10 month recap

Last night as a 10 month old.

Our baby turned 11 months only yesterday and it's pretty hard to believe that almost a year has passed already! To think that he'll be running around soon - and in a new house, no less, is pretty exciting. Guess I need to ramp up my exercise routine or our little ball of energy is going to leave me in the dust!

Say CHEESE!

This month, Chester welcomed a few new guests to his mouth. He seems to have a little family of teeth now. In fact, our dentist checked him out when Tim and I went for our appointments on Monday. (For the last few years, Tim and I usually book our checkups together, but this time we did them back to back so one of us could hold the monster.)

Sitting pretty on Toy Mountain. (Formerly known as the couch)

I was surprised when the dentist said he would like to take a look at Chester since he has such few teeth. The dentist said it's a good idea to check just to see how his mouth is looking, as it could prevent problems in the future. He came out to the reception area and had a look right there on the spot and proclaimed Chester's mouth to be "beautiful." He said he spotted 8 teeth, even though only 5 have come through. Along with the toothbrush and floss the dentist always gives us at every checkup, he also included a baby toothbrush and a little kit which includes a teether. We're now supposed to brush his teeth every night before bed. I was also told not to give him sweet food at night, which is actually fine since I always start his morning with it. Our hygienist also said that breast milk contains sugar so it's definitely a good thing to brush before putting him to sleep.

I am the master of this remote.  MINE!

Fastest draw in the West.

Why do you PVR Jersey Shore?  PHHBBBTTH!!!

On a more "entertaining" note, Chester is getting pretty adept with the remote.  He always knows which way to point it at the television.  In fact, I've tested this many times by handing it to him by the wrong end. He'll automatically turn it the right way to point and click!  His favourite channels?  MuchVideo, Rogers on Demand (can't wait until he starts ordering movies, yikes!) as well as the Reality Channel, Christian Channel, and the Punjabi Network. 

Chester is up to three squares a day.  We've introduced a bunch of different new foods including basmati rice and lentils.   And it's always a big, crying mess when the food runs out.

With that face?  Try taking this jar away...

Broccoli and lentils.  Who knew he'd LOVE such yucky sounding food?

I don't think he's actually still hungry most of the time.  It's just his way of saying he WANTS it.  Just like he wants the remote, and the new magazine that's just WAITING to be torn up, or a story book.

Hooray for Fish!

Speaking of stories, he's finally really digging them.  I've been reading to him for months and I might as well be talking to myself for all the interest he's shown.  Nowadays he gets super stoked when it's time for a story.  He'll hyperventilate and give us the biggest smiles.  It truly makes my heart melt.

PEEK-A-BOO!

Other things of note - his head control is definitely improving.  There's a lot less gonking in the crib and we've actually seen him catch himself when he's starting to fall, so that's a bit of a relief.  He's still doing it on occasion but I suspect that's more for dramatic effect to get out of taking a nap.

Winding Chester up before bed.

Definitely not mom sanctioned.

Speaking of naps, I've already mentioned this in previous posts but the most exciting thing EVER?

Chester is finally taking regular naps in his crib in the day!  I would call that a LANDMARK achievement!  I can't tell you what amazing freedom it is to be able to have the run of the house!  I get to actually answer the door, make a phone call, even have a meal, without tiptoeing around.  (Not that I'd even DARE to try to make something to eat before.)  I was seriously worried about what we were going to do when we moved, but I think the crib napping bodes well for a positive outcome in our new place.  (Crossing fingers!)

11 months!

Happy 11 months to baby Chester who isn't such a little baby anymore!  Only one month left of being an infant.  Kinda amazing that he's going to be a year old next month!  This will be the last photo of him in his crib in his current place.  Next month, we'll be in our new home!  As you can see, it's impossible to get a picture of him lying in his crib, nevermind even sitting!

Bust me outta this jail already!

Maybe next month, no hands?

If I tune you out maybe you'll let me sleep in the big boy bed.

Today's been an interesting day so far in the way of milestones. This morning before he had his first feeding, we heard his little tummy rumble. (too cute!) And as of this afternoon, he's managed to call his daddy twice. Once at work, once on his cell. He's also hung up once too. LOL.

Whistlin' Dixie

Chester was fascinated watching his Daddy whistle today.
 

What the heck is coming out of your mouth Dad?!?

Yikes!  Make it stop!

Great distraction for stealing glasses.

Ok time to shut it.

Chester > whistling

This hasn't been the first time Chester has busted out this move.  He's had good practice on his Sing-a-Ma-Jig

Shut yer hole!

Look Ma, no hands!

Breakthrough!

Passed out on his face today in his crib.  Yay!

I've been trying to get Chester to fall asleep for naps in his crib during the day for many months now.  He's always kicked up such a big stink, leaving the both of us exhausted, I just gave up.  However, in the last few weeks, we decided we needed to revisit Chester's naptime.  With our impending move, Tim and I need to pack which means the current arrangement of Chester sleeping in the living room for hours while we tiptoe around in the bedrooms just doesn't work.  Two weekends ago we tried and the results were mixed.  On Saturday, (March 12th) he slept for almost 2 hours.  From 2 pm until almost 4!  The next day?  Well, not so good...He slept about 40 minutes.  From 2:50 until 3:30.  On Monday when we tried, he refused to nap at all and cried bitterly for about an hour.

