strong (especially if he’s arching during diaper change time or getting-ready-for-sleep time)! Ha! We transitioned him into his bigger, convertible car seat this month.

Ryan is getting much better at self-feeding. He delicately picks up food from his high chair tray using his pincer grasp, gets it into his mouth, and usually even swallows it without gagging! He definitely prefers bread, puffs, rice rusks, and yogurt melts. Since Ryan usually leaves behind the small pieces of fruit, veggie, or cheese we place on his tray, we still try to spoon feed him some pureed food each meal so he can get a varied diet. Momma and Daddy have to be quick at getting the spoon into Ryan’s mouth before he swats it away, though. We’ve found that having him hold another item (a sippy cup or spoon) usually distracts him enough to allow spoon feeding. :) He still loves his sippy cup – mostly so he can squeeze the spout to squirt water onto himself or his tray.

Ryan LOVED trying prunes for the first time this month!

 

Ryan still takes two 1-1.5 hour naps each day. He sleeps from about 7:30 p.m. until 6 or 6:30 a.m., waking once or twice per night to nurse. The “sleeps through the night” line in Ryan’s baby book is still blank, so we’re especially looking forward to a full night of sleep in the coming days/weeks/months. :)

Ryan continues to be very vocal. He babbles often and loudly and seems to say “momma” and “dada” correctly most of the time. He also is starting to try to repeat sounds or inflections that he hears us use. The other day, he kept trying to make puffs of air after Momma was blowing into his face. He has started to clap, too.

It has been fun to watch Ryan explore and to observe his interests and preferences as he’s more mobile. He’s very observant, whether looking in the sky for planes that he hears or noticing wherever Momma goes. He still loves looking for crumbs and other small objects on the floor. He loves to put toys or other objects inside of bins/baskets/boxes. Ryan would much rather be moving than cuddling, being held, or sitting still to look at a book.

Ryan thinks Ian is hilarious, and Ian loves making Ryan laugh. It has been fun to see the brothers’ play time develop, to see Ian’s care and concern for Ryan, and to see Ryan’s pure joy at having Ian’s attention.




Some of Ryan’s other favorites include toothbrushes (especially Ian’s Spinbrush), balloons, bath time, his activity table, Tupperware, kitchen gadgets, and whatever Ian is currently playing with. He still loves being outside, especially if he’s swinging, going down a slide with Ian, going on a walk in his stroller, or riding in the bike trailer with Ian (even with a helmet!).

 
A highlight of the month was going to San Antonio as a family since Matt had an administrators' conference there!

We continue to marvel at our Creator’s amazing handiwork as we observe Ryan’s growth and development. It’s amazing how much we can love a little guy that we didn’t even know 10 months ago. It’s a privilege to watch all of the learning that takes place during a baby’s first year of life. We thank our Lord for the blessing of being Ryan’s (and Ian’s) parents!