10 Months

Case is now 10 months old and is really keeping Ryan and I on our toes! Ryan keeps telling me, "He is so much fun now!" (as compared to when he was a newborn and all he did was cry, eat, cry, sleep, cry and scream). He definitely has a spirited personality and LOVES to wrestle and play "I'm gonna get you" with mom, dad and auntie Jenna. He has been babbling a lot these past few weeks and just the other day started saying "mamamama"! (Ryan and I had a competition going between mamama and dadada - looks like mom takes this one.) He has moved on from the golf ball and now is all about the wooden spoon which he proceeds to push (while crawling) all over the house and bangs on mom's cabinets, walls, and furniture. He also uses this as a teether since his top teeth are starting to make their appearance.

I would say the biggest challenge at this age so far has been his stranger awareness. He is now is very cautious of new people. He is very interested in them but likes to be in the secure arms of someone he knows while he scopes them out. This has made it very difficult for mom and dad to enjoy the Sunday service since they are usually paged after 15 minutes of him screaming in the baby room :). In an effort to get him a little more comfortable, I have been getting there early so I can hang out in the room with him for a bit before I leave him on his own but he is only distracted with cheerios and new toys for a short while then wails for mom and dad. We just keep on trying hoping that he will soon get it . . .

Case trying out for the Costco Baby Diaper model position.

Starting to learn that it helps to hold the bowl with one hand and pick out the goodies with the other that way it doesn't fall on the floor as fast!

Enjoying the warm weather with a little water play!

Climbing!!!!!!

Wrestle time with Pooh Bear. Getting good at the ankle lock, elbow drop and body slam thanks to dad!

I have to share with you Case's morning routine because it amazes me at how much he understands at 10 months!

On Mon/Wed/Fri I don't go in to the office so instead I rise at 5am to get to the gym for a workout. When I return it is usually when Case is waking up (6:30am). So the routine is this: Once I get home I head to the shower. Ryan goes in and gets Case out of bed, diaper changed, and into his clothes. Then he and Case head to our bed to hang out (while I shower) which usually leads to a wrestle session. After a few minutes of that (I'm still in the shower) he climbs off the bed (we taught him how to turn around and slide down feet first) and crawls over to the bathroom (where I'm the shower). If the door is gently closed he grips the edge with his little fingers and pulls on it until it opens enough for him to peer in. As soon as I hear the slap of his crawling hands on the bathroom tile I tell him (from the shower), "Case, don't come in!" He stops in the doorway, sits back on his knees and looks back at dad like, "How did she know?!?" He'll then either wait there, test me again or go back to playing with dad. The real test of his ability to wait is when I get out of the shower and he can now see me (which means breakfast is soon) and he still has to wait outside of the bathroom - most of the time he does it!

The other day Ryan thought he would give me some privacy and brought Case out to the family room while I showered but it wasn't long before I heard his hands on the bathroom tile. He knew exactly where I was! Ah, so much for privacy :(