Ten months old and Isaac is threatening to to graduate from baby to waddler! SLOW DOWN, BUDDY. He started pulling himself up to stand a few weeks ago and has hardly been still since, cruising along the edge of the couch until he’s out of runway, then gently dropping to his knees to motor over to the next prop in the room.
He was awfully proud of himself the first time I found him standing in his crib. “I’M UP, MOM! It’s not even 6am, but don’t think for a second you’re going to be rocking me back to sleep now!”
Sometimes I win and he’ll grab a few extra Z’s in my arms after I scoop him out of his crib. Not often, but sometimes.
Isaac’s very favorite prop is Juliette’s keyboard – if we let him roam, he’ll beeline for her room and head straight for the piano. He bangs away at the keys, completely thrilled by his own mischief. Â
Sometimes he gets to sit on the stool and we’ll turn on the piano demo as a backdrop to his banging. This is a kid that feels the music in his bones!
He’s a cruiser, and he’s a climber. If he’s got his eye on a prize and there’s a pillow or a pile of toys or a person is his way, he’ll plow on though – taking the long way around is for chumps. He steamrolls Juliette daily and she pretends it hurts but secretly loves it.
He’s determined and he’s fast.
Life is a constant game of hide and seek. I see you, Isaac, looking for stray Cheerios under the dining room table.
Though he’s rarely (never) content during his waking hours to sit still and just snuggle in my lap, he does love crawling on me, putting his chubby little hands on my legs and then on my chest and finally around my neck as he stands up and opens his mouth wide to plant a slobbery kiss on my cheek. His affection is almost aggressive in its exuberance – it feels like he’s not just crawling to me, but trying to crawl through me. We’re encouraging and modeling gentleness as much as possible. Â
Gentle, Shane.
Isaac got the memo a couple of weeks ago that summer was on the horizon and has since spent a lot of time with his face pressed against the glass of the back door. He watches birds while I do dishes. Â
But when sister is on the other side of the glass, he really starts getting antsy. Juliette snapped these pics and then I had no choice but to take him outside for a short backyard romp. He was begging for it!
Our neighbors gifted us a couple of inflatable light sabers after their four year-old’s Star Wars birthday party and they quickly became Isaac’s most prized possessions. For weeks he carried them everywhere, dragging them along as he motored around the house, stopping every so often to excitedly wave one in the air. The force is strong with this boy.
He’s a champion eater and is game to try just about anything we put in front of him. More and more, I’m able to set him up with his spread at dinnertime and he’ll contentedly feed himself while I enjoy a still-hot meal (such luxury!).
When he wants your attention, he tilts his head to one side, smiles sweetly, and looks right into your eyes. It’s my new favorite thing.
6pm-7pm continues to be the longest hour of the day. On evenings that Isaac is particularly fussy, I’ll put him in the stroller and take him to the park for a pre-bedtime swing. Does his mood good.
On evenings he just needs a little mellowing, I put him in the Ergo for a 20-minute walk around the neighborhood. He starts off antsy as he wiggles against being restrained, but his body gets calmer with each block until finally his head starts to rest against my chest. I try not to let him fully fall asleep, as I’d rather he doze off in his crib, but sometimes he just. can’t. keep. those. eyes. open.
Sister is still THE BEST and bowls me over on the regular with her patience and tenderness.
She even lets him borrow her headband when his hair starts falling into his eyes and I can’t find the time or the patience to give it a trim!
Some sweet snaps from an afternoon on the lawn at Hiwatha, just because…
Coming home to this boy is the sweetest part of my day, seeing him beeline right toward me on all fours the moment I walk in the door, perching on his knees with his arms outstretched as I unload my backpack and take off my shoes. Â Sometimes Shane and the kids are waiting out front when I get off the bus and it’s a gold mine of warm fuzzies, the way they roll out the welcome wagon.
And gosh, MY HEART when Isaac flies into my arms on the days I pick him up at daycare, gazing at me with such unabashed adoration that I have to stop on the sidewalk outside the car and just hold him close for an extra minute before strapping him into his seat.
Ten months old and more charming than I knew any little human could possibly be.
