Adam- 11 Months

Dear Adam,

You are 11 months!  Where has the time gone?  I cannot believe that in one month you will be 1!  You are growing up too fast darn it.  This month has been incredible as far as your learning goes.  It is so exciting to watch you grow into a sweet, albeit demanding little boy and to see your personality blossom.  Here is what you have been up to this month:

You're still wearing size 12-18 month clothes, size 4 diapers and size 4 shoes.  We can tell you're getting taller because you're reaching new things and we're quickly finding out that we need to re-baby proof the house.

You're babbling a lot more these days.  Words you say that we can clearly understand are:  na na na (no), tac to (tractor), ity (kitty, though he also calls our dog ity), mama, and dada.  You love to point to everything that you want now, and usually you want everything.  If  we take something away from you, you get mad and cry or yell and your face turns red.  You pick up the tv remote and point it at the tv while pushing buttons, so you obviously have figured out what that is for.  You also pick up any phone you see and hold it up to the side/back of your head to talk on it. 

You usually don't walk anywhere anymore, you run everywhere.  You're pretty much a pro at walking now and hardly ever crawl.  You loved to be chased and giggle as you run away.

You eat everything and are always hungry for more!  I'm so glad that you aren't picky, but I know that we will probably discover that sooner than we want. 

At the beginning of this month, we dropped two bottles and are down to just one. We went cold turkey and just stopped giving it to you and gave you a full sippy cup of whole milk with breakfast, lunch and dinner.  You get one 7 oz bottle right before bed and I have a feeling that one is going to be hard to give up.

You also had your worst cold this month.  You had a fever of 103 for three nights in a row, and we all got very little sleep.  You had an ear infection, could hardly keep anything down and were getting teeth at the same time.  The ONLY thing Mommy was ok with during this was the fact that you wanted to cuddle all day/night.

Just today, I noticed you have one tooth on top poking through and another just about to poke through, that marks # 5 & 6.

You are such an amazing little boy and you love to give hugs now.  You're starting to pick up on giving kisses and you try to give the puppy and kitty kisses.  I cannot wait to see what this next month brings until your 1st birthday!  I love being your mommy and would not change a thing!

I love you!
Mama

Adam- 10 Months

On Oct. 23rd, Adam turned 10 months!  It's so hard to believe.  Here is his monthly letter from Mama. (Sorry this is a pictureless post, but I will post one soon)

Dear Adam,

This month has been o so much fun!  I can hardly believe you are 10 months already!  This month brought a lot of new things for you, baby boy.

You began taking steps on 9/27/11, just days after your 9 month mark.  Everyday you took more and more, until 10/ 13/11, when you decided you wanted to walk all over.  You were still a bit unstable at times, but you LOVED to walk.  So much so, that when you reach your destination, you just run and fall into it.  Since then, you've decided that walking slow just isn't your thing, so you try to run everywhere.  You sometimes fall, but other times you reach your destination, successfully.  You've even gone so far as standing from a seated position.  You've really picked this new walking thing up in a hurry.

Daddy went to China for a week for work during this month and every morning you would call out dada dada dada like you knew he was gone.  You were excited to see him when he got back, but things quickly went back to normal.

Words you are saying now include?  Dada Mama (usually when you're hurt or sick), itty (kitty- only a few times), actor (tractor but only maybe twice), you now wave hi and try to say it, but can't quite get it yet.

You've started drinking whole milk during every meal and haven't figured out if you like it yet.  You're still drinking three bottles, but we're going to be going down to just two very soon.  You're still taking two naps, and they are somewhat inconsistent.  And you are still waking up at the crack of dawn at 5:30 am.... Mommy is not excited about this.

A major advancement in playing this month is that you actually sit and play with the same toy for quite awhile before moving onto the next.  You also love to sit and "read" your books.  It's so cute to watch you do this.

Baby boy, it  has been amazing to watch you continue to learn and grow this month.  I cannot believe that you'll be a year in just two short months! 

I love you more and more each day! 
Love,
Mama

Look out world!

And at exactly 9 months 3 weeks and 1 day, Adam decides it's time to walk.

