Double Digits

That's right. Nate turned 10 months old on Tuesday.

As I think about how close we are to his very first birthday - 59 days and counting - I am a bit wistful. I wax nostalgic about the teeny tiny newborn days and part of me misses that period. Not the colic so much. Dear God no. But the little things that are noticeably gone forever. The uncontrollable, jerky movements. The limpness and fragility of his body. How he used to fit lengthwise in one arm. It's hard to imagine he was ever really 7 pounds and a mere 19 inches.

But it's also exciting to see my baby grow. Everyday, it seems he changes. As if he awakens as a different boy each morning. Not just physically but developmentally. He is so interactive and playful. How could I not look forward to the coming days when I know they will eventually include infectious smiles, hugs and giggles?

I've been occupying my recent days with party planning. The hardest part for me is keeping it simple. I want to give him everything under the sun, although I know that doing so would be disastrous on more than one level. I'm probably overdoing a bit with the finer details but I am having trouble binding and gagging the Type A-ness. We've decided on a cowboy theme. Outdoor event, weather permitting. Menu will be BBQ - thinking pulled pork sliders, burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Chips and pretzels in cowboy hats. Horseshoes - the game and the cake. My mind is bursting at the seams with so many ideas that I have to write them down in a notebook. DH has even hinted I should consider a career in event planning and coordination. In jest. I think.

Okay, enough about me. Back to the guest of honor. At 10 months, my little man:

Walks! After courageously taking several unassisted steps a few weeks ago, he now insists that crawling is more convenient and thus his preferred method of travel. However, he adores his new push toy and longs for unlimited space to walk in perpetuum, hand in hand with his lion pal, to his heart's content. I admit his tenacity is quite amusing, if not admirable, when he encounters a wall and grows increasingly frustrated as he tries to turn it around in the opposite direction. I can't help but take pity on him and remove the impediment. But this leads to a day-long game of "chase me, now help me" that wears on the 'ole latissimus dorsi.

Can go from sitting to squatting to standing without help. Quickly. He is also much less wobbly in the standing position and can easily stand for a minute or two. Probably could go longer if only there weren't so many distractions. He has always had strong legs and continues to demonstrate his vertical aptitude.

Can climb the entire flight of stairs. With Mommy playing the role of safety net. Hence, the purchase of this baby gate to be installed ASAP.

Can clap and wave goodbye. He is more consistent with the former since he loves playing pattycake but we are making progress with the latter.

Has limited his naps to once a day, much to Mommy's chagrin. He used to take two hour-plus long naps but lately, he will take a longish nap (hour+) in the early afternoon and a 20 or 30-minute catnap a few hours later. However, the catnap is optional. He often stays up until the start of our dinner/bedtime routine.

Is generally sleeping at least one 5-hour stretch at night. If not longer. Of course, now that I've written this, I am sure to have jinxed myself. I'm just waiting for him to revert back to the 2-3 hour wakeups. *shudder* I still believe sleeping entirely through the night is an urban legend. But we are worlds away from where we were just months ago. And for that, I am ever thankful. I don't know how to act now that I'm not drained of every ounce of energy I possess. I can also get him down 99.9% of nights without a fight, which gives me the warm and fuzzies.

Is jabbering more and more. He finally slipped us a "dada" for the first time today, as a matter of fact. We'd been waiting for this welcome addition to the ever-present "mama". I question whether he says them discriminantly and while I am not yet 100% convinced, he is no longer addressing his Cheerios by the maternal mantra so I have to think he is somehow associating me with the proper term. Nonetheless, he is surely trying to imitate more of what we are saying these days, whether it be "bye-bye", "hi", "baby", "more", etc. Guess it's time to scrutinize our hip-hop song selections and limit our own sailor vernacular. I admit my tongue is guilty of assaulting my ears more than I'd like. I shall henceforth substitute the sweeter nouns of Fudge and Sugar in the event of verbal whiplash.

Is eating more table foods. In addition to the usual suspects (steamed veggies/fruit, puffs and cereal), we've explored deli meat, saltine crackers, pasta, cheese, chicken nuggets, waffles, pancakes, soft pretzels and more. The list goes on and on. We still use reliable purees, especially if I'm in a time crunch and can't find the time to fix a solid meal. But finger foods are being offered more readily.

Is learning to drink from a sippy cup. He hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet but in all fairness, we haven't introduced it regularly so he isn't all too familiar with this foreign object. He still bites the tip of the sippy to draw out liquid, rather than sucking. And he loses interest quickly, tossing the cup aside for a more interesting toy. I bought a straw cup with the hopes he would catch on but so far, the results have been equally blase.

Has a newfound fascination with books. I've invested in several board books that he will ruminate over again and again. His favorite right now is his baby bible board book. He will flip the pages himself and run his hands along the pages, as if tracing the illustrations. Such a little intellectual.

Listing all of his accomplishments illuminates me with sheer pride. I almost feel undeserving that I get to witness miracles on a daily basis. I still don't know why or how I got so lucky. But boy am I glad I am.