Ten Months Old

Walker, you're ten months old! 

You are quickly leaving babyhood behind and trying so hard to usher toddlerhood in! More than ever you are aware of what your brother and sister are doing and you are trying so hard to keep up with them! You are so darling to watch. 

You are a sleeping champ, napping so well and for hours at a time in the morning and the afternoon. You're in a good groove Walker and we are thankful! You love to eat table food, preferring pureed baby food most, as well as bananas, bread, waffles and pancakes. You drink several bottles a day and always drain them dry. You are never one to turn food down! 

You love when your sister and brother will sit with you and play. Mommy and Daddy also fill this need, but I think you prefer them more! 

You started working those gums pretty hard this month, we can't believe you haven't gotten a tooth yet but it sure seems like one is coming! 

When we come to get you from your nap every day, you are always so thrilled to see us! You pop right up, grinning every time and usually start clapping too. 

You go to bed around 7:00pm every night and usually sleep until 6:00-6:30. You rarely fuss about bedtime, you've usually worn yourself down before 7pm rolls around. You love to sleep with your paci, several soft blankies, and your giraffe! You are JUST like your big brother  :) 

You've shown no signs of walking yet, but you do crawl like a maniac now and you are working on pulling yourself up. You are like a little explorer, all over the house and into anything you can reach!

As the weather has warmed up, you love to be outside with us in your stroller. We like to take you for long walks and you love to kick your legs up on the front of the stroller, like you're lovin life!

I love those big eyes peeking out of that stroller! 

You are so intrigued with our porch, now that the weather is warm. You love to peek out the glass doors and check out all that is happening. I love when you tuck your little feet under yourself like that!

Your temperament is so happy and content. You are easily entertained right now and there is no shortage of things to put in your mouth around here.

You spend so much time crawling around, checking toys out, following Ava and Carter or just flinging toys here, there and everywhere. These are sweet days with you!

You look a lot like Ava as a baby, but as you get older you are favoring Carter more and more! I loved you boys in those Hawkeye shirts! Our future linebackers maybe??

Much to my delight, you still love to snuggle with your Mama and I am always up for it!

You've started enjoying the Disney Channel in the mornings with Ava and Carter. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is your favorite and it gets your attention every time. I love your little matching profiles here! 

Because it's spring in Minnesota, the weather is all over the place so sometimes we have to bundle up on the porch! 

But you don't mind, you're so happy to be out there. You love watching the neighbors and the cars that drive down the street and we like to bring your favorite toys out there and the beautiful quilt your Nana made you. 

Just like we thought, toward the end of the month you did pop two little teeth through your gums, at the same time! They are on the bottom and they make you look so old  :) 

You are so sweet Walker!

 This has been a fun month with you, buddy! With each week I feel like your world keeps getting bigger and you get more and more excited about it. 

You have been such a delight and a joy to us!

Your personality is coming out with each month and we love discovering more about you. You are getting more vocal and opinionated these days, you love to laugh and you love when we sing to you! 

You also have the best little smile! Your round cheeks are from your Great-Grandpa Hausman and I think you have the perfect smiley-face smile! You can be so shy sometimes and you aren't a fan of going to just anyone, you definitely know your people and like to stick close to us. 

 Your Daddy can get you going more than anyone else, he gets you giggling with a belly laugh that is hysterical!

 Ava is your safe place and the one who loves to help you. You relax around her and I can tell you already trust her! She's the best big sister and sometimes my right hand girl!

Carter is a typical big-brother, you two are rumbling more and more these days but Carter is also the one who loves to snuggle you tight and kiss you like crazy! I think you will be thunder and lightening as you grow up, trying to out-do one another and creating the perfect storm together. He loves you so much Walker, we all do!  This has been another month of joy and excitement watching you grow! 

Happy 10th month, buddy! 

Nine Months Old

Walker, before I forget everything you've been up to for the last few months, here is a look back at your ninth month! 

We took you to the pediatrician for a well check and got some fresh stats on you! 

You weigh 18 pounds

You are 27 inches long

You wear size 9-12 month clothes

You are in a size 5 diaper

In short, you continue to be a big guy!!

We've developed a pretty good napping/sleeping routine with you Walkie. You are in bed by 7:00pm every night, sometimes a few minutes earlier, and you are awake around 6:00am or so.  Sometimes we just slip into your room with a bottle when you wake up and then we lay you back down so we can sleep a little longer!  Often you go for it, but sometimes you make it clear that you just aren't having it...

...and sometimes you wake the whole house with your early morning "squawking."  This has earned you the nickname, Squawky Walkie. 

