10 Months

It's hard to believe, but Jack will be 10 months old tomorrow. The time has flown and I often find myself struggling to remember what it was like to hold a small baby, to hear those tiny chirping cries rather than the non-stop babble that I hear now. I can't believe I've already forgotten, especially as I felt as if I were constantly telling myself "cherish these moments, don't forget them as they'll be memories soon."

Last month, we went for his 9-month well-visit and found that he weighs 21 lbs, 3 oz (65th percentile) and is 29 1/2" long (85th percentile). He has four teeth (two on the top, two on the bottom). He's healthy as can be and his development is right on track (though of course we think he's about to be a card-carrying Mensa member...)

As I've said all along about every stage he's hit, I absolutely love this age. He is growing and learning so much each day. He now says "dada" (that happened back in April) and has just started uttering "mumma" when he's upset. He knows what certain words such as "doggy," "light," "flowers," "mouse," and "Shergar" mean. He tells us when he wants to touch something by opening and closing his hand. He crawls - FAST - and loves to open and close doors, play with cords, "help" me fold laundry (his job is to shake all the wrinkles out), pull books off the bookshelf, wave at himself in the mirror, and laugh at me when I'm on the floor on my belly trying to retrieve all his pacifiers from under the crib.

He's also a fan of sitting on the porch swing with me as we identify the vehicles going by. One of the nice things about living on a busy street is that we see all sorts of exciting vehicles: buses, cars, big trucks (semis), motorcycles, car carriers, ambulances & firetrucks, garbage trucks -- we even saw a motorcade a few weeks ago (though not the presidential one).

Jack's got a strong left arm (I've said since he was 2 months old that I think he's going to be left-handed) and loves throwing various balls at us... I mean to us. He's also started using that arm to throw food onto the floor; thank goodness for Shergar, our instant-Hoover. And Shergar has been an absolute saint, despite the fact that, as my mom so bluntly pointed out, Jack "terrorizes her." I am constantly trying to get Jack to be gentle but he just pummels away at her nose or tries to pet her by pulling her hair. I try gaiting Shergar in the other part of the house but then she cries. I think she's weighed her options and decided that being "loved" by Jack is better than being alone.

Jack has just finished a 9-week swim class with Mick (despite the water being near frigid each week, he has loved it; actually, I'm not sure which of my boys liked it more... the smiles between them when they were in the pool have been absolutely priceless to me) and a 9-week Music Together session with me. His musical taste seems to be shifting from the hip-hop he favored as an infant to more toddler-appropriate music (think "Skip to My Lou") which I guess is both a blessing and a curse for me & Mick.

We've been very busy since mid-May with a one-week visit from my mom (she stayed and helped me hold down the fort while Mick was in San Francisco & Houston for business), followed by a week from Mick's mum, and then several days from Sarah-Jane. Jack has been great with each visitor and I've been thankful that the dreaded separation or stranger anxiety hasn't set in. Mick and I were able to take advantage of Julie's visit by getting away one night for a date! We hit Sea Catch in Georgetown for some oysters & champagne followed by dinner at Eric Ripert's Westend Bistro (we weren't overly impressed). We followed the meal up with drinks and a tour of the newly renovated Jury's hotel (now know as The Dupont Hotel) in Dupont Circle where we were married. We told the manager that we would be celebrating our fifth anniversary this fall and he gave us a complimentary round of drinks. Oh yeah.

During my mom's visit, she commented on how active Jack is and she wasn't kidding. I've told Mick that since Jack hit the 9-month mark, my job has gotten increasingly challenging. He keeps me on my toes (quite literally, running after him all the time) but I wouldn't have it any other way. The stay-at-home thing isn't for everyone, but for me it is absolutely the right thing.

My camera broke a few weeks ago (well, I spilled coffee on the table and it ruined the LCD screen) so I've had to rely on my iPhone & Mick's mum's camera for pictures. I will post everything soon to our photo album. For now, here are a few cute pictures.

Jack outside of swim class