The joy of having a 10 month old baby. (For realz!)

Dear Nathan,
Have you noticed the pep in mommy's step? Because I feel great! Since you've been sleeping for longer stretches (8+ hours), I've been able to sleep more too! And the good thing is that you've been pretty consistent about it. Bedtime is no longer the most dreadful part of my day. After your bath, we wind down with some milk, read your favorite story about the little rabbit who waits for the moon, sing your favorite lullaby and then I put you down. You lay quietly for awhile, sometimes talking to yourself, and then just drift off to sleep. You've actually been doing this for at least 2 weeks. I hope you've finally realized/remembered that bedtime is not a scary time and that when you wake, Daddy or I will always be there to play with you. Last night, after putting you down, I checked up on you through the camera.

I don't know what you were looking at, but after a few minutes, you just plopped down and fell asleep.

We've been putting you down between 7:30 and 8:00 and you'll wake up once between 4 and 6 in the morning, nurse, and sleep some more until 7 - 7:30. You'll then take a nap between 10 and 10:30 for about 45 minutes and then another hour long nap starting around 2 in the afternoon. It's been very consistent and predictable. This really makes my life easier.

 You've been super attracted to Teddy's food egg, as you can see, Teddy's reaping the benefits of you doing the work to help him get food. I'm really glad that you don't like Teddy's food. You just like to help him get the food out. You are such a nice boy.

You have pretty much refined your crawl from last week. You are less reluctant to move around and you have this one leg kneeling, one leg straight crawl. I'm kind of thinking that this is going to be your signature crawl. We'll see if it will evolve with time.

With your new mobile skills, you have discovered how to play with the door stop and to pull up to look out the back door. There's a lot of cool things outside to look at. Maybe you will start yelling at squirrels too, like Teddy does.

So, this week I saw one of your friends crawl to the edge of his parents' bed and climb down. I wondered if I could get you to do the same. Since our bed is so high up, I decided to have a very intensive training session with you on the couch. After about 5-10 minutes and a couple of falls, you got it. Now, you can go from this:

To this:

So far, I've let you fall from low places so that you will learn to be more cautious, but you have to know that it's very dangerous when you do things like this:

Unfortunately, I don't have the heart to let you fall from such a height. But trust me, it will be very scary and it may hurt a lot. So, don't do this again, ok?

You are generally a pretty good eater, but your favorite is still pureed chicken and sweet potatoes. You seem to be a bottomless pit when we feed that to you. You can also eat goldfish crackers and you really like them. I think they will be your special treat for when we go grocery shopping. 

I'm having so much fun playing with you. You are such a sweet baby. I love you so much. Until next week! 

Mommy 

Bullpen Relief

Dear Nathan,

Mommy is training other teachers to be better teachers this week, so I've been taking care of you. It's the first time I've been spending all day with you without any backup.

So far, it's pretty much exactly as mommy described. You get hungry on schedule, but your naps aren't always consistent. Also, we can only take the rotation of playing with blocks, your bouncy chair, singing book, and back to the same toys again before getting bored, so mommy suggested planning activities during the day. You still do just fine in the car as long as the ride isn't more than 30 minutes, so I took you to get my car's safety inspection sticker for the year. Tomorrow I might take you to the pool or playground if it isn't too hot.

Since you still think my glasses are the most interesting thing of all time, I'm trying to be a little stricter with you, and tell you you can't play with them and get finger prints on them. I start out gentle and get a little more serious sounding if you keep doing it. However, you don't seem to be ready for the word "no" yet, and you just laugh at me. Silly Daddy.

You are just a little bit more mobile every week. Your crawl used to only be an army crawl. Lately on tile(not carpet), you sometimes use two arms, and a leg efficiently, but drag the second leg: 

Playing with Teddy's egg again

You are starting to get in a lot more trouble lately now that you can crawl a little bit faster. You are starting to pull things off low shelves, pull at electric cords, and mess with your clock radio. Each time I think to myself, "Is this going to kill him, or should I let him learn a lesson? Will I have to fix anything?"

