Journeying with the Crandalls: 10 months!

10 months is soo much fun!! :)

Boston is clapping a lot, and trying harder and harder to communicate! I love it!! He says Eeeee!!! Eeee!!! Whenever he's happeeeee! lol and Mamamama, and Dadada a lot. Andrew and I have little competitions in the car trying to get him to say one over the other. poor kid is probably so confused. lol Right now Dadada wins most of the time, but it makes me happy when he says it cause I see how Andrew's face lights up, so I don't mind. :)

Biggest thing he's been doing that's new is walking along furniture!! Like I said, he's most likely going to skip crawling all together! ha Anything he can walk along he will do it! couches, walls, cupboards, bathtubs...etc. It's fun cause he's able to move around to things he wants to get to, and entertain himself.

At first I was worried about him skipping crawling, but his Pediatrician said it was just fine, and most likely he would crawl after he walks, not because he has to but because he can! So that is good to know. Another reason I am ok with him skipping the crawling is because I am a major germ-a-phobe!! Months ago I would think things like, "man, how am I ever going to keep his hands clean once he starts crawling all over the floor?!" and I would start getting anxious. lol
With these new abilities comes mischief though! He has discovered most things at his level. I love watching him discover things, and get excited about what I would consider "little & boring" like socks, belts, and pots and pans! ha ha

He says Ooooo about everything exciting!

ALSO he is SIGNING!!!! FINALLY!!! After 4 long months with seeing nothing in return to me signing to him, he is doing it!!! He signs milk mostly, and has done food a few times!!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this!! I was almost going to give up!! I am just hoping I'll be able to teach him enough to help me be able to communicate with him during the toddler years. It will be so nice. He also gives high fives, and waves a lot. Those who know Boston know that he can take some time getting to know you before he'll share his smiles....well NOT at the grocery store!! haha At the grocery store he will lean around me to see anyone around us and waves and smiles very big. It's like a parade! lol I feel like we end up saying Hi to the whole store! The cashier said he made her day. That's my boy! :)

Another HUGE breakthrough: HE IS SLEEPING 12 HOURS IN A ROW!!!!

Oh man! I cannot tell you how amazing this is!! He's been sleeping "through the night" since 2 and a half months, but still woke up between 4 and 6 sometime to eat... it was a short feeding, but would often ruin my sleep. I would have such a hard time getting back to sleep at times, and then would have to sleep in, and often I couldn't when Andrew had to leave for work. So it's just amazing! He sleeps from 8 to 8 now! There's a funny story with this though. We took him in for his 9 month appointment, and I told Dr. Van de Merwe that he was still waking up to eat, and he laughed and looked at Boston and said, "oh buddy, you've got it made!" and I laughed too but didn't really get it, cause I thought Boston NEEDED that feeding, and he still may have. But the doc said, "He should be perfectly nutritionally capable of going all night without eating by this age. But he will probably put up a fight about dropping the feeding because what baby wouldn't to wake up and get pulled into bed with mom where it's all warm and fill up his belly for ten mins and drift back to sleep with no effort?!" lol Made me laugh cause that's definitely Boston. Funny part is, that night we were ready to make him cry it out, to drop the habit, and he didn't wake up!!! It's like he heard the doc because he basically dropped it on his own, except for like one night!!! :) I'm a very happy mama! Crying it out is so crappy. :(

The other day he slept in until 11am! I felt like I had a teenager already! The flash didn't even wake him up!

He was soo happy when he woke up! ha ha cute little buddy!

His 9 month doc appointment ended up happening closer to ten months because they were so booked up! Boston was really giving our nurse the stare down, but the second Dr. VandeMerwe walked in he was all smiles!

(I think it's cause he knew that nurse was going to give him the shots!) He got a pretty bad reaction to the shot site for this one. Thank goodness for essential oils! I put some lavender on it and it cleared up right away!

I'm not sure what Boston loves more sometimes....Me....or my long hair! He pulls it like crazy!! He's like having a mean big brother all over again. ha ha Except I think I love him a bit more. Sorry Gary!

Speaking of hair, this next pic was at church. He was doing great in Sunday school, just holding onto the hymn book rack, when Sis. Robb came in and sat right in front of us and let her beautiful long hair hang over the back of the seat! Boston couldn't stand it! He HAD to grab it! When I wouldn't let him, he lost it and we had to leave. lol. I tell him maybe his wife will have long hair and let him pull it, but until then, he needs to refrain.

He's been doing pretty good at church though....ok, actually it's been really hard lately. I think it's mostly adjusting that I need to do. Boston is doing his best. He loves standing up to all the chairs, and tries to play with the other kids.

I was thinking about it the other day (in the shower actually) and laughing at how much different I am as a Mom now, than when Boston was first born. For instance at that moment I realized I was taking a relaxing shower after laying Boston down, even though he wasn't asleep yet, I knew he was safe and would talk himself to sleep soon enough. Where as when he was first born I would literally bring the monitor into the bathroom with me so I could listen for him while I showered... I am so much less anxious! haha I am careful, but I don't worry as much giving him something that fell on the ground, I don't catch his every fall, and realize it helps him learn, things like that. And I think Boston and I are both happier because of it. :)