All Sorts: O, how he's growing: 9-10 months

Our little Oscar/ Osky/ Oz/ Ozzy/ Ostritch is 10 months old!

Oscar, the day he turned 10 Months

He is 19 lbs 11 oz of amazingness. It seems to me that starting with Oscar learning to crawl, his brain just started exploding in all directions. I can almost see the neuronal synapses forming throughout each day! We can tell he is starting to understand much of what we say, like asking if he's hungry, or wants milk, or asking him to clap and dance.

Soon after turning 9 months, Oscar was:

Clapping, and on command too: "Oscar...clap, clap, clap!" and he would oblige, with a bigopen-mouthed smile on his face.

Climbing stairs

Climbing up onto the dishwasher to empty it
Imitating us:

putting both hands above head
trying to put cars on the little track ramp
patting his hand over his mouth while making noise,”ah-ah-ah-ah-ah”
Making a popping/smooching sound with his lips
“Thbbt”

Eating his first fruit pieces vs puree (banana, followed soon by kiwi and canned mandarins. Then there are those whole potatoes, pears and mandarins that he has discovered in the house and made good work of...)

This month Oscar also got proficient at:

Getting himself down from the standing position after pulling up (he loves to be standing so just zooms around from place to place where he can pull himself up)
Walking while holding onto furniture, and fast! Swivels and transfers to other furniture to keep going.
Playing in the sand and dirt
Dancing when music comes on. He stands and bends his knees up and down, bobbing to the tunes, always with a big smile.
Eating pretzels and other crunchy/crispy textures
Shaking his head back and forth, “no”
Saying “aye aye” (bye bye). He has also said “mama” in context one time : )
Unrolling the toilet paper roll
Babbling a lot more
Dropping his last feeding at night (switched to a bottle and then inched down the volume)
Balancing on his own while standing. We stand him up and let go of him and he has stood there for like 20 second on his own. He's really pleased with himself when he can do this.
Getting his fifth tooth with the sixth just about through, covering mama's arm with bite-sized bruises along the way. (Those 4 top teeth were in sight months ago!! Sure had a way of dragging it out....ugh.)
Sinking his teeth into a whole mandarin and excavating all the juice and pulp.
Getting bumps and bruises as he gets more confident and adventurous in his mobility!

While he can walk along sideways holding onto the furniture like an old pro, he's still just experimenting with gingerly shuffling forward with his cart. He actually uses the activity table as a walker even better, pushing it forward away from his body, then taking steps close to it.

Oscar’s first Christmas at Nana’s was really fun for him. He loved chasing Nana’s dog, Dutchess around the house on all fours. And he helped remind their household how to baby proof as he was quickly getting into anything they may have overlooked in their preparation for our arrival. He would set his eyes on a prize, and go for it. Now Nana's big candlesticks have little teeth marks and bites taken out of them.

He tried to sample the dog food several times too. He loved snuggles with Nana, and playing with the new toys at her house.

He did the best he’s ever done sleeping away from home. It was on this trip that he first mastered the art of clapping, and it pleased him so! We were also amazed when he disappeared from the kitchen and seconds later we found him half way up her steep flight of stairs! On Christmas eve he was wide-eyed throughout his wagon-ride Christmas light tour of the neighborhood.

Christmas morning he slept later than the rest of us. We had already opened our stockings, piled onto Nana's bed and made our way downstairs for presents. Oscar came onto the scene and quickly worked his presents on his own, and also with Finn's help. He really loved to find his new treasures and start playing with them!

He had a really successful first Christmas it seems. He got from Santa a squeeky bird rattle, a spinny wheel, and a ball that rolls and sings on its own for Oscar to chase.

His grandma and grandad Bates gave him a much-needed bigger sleepsack, ever so cozy and soft. His uncle Kalen gave him some hot wheels. He got another finger puppet book from aunt Emily and a cardboard book version of Moby Dick from his cousins in Pennsylvania. His cousins in LA sent him some cardboard Dr Seuss. Nana spoiled him rotten with his adorable new push cart, musical instruments, a monster hat, and jammies. Earlier in the week his nanny Laura gave him a little Leap Frog computer. The boy pulled in some serious loot for being just a little guy!

Certain of Oscar's presents were also some of Finn's favorite Christmas surprises!

Shortly after Christmas I took Oscar swimming to a warm-water kids’ pool since Finn was with Nana. I loved my one on one time with this boy. He was in such heaven. He LOVED the swimming pool, doing what so many other kids were doing. He was smiling, shrieking and pumping his little legs to propel himself around the water. I put him in a little tube and he hung his arms over the side of the tube to float and pumped his legs to get moving. It was truly so fun for me to take this boy swimming. He liked falling into my hands from a perch on the side of the pool, although his first couple times as he started to fall forward he had a look of sheer panic on his face. This soon melted away to relief and a big smile as he landed in my arms for a big snuggle. I could eat him up in that little swim diaper.

