Xander Boy, You Are Loved

Last Thursday (Jan. 19) Xander turned 10 months.  I've been told time and again that the third one's the hardest. Apparently if you can survive three you can survive ten.  I don't know if the third time is just the charm for us or if it's because it's been so long since we've had a baby in the house, but three for me has been wonderful.  Don't get me wrong, I love all my children equally, and love and severely miss their babyhood, but with Xander I feel so much more relaxed and able to stay calm, enabling me to enjoy more, laugh more, absorb more.  Maybe that just comes with experience, or maybe it's because I now know what it really feels like to have children grow up so shockingly fast.   Either way, I just can't get enough of that sweet boy, and his babyhood is already slipping through my fingers and I can't do a dang thing about it.   Some days I resent my pathetically human brain that just cannot hang on to those precious moments for very long, hence the reason that I have tens of thousands of pictures saved on my computer, and even more that were taken back in the dark ages of film.  

In my attempts to capture every stinking single moment, here are some highlights of the past few days of loving on my baby.   And it's not just me.  Jack, Jace, and Jess (say that 10 times......) dote on him every moment that I'm not.  That poor baby just doesn't know what it's like NOT be held, loved, googoo and gaga-ed at, and kissed at every waking moment.  

He and Jayci, watching a movie together

The look on Jack's face says it all.  Such a proud "big brother" moment!

Showing him how to reverse the way daddy does :)

Xander's head kept jerking around so Jack drove like this, one handed,  for the rest of the ride

So sweet.  So precious.

And to prove that I love all my children equally, here's what Jack, Jayci, and I did while Xander napped today.

And just because, here's a bunch of pictures taken the day Xander got his 9 month shots. 

 I'm obsessed.

Jack cannot keep his eyes open when there's a flash!

Xander boy, at 10 months old you:

-Crawl everywhere!  You demonstrated not only how quickly you can get to the stairs, but also how quickly you can go down them!  We got a baby gate installed shortly after.

-Still giggle when you get your bum wiped, but don't love being on your changing table very much anymore.  You definitely put up a fight when we lay you down to change your diaper (but then pause to giggle when you're getting wiped, then continue on with the fighting).  Or to dress you. 

-Clap when we say, "yayyyy!"

-Wave hi and bye-bye

Are becoming a picky eater.   You used to eat about anything I offered, but now it's basically fruit only (sometimes carrots, squash, or sweet potatoes, but no greens!), baby yogurt, rice or oatmeal cereal mixed with fruit or juice.  Nothing with weird textures.  You have a very strong gag reflex and gag if you don't like something.  It's actually quite hilarious.

-Haven't been sleeping very well.  We did sleep training a few weeks ago.  You cried for 4 nights and then slept all night.  The next night you got sick.  So here we are, starting all over with sleep training now that you are finally better.  

-Love mama!  You giggle when you see me, and even will spit out your binky if you have one and try to eat my shoulder.  

-Still nurse like a champ and prefer this food over any.

-Still will kick your legs and flail your arms simultaneously super fast, like you are doing some crazy ab workout. 

-Babble dadadadada (sometimes you do it in a really high voice and end the last syllable even higher, like you're asking a question. It's super cute!), and copy sounds we made. And you like to spit.  The kids think it's hilarious.

-Still have no signs of teeth.  Fine by me, keep em in!

-Innocently tease Moe, grab his ears, fur, tail, whack him in the face, basically drive him nuts.   He's almost attacked you back a few times, but thinks better about it, probably because he knows the wrath he'll feel if he does.  

-Love binkies, but not when I try to put them in your mouth to soothe you at night without picking you up.  You'll take it out and throw it and scream, but if I pick you up and give it to you you love it again.  Stinker.

-Are growing very attached to your thin swaddling blankets.

-Are the most loved baby in the world!