Tennyson is 11 months!

I may refuse to believe that my baby boy is going to be one next month, but that doesn't change the fact that he is. :( Bittersweet!

Tennyson now:
- Weighs 22.5 lbs. as of last week
- Crawls pretty fast
- Pushes a walking-push toy. The way Tennyson does this is so funny and cute, because he doesn't just push and walk along with it. He uses his massive baby upper body strength (he takes after Ryan!) to push the toy out, hold the toy, then kind of drag his legs forward. It's comical yet adorable.
- Got another tooth, one of his lower lateral incisors, and as of today the other one is popping through
- Is beginning to use more jargon, especially when Zooey's talking or there's lots of conversation at a meal.
- Says "ba" for "ball," "kuh" for "cat," "give"
- Tries to sign "mother" and "father," but he just ends up hitting the side of his face. LOL
- Is trying to say "RaRa" and "Gideon"
- Knows what a lion, fish and duck say and tries to make the sound when asked...well, when he feels like it
- I think I forgot to mention last month that he pulls up all the time now. He sometimes cries in his crib when his teeth are hurting and looks at the door crying "Mama." Poor baby. That is just pitiful! That's also pretty much the only time he says "Mama."
- Takes 2 naps a day, sometimes only 1, but doesn't get TOO cranky and makes up for it by sleeping 13 hours at night.
- Tries to crawl off the bed and jump out of the shopping cart at the store. This is one of those areas I feel like he's different because he's a boy - Zooey never did this! One warning of "Danger" was enough for her.

Tennyson loves:
- Animals
- Books
- Balls
- Cars
- Following Zooey around and "talking" to her
- Nursing
- Gideon
- RaRa
- Swinging
- Beans
- Bathtime

Tennyson dislikes:
- Having his nose suctioned. I forgot how traumatizing their screams are.
- Having his face wiped.
- He still dislikes it when I leave the room...even to just run to the bathroom really quick.

This month Tennyson got in the toilet water after Zooey went pee and didn't flush. OH.MY.GOSH. I flipped out! I still don't know if he ate it. I'm believing he didn't, even though it's probably more likely that he did.

Tennyson was in a wonder week leap for most of this month, so he was a little cranky and clingy many days. I took to wearing the Moby wrap again just to get dinner made sometimes. :) Honestly, even though it was a little annoying, I didn't mind too much like I did with Zooey. I guess it's something about knowing he's my last one. The last few days of the month, he was out of the leap, and OH MY was he a happy baby! He was cracking himself and everyone else up! He was laughing and giggling at everything and everyone. I love it!!

I seriously fall more in love with this boy every day. He is such a sweet little guy. He is so laid back and not touchy at all...except about his feet and his face. Zooey can play with him and be what sometimes seems too rough, and he just laughs and laughs. He is a little flirt who loves to make bashful faces and crinkly faces at the ladies. He is kind of a mama's boy (and you know what? I kind of like it. :) ). I nurse him often, I'm more laid back about his routine. I know it will have to end, but I take pictures (I WISH I would've done that with her!!). I cherish my time more in the here and now with him, and I don't try to rush him through his milestones. I try to carry that lesson onto watching Zooey, too...I don't want to rush them. It's already going way too fast. I love watching Zooey and his relationship and how they both crack each other up and find so much joy in one another. Zooey watches out for him a lot and defends him to us. She'll say, "He wants you to hold him! Hold him!" or "Stop! He doesn't like that!" Tennyson likes to reach for Zooey's hand and hold it in the car. He tries to share his food with her. It's really so sweet.

I am praying for Tennyson to become a man among men who uses his life and his talents to serve the Lord. I pray that Zooey and he have a close, godly bond that carries through to adulthood. I pray that he will be a strong spiritual leader. I pray for his purity and his future wife, if that's God's will. I pray for him to be a man after God's own heart.

with his new lovey

A little clingy this month through the wonder week and teeth

First visit to the children's museum

Doesn't he look like he's plotting something devious?

Who needs toys when you have a box?

Sleepy, sick, teething boy. Love these snuggles, but hate that he doesn't feel good.

Lovin' the water!

Overalls

Popping up to say hello and take a break from trying to match all Zooey's tooth marks in the crib.

Love

Fun in the sand...and then he ate a fistful!

Exploring

Seriously, I wish I could've bought this hat, because it was the most adorable thing on him EVER.

Post-bath snuggly towel

Tennyson is 10 months old!

Here's an update on my little but not-so-little peanut. I feel like time is going so much faster with him!

Tennyson now:
- Points, sometimes with a finger and sometimes with his whole hand
- Army crawled up until the day before he turned 10 months, when he began crawling on his knees.
- Got 2 more upper teeth, his central incisors.
- Says: Dada for Daddy, Zaza for Zooey (Seriously. I even thought it was a fluke until Zooey's speech therapist heard him. He loves her that much!) and Da for dog.

Tennyson loves:
- He's become even more of a Daddy's little guy this month. When Ryan gets home, they play a little game where they wave "hi" to each other all through dinner, and Tennyson just loves it.
- Snowball, our cat. Snowball does not love Tennyson.
- Crawling after Zooey and sitting by her/stealing her toys/laughing at her.

Tennyson dislikes:
- I honestly can't think of much he resisted much this month, except he really doesn't enjoy being fed much. He likes to self-feed, even purees...we give him pouches.

Leap Moodiness...

...and LITERALLY 2 seconds later!

Tennyson is 9 months!

Whoa! Whoaaaa I am BEHIND. I better catch up, or I'll never catch up, and considering this is my
"baby book" at the moment, I need to keep up. Good thing I keep notes on my phone. I've also noticed I take a lot more pictures and videos these days, because I have a smart phone. What did we ever do before? Anyway, here's a glimpse of what Tennyson was up to in his 9th month of life.

Tennyson now:
- Weighs 21.5 lbs. and is 28.5 inches long (at his 9 month check up)
- Claps
- Waves "bye bye"
- Waves "hello"
- Pulls to standing occasionally; the first time was in his crib when he was playing.
- Signs "more" and "all done"
- Has 2 more teeth...his upper lateral incisors, which is a little unique!
- Imitates sounds "da" for dog and "ba" for ball
- Screams! He loves to hear his voice and play with it!
- Tennyson went on his first trip this month to visit Nana and Papa in Colorado. He did great and warmed up quickly to everyone, despite his 9 month bout with separation anxiety. The car ride home was a little rough, but that's because the first of those two new teeth were coming in. He is a very easy going and flexible baby.
- Gets on his hands and knees and rocks

Tennyson loves:
- Zooey! This has got to be my favorite part of being a mom to two - the way they interact and light up at each other's presence. This is probably preparation for the days when I want to lock them in separate dungeons due to the amount of fighting that will someday ensue.
- Dogs. He loves animals, period, but especially dogs.
- Mommy. We have hit separation anxiety.
- Balls
- Table foods. He always wants to eat what we're eating and often gets mad if we don't give him some.
- Water play. We had swim lessons this month, and even when it was cold, he loved getting in the water. He would kick his little feet and babble and laugh. He also enjoyed the spray park. He would get surprised and gasp when the water sprayed him then giggle.

Tennyson dislikes:
- Mommy leaving the room :)

Big Boy in his 12 month PJ's

"You talkin to me?!"

First day of swim lessons

Zooey's such a good helper, and he just adores her!



Trying to crawl