We went on a family hike at Glen Canyon Park. Oscar was carried in the hiking backpack but oh boy was he anxious to be out of that thing and exploring on his own! He was yelling at us to get him out before to long, and once pulled out, he was leaning and craning out of our arms. He absolutely loved this outdoor scene, and crawling/ climbing around on the dirt and rocks, sampling them. Oscar really likes to be held, but in this setting, he did NOT.

Oscar’s favorite pastime is to climbing up onto the open dishwasher door and chuck utensils and dishes out. If he comes onto the scene and notices that door open, he makes for it full-speed ahead. I allow him to play this favorite game of his if there are no accessible breakables.

A close second to that would be foraging in the sweeping pile for edibles. Since there are always a number of cheerios in there, I’m sure it seems like this is a snack that has been laid out for him! He thinks the broom must be something amazing since he so frequently sees mama use it. He’s constantly trying to figure out its appeal.

Another spot in Oscar’s usual rotation is the bay windows in our living room where he likes to watch the street activity. He can also be found frequently pulling items off of Finn’s train table, onto the floor. He likes to empty and rearrange cupboards when he gets a chance, and figures out all sorts of new strategies to maximize his access.

Oscar loves it when I get down on all four and lower my head toward the ground. He gets a huge smile on his face and scurries over to ram my head with his, repeatedly. Another favorite game is peek-a-boo. When I stand him up and let go so he can practice balance, he thinks it is a game and started to immediately lean and fall over forward for me to catch him mid-free fall. He giggles like crazy during this game and eagerly brushes my hands off of him to get to his favorite part more quickly...falling forward. He is still as ticklish/ giggly as ever. He gets a big thrill from the swing at the park and just gets so happy there, especially pleased to be doing the same thing as Finn.

Oscar’s favorite books are the kind that have a built-in finger puppet. He loves to grab it and try to manipulate it, and it just entertains him and makes him smile to see a fuzzy little friend moving around. He's having fun with the activity table our friend lent us, as it is just his right size. He loves pressing the buttons for the music to come on and starts dancing and smiling.

He loves to go on outings and favorites this month have included the zoo, the beach, and walks to the library and in Golden Gate Park, watching Finn get proficient at his new balance bike. He's always wide-eyed and eager throughout our excursions.

The world of sand play has been really exciting to Oscar, and we've headed to the beach quite a few times over the past month. Like everywhere else, he's a busy little body in the sand.

Oscar’s First Words

Oscar has a few toys that say “bye bye” when no longer being used. This is also what we call out when we leave the house or someone on skype. I started noticing Oscar say “aye!” immediately following his toys saying “bye bye!” Soon I was hearing him say “aye-aye.” When we were on skype with my parents recently, they were interacting with him and it was time to go. I said, “Oscar, say bye-bye!” “Aye-aye!” he called out in perfect imitation. It is just so seriously cute.

Recently I was sitting down and Oscar was about his business, crawling and playing. It was drawing near the time he usually gets hungry and wants to nurse. He crawled over to me, and put his hands on my knees. As he was pulling himself up I heard him say, “ma-ma.” Heart melt!!

Oscar had his first hair cut. His hair was hanging down so far over his ears so as he splashed and played in the tub I managed to hold finger-fuls of those side locks and chop it with one snip. So his first haircut consisted of two snips.

With adding his bed to his ever-growing list of places he likes to pull to standing, Oscar had to figure out how to fall asleep in his bed again. He just couldn't stop standing, even when we laid him back down, he would automatically pop back up! It didn't take him too long to figure out that when he was tired he could lay himself back down and go to sleep. But this new skill gives us the cutest sight ever when he's awake and we open up his door to go get him.

I'm happy to report that Finn is enjoying Oscar so much lately and is interacting with him in positive ways more than ever. He really likes Oscar's company. Finn runs in to his room when he wakes from a nap and climbs into the crib with him to try to make him laugh and smile. He likes to crawl along with Oscar and often requests, "Mama, I want Oscar to follow me!" He really does want Oscar along on his adventures. And Oscar usually obliges, as he wants to be where Finn is a lot of the time. Finn's aggressions have calmed and he's much gentler when he doesn't want Oscar playing with something, often reporting to me rather than taking matters into his own hands with an emotional outburst.

Oscar still relishes in the joys of his binky during car rides. He still dislikes the carseat but knows he can rely on his favorite friend to make it a better, almost enjoyable experience for him. Plus, he looks soooo cute with this binky. It makes me smile every time I pop it in his mouth. He goes from distressed to perfectly satisfied and content instantaneously.

Oscar still nurses well 4 times per day, and when bottle fed, will drink 6-7 oz at a time. He generally loves to eat and still loves his fruit, especially. In the morning his fruit is mixed with plain Greek yogurt, and he gobbles that up in no time. He also likes Jeremy's homemade beans. He has tried eggs a few times. He didn't think much of the scrambled variety, but he likes a hard-boiled yolk that's been mashed up.