Our McGuire Family: Gage - Ten Months Old

10 Months Old!

We're now into double digits, has it really been ten months already?

We won't go back to the doctor until after your first birthday, so the following are just guesses:

Height: 29.5 in.

Weight: 22 lbs.
Diaper Size: Size 3

Clothing Size: 9-12 month and 12 month clothes, with a few nine months tops and PJ's

As usual, you were a busy boy this last month; here are a few of the things you have been up to:

You did quite a bit of traveling this month, some of it planned, some of it not. Right before Thanksgiving, your Great Grams passed away, so we made an unplanned trip out to WaKeeney. We are happy for her that she is no longer suffering on this Earth but we all miss her dearly (especially daddy). We feel fortunate though that she had the chance to meet you at least once.

Just barely three months old in this picture, on our way home from Denver

First meeting with Great Grams, barely 3 months old

We spent Thanksgiving with Grandpa and Grandma Blow at the farm. You are still working on feeding yourself, so it was fun to give you some of the Thanksgiving trimmings on your tray and watch you try to eat them. I won't say you ate much of it on your own, but it was fun to watch the faces you would make as you tried everything.

Yum...Turkey and Green Beans and Sweet Potatoes

After Thanksgiving at the farm, you and mommy stopped for a quick visit for the Reed family Thanksgiving. It was so fun to see all of the babies running around and how big that side of the family has gotten. We even managed to get a great grand children picture with Great Grandpa Reed. He even mentioned how much Great Grandma would have loved to see all the grandkids. Bittersweet for mommy, for sure.

Reed family Great Grandkid picture

The second weekend of December, Daddy had his company holiday party, so you spent Thursday through Saturday at the farm with Grandpa and Grandma. I don't know who has more fun when you go to visit (my money is on Grandpa though!). You got to help Grandpa feed the bucket calf and help Grandma in the house. You were certainly spoiled while you were there!

Helping Grandpa feed the bucket calf

As you are able to get around the house with ease, we find it harder to keep you out of things, including the cupboards and drawers. Your favorite to play in is the cupboard with the tupperware and lids. You could probably entertain yourself with the bowls and lids for hours if I would let you. The only downside is you leave quite the mess in your wake to pick up!

Whatever it takes to get ready in the morning

One of your favorite activities after getting into the tupperware is to put one bowl under each hand and scoot them across the floor as you are crawling. The noise is somewhat bearable, but at times it does sound like nails on a chalkboard. You think it's hilarious.

Cruising with the tupperware, one for each hand

You are starting to work on what I will call "cruising". You will pull up on the coffee table and start walking around the edges. You get quite the grin on your face when you do it too, like you are so proud of yourself. No more hiding things on the top of the coffee table anymore!
You are starting to babble more and more, though I wouldn't say you've exactly said your first real word yet. You are getting good at saying "da da da" though not directed at anything in particular. I'm still waiting to hear my first mama!
Mommy is still making most of your food, with the exception of any treats or to go meals you get. Your favorite is still probably sweet potatoes, though you are getting a lot better about eating meats, particularly when they are mixed in with a vegetable. You started eating yogurt this month, which seems to have gone well, and you love it! This has become your routine afternoon snack after nap time. You still love Cheerios and crackers, which are probably your favorite.
You have gone through a phase this month where you seem to refuse whatever meal we have prepared for you, especially if we give you snack before to entertain you while we're getting breakfast or dinner ready. I'm not sure if it is a stubborn streak (where you want to do it yourself) or if you are filling up on snacks first and then aren't hungry for dinner. We've cut back on the puffs and Cheerios though before meals and that has seemed to help.
At your 9 month check-up, the doctor told us we could start letting you have small amounts of milk from a sippy cup. So we went ahead and gave it a try, starting small with just an ounce of milk in a sippy (and you didn't even drink the whole thing). The next day you were really fussy for daycare all day and ended up with a really back diaper rash. Probably not surprising since you are still on sensitive formula since the regular milk based formulas seemed to upset your tummy early on. We have decided we won't be trying milk again until after your first birthday
You are still eating four times a day. We have cereal with fruit for breakfast, and then what's left of your 6 oz bottle. You will eat 4 veggie cubes or 3 veggies and one meat for lunch and around 6 oz of formula. You get a 6 oz bottle and a yogurt for your late afternoon snack when you are at daycare, and then will have 3 or 4 veggie or fruit cubes for dinner.
You are our still our good nighttime sleeper, going down for bed between 7 and 7:30 pm and waking up around 7 am. Naps on the other hand are not your strong suit. You have completely cut out your morning nap at this point, and are now only doing one afternoon nap starting at 1 pm. You'll typically sleep for about 2 hours at the most, and for the most part seem to be handling it well, though there are some days I think you probably needed to sleep for longer!
You broke through two more teeth this month, one on each side of the top front teeth. I'm pretty sure that explains a lot of the whining and short naps we've seen this month. Plus, the new teeth are helpful with chewing the table food we try with you.
With Christmas coming just around the corner, mommy wanted to make sure that for your first Christmas, we also got a picture of you with Santa. Mommy's company sponsors the annual Holiday Express train at Union Station each year, which includes a chance to sit with Santa. The first night the train was at the station, mommy's company sponsored an employee event to give the children a opportunity to meet Santa and see the train. You weren't sure what to think of the big guy in red, but you didn't cry when you sat with him, so I would call that a success!