Aunty Momo got you some really cool blocks to play with that have Chinese characters on them.  As always, you love knocking down towers that I set up:

I think you still must be teething, because you are more irritable than normal during the night.  As I'm typing this, mommy is trying to calm you down so we can all get to bed.  Maybe some ibuprofen will do the trick to ease the pain.

Love,
Daddy

A letter from your sleep deprived, paranoid mom.

Dear Nathan,
You do not know what you are doing to me. I know you don't mean it, in fact, you can't help it, but you have become a horrible sleeper. Just last night, I broke down and cried for the first time since you were born. I was so desperate, and frustrated, after being waken 3 times since I had gone to sleep. It was only 4 am.

Bedtime has been super stressful. I don't know why. Maybe you're teething. Maybe it's because you've just learned to do this:

Sit up from being on tummy

 and this...

Pull up and push the walker unassisted

 and this...

Get into weird yoga poses

Let's hope that last night was a one time deal and you don't repeat that. Ever. 

I bet you are liking this new sense of freedom and independence. You are now able to pull yourself up on almost anything and with the walker, you can get anywhere. You're still a bit slow, but soon enough, Teddy will have to work harder to keep you from catching him.

Your naps have also been short. Like 30 minutes short. There was one time where I was successful in getting you back down for another 90 minutes after you sat up in bed, but that was a one time occurrence. Let's improve on your sleeping behavior, Ok?

I'm kind of at a loss of what to do. Being the paranoid, google-crazed mom that I am, I looked up "9 month sleep regression." Most books and websites pretty much say this is what you should do with your baby normally, except during growth spurts, teething, etc. But they don't mention anything about what you should do during tough times. Gee, Thanks.

I've tried crying it out with you and it usually seems to work really well. But I'm reluctant to have you cry it out if your gums are sore, or if you are starting to have separation anxiety. I get that even now as an adult, and I wonder if it's because my parents had me cry it out too.

So, recently, I've been resorting to patting you to sleep. I'm reluctant to do that for too long because I don't want to create a new sleep prop. It's not that I don't want to spend the extra 5 minutes to pat you to sleep, it's just I don't want you to fall asleep knowing that I'm right beside you and later, when you wake up, you will find me not there anymore. But if you know that I have been gone since you fell asleep, you may not feel as abandoned. You know that all you need to do is call for me, and I'll be right there.

Anyways, I should stop complaining. Besides the sleep issues, you've been a very happy baby during the day. We've had lots of fun this week. One day, Daddy had a bit too much fun with your blocks and got into this predicament:

Silly Daddy

On Friday, a few of your friends came over to play.

It's so cool to see you and your friends actually interacting and playing together. 

We went to the pool and you called another dad "dada" as you waved to him. It was super cute. 

We have also started playing with Teddy. You really like it when we chase him around the house. Teddy is a good runner so I try to set up obstacles to keep him in one area. Teddy is getting really good at jumping over obstacles. When we almost get him, you let out these awesome belly giggles. 

You've also become really interested in Teddy's food egg. You will crawl all over the house just to get to it. You've seen Teddy get his food out and you try to get some out yourself. Hopefully you haven't eaten any of his food yet. 

I feel like you are starting to be just as smart as Teddy. You can't do things on command yet, but I have a feeling that before we know it, you'll be high-fiving us and sitting down on command.

This week you've also started to imitate us. Daddy first noticed that you pat our backs when we hold you. You will also make smacking noises with your tongue after we do it too. You will even make "bababa" noises by tapping your fists against your mouth. When will you start to clap your hands and wave bye bye?

Well, Bye Bye for now.

My Social Butterfly at 41 Weeks

Dear Nathan,
I'm so glad to see that you are pretty much back to your normal self. You still aren't eating as much as you did before you got sick, and you aren't consistently sleeping for 7-8 hours at night yet, but I really like the happy, talkative and active you.

We've had lots of giggles this week as you are starting to gain a sense of humor. You know what makes mommy laugh and when you see me laugh, you keep on doing what you were doing. There has been a few times where Daddy had to ask mommy, "Are you alright, there?"

Nathan jumping on the couch is one of the things that makes me laugh.

