Abe is 10 months!

Our sweet baby Abe is already 10 months old! Yesterday was the day and we did a little photo shoot in his room. My mind is already thinking about his first birthday that is soon approaching. I know we missed the first 5 months, but sometimes it doesn't feel that way. The many nights that he still doesn't sleep through the night without an extra feeding, I can feel it. And I blame it on our absence from each other in the first half of his little life. Which leads to my unwillingness to just let him cry. I'm much more attentive because of his beginning not being with us. But other than that little hiccup (that's what I'm calling it) he is a well adjusted, sweet, baby boy. And  for all I can remember, I birthed a 20 pound 5 month old back in May. ;) I just mean that he's as much a part of our family as I am or the other 4 of us. The time we missed, for the most part, feels insignificant now. So for sleep, he is all over the place. My dear husband suggested to me this past month to drop that 11pm feeding that we were doing. I did. So now I might be up at 2am or 5am (or any other inconsistent and random time) doing that extra feeding. It just depends on the night. So I understand that it might be better for Abe if we didn't wake him for that late feeding. But this mommy is tired. Alot. In the last 5 months it's been a rare treat for me to sleep through the night. I've never gone this long without consistent sleep. And that has been a challenge. I'm just not sure what the solution is. Last night Abe went down late because of church activities and he slept til 7:30am today. But even with later nights, that is not always the case. He is typically a great napper. He take two naps a day that go anywhere from 1-2 hours each. Yesterday he fought his morning nap and then slept for 3 hours in the afternoon. But that is unusual. He is normally a good napper for both the morning and afternoon.

At his 9 month well check he weighed in at 23lbs 7oz (94%). He was 29.5 inches long (87%) and he had a head circumference of 45cm (46%). I haven't noticed any huge growth spurts, so I'm assuming this is all still somewhat accurate 1 month later. He is mostly wearing 18 month clothes and size 5 diapers. The boy loves to eat. He takes 4 bottles during the day and normally 1 during the night. Just this week I bumped him up to 6oz feedings. He was doing 5oz. This is one of my attempts to feed him more throughout the day in hopes that he'll not wake for that nighttime bottle. He loves little finger foods like tiny bits of cooked carrots, green peas, plums, grapes and beans. He also still loves eating from a spoon. He really enjoys anything you give him but I would say his favorites are butternut squash, applesauce, peaches, green peas and beans. Yogurt is rare treat. But when I pull it out of the fridge he starts flapping his arms and panting.

He rarely sits these days. He loves to be standing and cruising around furniture. I keep thinking that he will be my early walker, in his attempt to keep up with his big brothers. But who knows. He is into everything! Several times a day he is pulling the Wii remotes and games out of the a drawer in our entertainment center. He just can't leave that one drawer alone. He can successfully climb the stairs with no help from us, so the baby gate is now locked at all times. And now he is starting to interfere with Holden and Pax's playtime. He is tearing apart whatever they are building or just bulldozing over it with his chunky little body. It is so frustrating to the big boys and I can't help but laugh at the dynamic. Neither of them have really known this type of life with a little brother. They are so close in age, it just wasn't this way for Holden when Pax became mobile. I find it hilarious. Despite these interruptions in their play, they are madly in love with Abe. It's one of the sweetest things I could ever watch. They love to get in his face and make him laugh. They lug him around the house occasionally. And Abe is always wearing a smile on his face when they are doting on him. He loves his big brothers and I am so, so grateful that these three boys have one another and share such a sweet bond already. What would life be like without siblings! I just can't imagine it!

Some of Abe's favorite things are being held, bathtime, his paci, eating, and throwing his head backwards to see upside down while we are holding him. Jeremy started that little trick. Some things he doesn't love are diaper changes and being in the car too much. And he will let you know it if he's not loving it. :) Abe is a sweet, happy and fun little boy. And we are an extra blessed family because he is ours.
A few other pictures from this past month....