You are a great napper! I am thankful for that. You take a consistent morning nap for a couple of hours and then I have to work hard to get you back down for an early afternoon nap before we have to leave to pick up Ava. Lucky for you, our neighbor has been coming over to sit with you while I run to pick her up, just so we don't have to wake you! How great that is, for you and for me! You like your crib and you don't fight it. It's a beautiful thing, Walker!

Your eating is coming along, you have no teeth but you manage to eat lots of soft things anyway. You drink lots of formula everyday but you enjoy lots of baby food and some squeeze packets. You like pancakes and waffles, you aren't a fan of yogurt yet, but you do love fruit! Veggies are a tough sell so we sneak them into other things, but you do like chicken and ham.  Mostly you like sitting in your highchair at the table, with the rest of us! 

You had to get shots this month, which is no fun for both of us. You hated it and cried, which made me cry too, but as soon as I scooped you up it was over. It's a good thing to be vaccinated Walker and although you don't understand it, we only do it for your good! And thankfully it's over quickly. 

In general you are such a happy guy. 

You are enjoying your toys so much these days and are easily entertained. 

Your hair is wild and growing like crazy! You have the biggest eyes Walker and the sweetest smile. I love your round cheeks and how they plump up when you grin. You are so easy to love!

For the most part, you army crawl all over the house but every now and then we catch you up on your hands and knees and we know it's just a matter of time before you catch on and take off. 

You are too big for the rock and play now but every now and then we pull it out and use it to keep you still, especially while you drink a bottle. It cracks us up to see you in that thing, you are not the little baby who once slept in it!

Your brother and sister continue to be crazy about you Walkie! They LOVE to play with you and are so fascinated by everything you do.

They love to include you often and you love it too!

As the weather has warmed up, you're really loved being outside on our porch and watching the cars and people go by. You love to take everything in and we are thankful to have a safe outdoor space for you to explore. We're also thankful that you are still willing to sit in the exersaucer, although you do not like it if we go inside and leave you out there. 

This is the month you decided to crawl under things! We find you under this rocking chair all the time and now you've started crawling under the kitchen table. You remind us of a little puppy who likes to hide!

I have to keep our kitchen floor picked up more than ever before, now that you are on the prowl. 

One day we tried to block you from your brother and sister, putting a wall of toys between you. You love to be with them, but you also love to put their toys in your mouth or destroy what they are building. We thought this seemed like a happy compromise...

You were into it for about a week and then one day you decided you'd had enough and you just crawled right over the boxes! We all got a laugh out of your determination! 

We introduced you to the swings for the first time in March! Clearly you loved it!

And we also let you sit in the jogger for the first time, out of your infant seat.  You looked so big and yet so tiny, at the same time!  Carter looked like a giant and you looked like a little boy with big boy shoes on!  What a cutie you are.  You love being in that jogger with either Ava or Carter beside you!

Mommy left you for the first time this month, when I flew to Charleston with Grammy.  You stayed behind with Daddy and Texie, who ran the show without me!  You did very well, except that you got messed up from Daylight Savings, which threw your sleeping off and then you caught some random bug that you passed around. Mommy missed you so much and I was thrilled to come home to you!

I didn't anticipate taking you to the ER the night I got home, however! You had thrown up too many times and we had to get you checked out. Thankfully they gave you medicine to stop throwing up and you were back to your charming self soon. I'm so thankful that was your first and only visit to the ER so far this year! And it was a very special bug that you felt like you should share with me too :)  

How giving of you! 

You crack us up in so many ways, Walker. You are a pretty stoic guy, you aren't easily excitable but you are full of funny faces and classic looks that have us laughing all the time!  You are experiencing many things that are brand new to you, like sitting in a shopping cart and not wearing a winter coat everywhere we go!

You've also recently discovered the world of cabinets and you LOVE to get inside this one especially, to pull out all of our leftover containers!  You move like lightening when you see me in the kitchen and you make a direct line to that cupboard! So far it's the only one you can open, but I'm guessing that will change soon, too. 

You continue to have wild hair! It's similar to your brother's in the way you're going blonde and losing those darker streaks of hair. But you are also favoring Ava with more of a strawberry blonde look and your own odd hairline! It's looking more and more like you were destined to have a faux-hawk!

We started taking you out to eat here and there, imagining you would be a handful, but of course you've been as good as gold! 

You love the whole experience I think, watching other people and getting your hands on what we're eating too. You are such a flexible baby, we throw many new things your way and you just seem to roll with them so naturally.  We love that about you. 

Happy 9th month buddy! You are growing and changing and finding your place in our family and we are so thankful for all of it! We adore you Walker and we praise God for you!