This week, you really broke out of your shell. I can remember at least 3 times this week where other people have commented on how social you are. While this quality is not a strong one in either myself or your dad, this is a good quality to have. The first complement occurred during a play date. You kept on reaching out to the little girl, and you even shared your toys.

The second one took place at HEB. Actually you got 3 comments on your social behavior that day. The first one took place after you tracked a lady who was pushing a cart behind you from one side of your body to another. You even smiled at her and waved as you said something. She was completely surprised and super happy. The second one came after you said something to a random guy in the produce department and the third one occurred after you said "dada" to a random guy in front of me in line. 

Our neighbor's mom actually mentioned how unshy of a baby you are. Mommy left you with the neighbor for 15 mintues while I went to pick up some vegetables. When I returned, you were playing happily. You really liked our neighbor's mom. 

You've been saying "dada" alot. I'm not sure if you are being funny, or if you are trying to imitate me, but when I say "mama" you, more often than not, will say "dada." We go back and forth a few times before you get bored and decide to say something else. You've also been blowing lots of bubbles with your spit. I'm starting to think that the muscle tone in your face is just fine, so I shouldn't worry too much about it anymore. 

You've also become super active. Last week you were able to cruise along furniture, but you couldn't go around corners. Well, this week, nothing is stopping you anymore. I've started to create challenge courses for you to walk and you really enjoy the challenge. Your favorite things to go after are towers, daddy's laptop, a milk jug, and my phone. You can go from coffee table, to couch, to your push toy with ease. I bet you really enjoy being able to move yourself from one place to another. 

Happy Belated Independence Day. We spent the 4th of July with your cousins. We had dinner at their place, where you tried to play the piano, 

and then we drove to the roof of one of the parking garages at daddy's work place to watch fireworks. You were not amused. You actually saw a pretty good show the night before. The fireworks from the golf course woke you up and so I took you to the window to see the show. You were simply in a trance as you watched colorful lights burst in the dark sky. 

We celebrated Daddy's birthday this week. On Saturday, we had a party at our house and since there was so much fun stuff going on, we didn't force you to go down at your normal bedtime. We let you stay up until 10:00. You even learned to play open faced Chinese poker with the guys.

"David, you better not be cheating down there!"

On daddy's actual birthday, mommy I made him a cake and you thought it looked so good that you kept reaching for it during the birthday song and picture.

No cake for baby...yet.

Unfortunately, babies can't have cake yet. But mommy's going to make you a cake for your first birthday that you can smash up and eat all by yourself. It'll be here before you know it.

You have pretty much fallen into a pretty good routine as far as sleep goes. You have been waking up about 10 minutes before 7 am every morning. I kind of wish that you would wait until at least 7 to wake up, but I'll take 6:50 over anything earlier any day. Around 10 and 2 you'll take a nap that lasts anywhere from 45 mins to 1.5 hours. Bed time is anywhere from 7:30 - 8:00. Some days you follow the 2-3-4 hour wake rule, some days you are ready to sleep after being awake for 2 hours. But nonetheless, you are napping. I guess you are sleeping 13-14 hours a day. Right on target.

Sometimes you fall asleep on your own, but then you wake up 10 - 20 minutes later. I'm not sure why you do this, but it seems like you wait for me to barely fall asleep and then you cry. That is no bueno. You've only done this a few times, but I sure hope that this does not become a habit.

You are not eating as well as you did before you got sick. You are slowing starting to eat a bit more, but it seems like you lose interest in even your favorite foods after a few bites. You are interested, however in eating food from our forks. Does a fork make your food taste better? I bet it does. This week you got adventurous and tried some new foods. You like olives, hummus, and ricotta cheese. 

40 Weeks and the Case of the Mystery Fever

Dear Nathan,
I know it was just a few weeks ago when all I wished for was one good night of sleep. Then you granted it to me. Well, I've tasted goodness, and I don't want to go back. Why must you wake up every 2-3 hours each night this week? I know you've been feeling sick, having a fever for almost 5 days and now you have this rash, but you really will get better sooner if you sleep better at night. Luckily you have a daddy who loves you and mommy so much that he will play with you early in the morning so that mommy can get some extra sleep.