After generally poor results, I gave it the week and resumed living room sleeping but tried again on the weekend.  Amazingly, both Saturday and Sunday he slept without any problem in his crib!  On Saturday from 1:30 until almost 4 and on Sunday from 1:50 until 4:15.  I still feel bad that we are reducing his naps to only one a day when he isn't even a toddler yet, but he does need to learn to sleep in his crib in the new house so it's good he's learning now.

The best thing of all?  He napped in his crib today without Tim being here!  I kept thinking Tim was the X factor and it was some karmic law that decreed it not possible for me to have any peace whatsoever.  Well today, I tried putting him in his crib on my own and he slept like a rock.  I put him in his crib at 1:04 - he screamed bloody murder for about, oh a minute, and then passed out on his face.  I actually had the run of the house to myself for the first time in...I can't remember!  He's started stirring at around 4:30 but is now sitting up in his crib while I type at 4:45.  Here's a pic of the little guy playing quietly right now.

3 1/2 hours later.  Awake without any drama.

Toy Story

Some pics of Chester with his favourite toys.

Scout.

I bought him so he could fall asleep during his crib in the day.

No dice.

The lion he loves to throw off his high chair.

Fave turtle.  Also a rattle.

Camo bear and new friend Milo the dog.

Little jangly lion who he loves to throw down.

First Xmas present from Dad.  (surprise surprise...)

Separated at birth seahorse.

This toy gave him a reason to crawl...

Looking at himself in the mirror.

His monkey cell-mate in BABY JAIL. 

Standing order

Some pics of Chester's new favourite thing to do.  Climb the chair and stand like a Meerkat.

Horrible Day

I woke up this morning completely unable to move my head.  My neck is in such severe pain and it hurts to breathe.  Trying to move/lift/change a baby is really an unfathomable proposition.  Yet that's what I had to do since Tim didn't even consider taking the day off work.  I really needed Chester to take a nap so I decided not to try for 2, today since it seems to only yield one bad one and skipping over the second one entirely.  I began getting him ready at 12:30.  It's now 4 pm and he's still sitting, bright eyed with no nap in sight!  That's more than 3 hours wasted.  I feel like I'm in HELL.  Add in the constant crying and whining and I'm about ready to kill myself.  I've fed him twice and changed him...gave him stuff for teething.  Frustrated beyond belief.  Pretty much the worst day I have had since he was a 5 month old.

Stubborn little so and so rubbing his eyes but refusing to nap.

New friend...

Chester has a new visitor.  A new tooth has popped up alongside his bottom two.

His top two seem to have really broken through now as well.

Cry me a River

Lots of crying in the past couple of weeks. Everything ends in bitter tears.  It's that raw, full volume crying that makes you drop things.  And it goes on for looong periods of time all throughout the day.  Not sure if it's teething or what the deal is.  But there are tried and true times when he can be counted on to turn in a great performance. This kid definitely should be up for an Academy Award!

Take his feeding sessions.  For the last few days every meal ends in a huge crying jag when I take the jar away. He went from half a jar a feeding only two weeks ago to almost a full one every day this week! And he still cries no matter how much you give him.  The only way to make him stop crying is to distract him.  If he sees the jar taken away, he'll wail.  And if he's still just slightly hungry, he'll cry.  Taking the jar away when he isn't looking won't work.  Don't even try.  I did a little demonstration on video.  Seeing is believing after all.

Now that Chester can stand, it's all he can do to sit still.  Here he is standing up in his playpen today.  A minute before I started recording, he whacked his head pretty good and I put him down on his butt so he wouldn't hurt himself again.  That didn't go over well.  He has absolutely has no interest in sitting or keeping his head safe.  Now it's just standing, falling, banging head. Rinse and repeat.  Would it be bad if I bought him a baby helmet?

Standing Tall

We've had to move Chester's crib settings down TWICE in the last month.  After I saw him pulling himself up to sit on his knees I got worried he could possibly fall out.  So Tim moved it down.

Starting to pull himself up in January. 

Then he did something amazing (and scary) on Tuesday.  He STOOD for the first time by himself!

Sitting is for the birdz...

I heard him laughing like a hyena and I asked Tim who was in the room with him what was going on.  Tim told me to come and see.  This is what I found when I walked in...

Braying like a donkey at his impressive accomplishment!

HEY LOOK IT'S THE FLOOR! 

HMMM...WONDER IF I CAN GIVE MY MAMA A HEART ATTACK..

I actually got so scared when I saw this I surrounded the crib with every available padded surface I could find for two nights.  Then tonight, Tim moved the crib down to its third and final notch.  Now I might actually be able to rest easy and get some sleep!

Um...why is my head so FAR DOWN???

I can't see over the crib now?  This is some BULLSHITZ!

When I get out of this crib I'm gonna kill you all...

Um..hello?!?  This makes DJ'ing kinda hard!!!

So he's safe from falling on the floor.  Now I only have to worry about him pitching backwards and GONKING himself in the head.  Sigh.