10 months: Tornad'O'

How is this baby boy 10 months old? I'm afraid he doesn't look much like a baby any more, either. Mike and I thought the appropriate title for this post would be 'Tornado' because he is everywhere. We are constantly looking for things (contact case, comb, A&D ointment, etc), and they are on an entirely different floor of the house than they are normally kept. He also loves to empty the Tupperware and towel drawers into the kitchen and eating area, and I usually just let him.

Our 10 month sign. I am getting better at figuring out ways to keep him from trying to eat the sign. (Though I still had to be very very quick to capture this one).

You would think that he hates this hat, but actually he just really wants me to pick him up. In the last month, I've seen this face a lot. He really loves to be held. A lot. I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts!

(p.s. This hat is too small. It was too big last winter. Maybe for babe #2?)

He still loves to ride in the stroller. This day he and daddy were picking mommy up from her 10K. I ran it last Sunday.. tweaked my right hip/knee a bit, but overall it went well!

I found this toy at a garage sale last week. He seems to enjoy the ABC song that plays. Mike loves to switch it to the Spanish setting. And would you know, that he sang the Spanish ABCs straight through the first time it played? Who knew Mike sang Spanish?

Owen will now say 'Bop' on command. I got him prepping for it here. My friend Lam says that bop is 'rice' in Korean. Owen is bilingual in English and Korean. What a Seattle baby.

On another note.. I think O looks exactly like my dad in this picture (especially in his lumberjack shirt!)

I caught this picture after Owen had climbed the stairs toward nap time. Once I put him in the crib, he didn't have the energy to fight or even lay down.

This is his one of his preferred sleeping positions. Bum in the air.

Little Mr. is all but refusing pureed foods anymore. This just started a few days ago. I'm OK with that.. he'll still eat yogurt, but he isn't interested in oatmeal anymore. He is loving his finger foods, and as of today, he has TWO teeth to 'chew' them with. Yesterday was a bit of an extra-clingy day, and I had a feeling he was uncomfortable. Today he had something to show for it!

Additional foods we've added in October: Corn, Chicken (gives him a bad diaper rash.. this has happened twice now), Egg Yolk, Oranges, Tomato (makes him break out on his face), Cheese, and Tofu.

Mommy and O. This was toward the beginning of October. Apparently his hair has grown a lot this month.

Owen loves the dog's bed. He even brings his toys with him.

In return, Oskee cuddles in to his blanket and box. I think it's a fair trade.

Owen helped me unpack in STL by climbing in to the suitcase and throwing clothes out.

Playing ball with Gaga Wade. We're still working on turning him in to a south paw, but he appears to be using the right here.

This month we made the transition to total formula feeding (3 bottles a day). He is much more satisfied with the bottle. He's even working on holding it on his own.

Owen waved 'bye-bye' for the first time on October 16th! He always saves a big milestone for STL, and this was certainly a fun one to conquer in the presence of Grandma and Papa.

O and his 'Silly Papa'!

Additional nuggets about our little nugget:

- He loves to snuggle after naps (especially the afternoon nap). Sometimes he'll even fall back asleep on my shoulder while we rock. I love this time with him! In general he loves to be held frequently. This is a total change from a few months ago.
- In a sort of 'imitation', he now sings 'Ahhh' back when I sing to him
- Stranger anxiety is slowly creeping in. It doesn't seem to be too bad, but the clinging to mama is getting worse.
- Favorite games still include throwing things into the bathtub or hamper. He now also loves to drop something and see where it lands. He'll stand on his tip toes to drop something over an adults' legs and then get so excited to bend down and pick it up.
- He LOVES to laugh. He even loves the anticipation of a laugh. He'll do anything for a good laugh, and in the last week or so he has started this new laugh which sounds like a inhalation wheeze. If I didn't know better, I would think he was asthmatic.
- He is sitting in his new, big boy, car seat now!
- Though 'mama' is making it's way into the repertoire of sounds, Dada, Baba, and Bop are still the favorite words. He's not associating sounds with any things yet.
- I am still able to use the word 'no' very frequently, though I am trying to reserve it for situations that are dangerous. I've read that it will still be a few months before he understands the word 'no', but he is already understanding the tone of voice that I use. This development is fascinating.

We love our little O, so so much. Stay tuned for future November developments!