We are very blessed to have a doctor live right across the street from us. He's got 3 girls of his own, so even though he's not a pediatrician, he knows what's going on. You started with a fever on Friday night and still had the fever the next day, so I took you across the street and he took a look. No ear infection, just fever. He suggested that you may have roseola, or sixth disease, and that mommy should be on the lookout for a rash in a few days. While I had suspicions of an UTI, our neighbor was right because a few nights ago, daddy discovered a rash on your back.

The next day, we found that the rash had spread to your face and torso. We were relieved to have solved the case of the mystery fever.

We felt bad because you were feeling so bad and couldn't do anything about it. We hope all the cuddles helped you feel a bit better.

As far as other events go, the prescribed remedy to fix minor issue with your private part was some pretty strong steroid cream. Unfortunately, with you sensitive baby skin, you had a pretty bad reaction and started to bleed a bit. Mommy mistook the bleeding for a UTI, but luckily it's just that your skin is irritated. I really hope that it will heal itself soon.

Baby, it's been a pretty hectic week. Oh, the joys.

At your last check up, I came to realize that you made a bunch of consonant sounds, but specifically not any "m" or "b" sounds. We've also noticed that recently you've been sticking your tongue out a little like so:

Being your google-crazed mom, with the help of the internet, I came to a conclusion that you may have poor mouth muscle tone. One of the suggestions that the "experts" made was to have you drink from a straw cup. So, I got you a really cool and colorful robot cup, filled it up with cool water, gave it to you and you just gave me a "what do you want me to do with this?" look. So I googled, "how to teach your baby to use a straw cup." The article suggested that I get you in nursing position and put the straw in your mouth. Instantly, you were drinking from a straw like a pro.  Pretty cool. I am so proud of you. Most babies don't drink from a straw until they are a bit older. 

It's also nice that you've been drooling less. Is it because you've been sick? Or have your new straw sucking skills helped you realize that you can avoid lots of embarrassment by just sucking in your spit?

Nathan, you are also growing up to be such a nice boy. You share with others. I saw when you offered some of your banana mum mums to Teddy. You know Teddy likes to eat what you're eating.

Like most kids raised in Chinese families, Teddy was a bit reluctant at first, not wanting to seem greedy, but when you knew that Teddy really wanted that cracker and pretty much shoved the cracker in Teddy's face, he quickly gave in.

Zoom, zoom! You are starting to be a fast mover. You're doing such a great job cruising along the coffee table (especially if my laptop is within reach).  I found this app called babysmash. You really like to see the shapes and letters pop up on the screen when you smash the keys on the keyboard. Hopefully you will play with this for a few more days, get tired of it, and no longer be interested in mommy's computer. Computers are really not made for babies. Since you are such a strong baby, Daddy connected an old keyboard to mommy's computer so you won't make her sad if you break it.

I like how we are communicating better. It's nice when you respond when I ask you if you want some milk. I also think it's really cool that you will smack something if I tell you "Bam!" Mommy kind of regrets accidentally teaching you this particular skill, but soon enough, you will learn what "No bam!" means.

Your crawling...it's getting...better. A least you no longer flop around. I like how you are using both of your arms at the same time to pull your body forward. You just need to figure out how to lift your butt up and crawl with your arms and knees. I also want to remind you that you can sit up anytime you want. Just pull up your knees and push yourself upright. I know you can do it, I've seen you do it in your crib lots of times. I don't know why you don't do it outside of your crib, does the carpet hurt your knees?

Mommy does not like it when you throw temper tantrums. Screaming is not the way to get what you want. I know it's the easiest way for you to tell me what you want, but eventually you will need to learn to use your words and not be so demanding all the time. You've been such a sweet baby all along and suddenly, I'm seeing a side of you that I've never seen before. I really hope you are acting this way because you are sick. Can you promise mommy that you will go back to being the nice boy that you are? I'll give you a few days.

In the meantime, get better soon. Sleep well and eat some more food. I hope to see the old Nathan really soon.