I don't know about you guys, but I count this as walking.... This was at the beginning of the night tonight and as the night wore on, he got better and better at walking.  At one point, he even went from sitting, to squatting to standing and then took off walking.  So proud of my little man!

Adam 9 months

Well, it's about time that I get to Adam's 9 month post. He was 9 months on 9/23/11. So, here's what you have been up to this month, my dear sweet boy.

 
You are eating what we eat, but I'm scared that sometimes you aren't eating enough. You are getting 3 bottles, 6, 7, and 8 oz.  you love peaches, cherrios, puffs and applesauce.

You are wearing size 12 months clothes, size 4 diapers and finally starting to wear shoes, which you keep on your feet, FINALLY!

This month we visited a pumpkin patch where we took your 9 month photos and an apple orchard.

You've started letting go of furniture and standing there for a few seconds.  You even took your first steps on 9/25/11.  Just yesterday, the lovely ladies at daycare said you took 5 steps in a row!  I think you'll be walking before your 10 month birthday, but we shall see!

Your favorite word to say is Dada and you say it ALL the time.  You even yell it while you are playing.  You also say baba and nana, but I'm not sure you know exactly what those mean.

You have a stubborn streak that is starting to show and you're also definitely a climber!  I think we have our work cut out for us in the next few months.  You've managed to climb all the way to the top of the stairs without assistance (though, Daddy was right behind you to catch you).  You love our kitty Allie and our puppy Bear, but our other kitty Josie doesn't let you near her.

You know what the word 'No' means, but when we tell you no, you turn around, look at us, and then go do whatever it is anyway.

You're taking two naps a day, usually 1-1.5 hours each, though sometimes that varys.  You're wearing mostly 12 month cloths, but the length is too long for you so we have to roll up your pant legs.  You're in size 4 diaper and are still taking 3 bottles a day (21oz). 

Your personality is starting to shine and it's so fun to see the little boy you are growing into.  You are such a happy boy and we are so excited to see what the future will bring! We'll see what month 10 brings, but if it's anything like the last month, you'll be making strides in development! 

 With Sammy, Nana & Papa's dog.

I love you sweet sweet boy!

Your mama

Randoms

1. I'm a terrible friend. There, I said it. I am so bad at calling up my friends to chat our get together. I get so wrapped up in my own life, that I just forget to be a good friends. It's definitely one of my flaws and I hope to work on it.

2. I still haven't done adams 9, month post... Maybe after his doctor visit on thursday.

3. I lose my license on oct. 28- jan 27. Definitely not exciting news... This is because if an accident and it is going top make the winter drag on and on....

4. I really want to find a counseling job for next school year... Then I can officially say I used at least one of my degrees and the $65,000  spent on college wasn't a waste.

5. If I can't find said job, I will be looking elsewhere.

6. I honestly cannot wait for christmas. With it brings adams 1st birthday and the joy of seeing him open presents. I also love decorating and wrapping presents!

7. Thats all for now. Off to sub in gym class!

Calling all mommies

How do you know your kid is getting enough solid food? I swear, I have no idea. Adam is 9 months now and drinks about 21 oz of milk and eats 3 meals a day plus 1-2 snacks. But, sometimes he is picky and doesn't east much of what we give him. He has only gained 2 lbs since his 6 month visit. Is that normal? I'm afraid he is getting too skinny now! Help!

Middle school students

I'm sitting here during my break. I'm subbing at a middle school today and I can't help but think back to when I was in middle school and how different students are today...

somewhere between elementary and college, much of the respect for adults has gone to the wayside. 

Sone if the comments I have received throughout the past week of subbibg here and at a high school are:

I'm not doing that
I don't have to listen to you
I f**king hate this teacher.
This is retrarted
I'm just going to skip
I didn't come to class because I didn't feel like it.

Now, I don't know how you treated your teachers in middle and high school, but never in a million years would I have even thought to say these things.

A lot of these kids feel entitled to do whatever they want inside the classroom. I realize I have a strike against me already for being a sub, but come on!

Where has the respect gone? Now, don't get me wrong, there are students that are respectful and do what they are told, but for the most part, they are overshadowed by the other students.

I can't help but pray that I teach adam differently and he is one of the few students that are respectful. God help our future generations, for they are the ones that will be running this country when we are too old to do so.