10 Months Old

Awww...he's such a handsome, bigger boy.  He just keeps growing.  (As all children do.)


He weighs 20 lbs 11 oz and is about 29 inches long.  I pulled out all the stops with this photo shoot (not really at all) to try and get him to sit cooperatively.  He is holding a kitchen spatula and you may see some toys and books (he's recently started to really like books.  I was wondering if he'd ever sit still while I tried to read to him.) What can ya do?  Also, you will also probably notice that despite my best (not really) efforts we still ended up in shambles.  So it goes with a very active and curious little guy.

 

I took these pictures right after his afternoon nap so he has really rosy cheeks and nose.  I think it's cute.  But then, there isn't much about this kiddo that I don't think is cute. (Maybe the screaming when you take something he wants away.  That's less cute.)

 

Ben is really a joy to have around.  He continues to be easy going, happy, and full of energy.  He loves to climb and often races for the stairs.  I think he is fully capable of walking but doesn't seem all that interested in walking on his own.  He loves to hold hands and walk or push stuff around and walk but not alone.  I've seen him accidentally take a couple of steps but he won't repeat it.  And I'm pretty okay with that.  I already have a hard time keeping up with him.  I sometimes am surprised just how quickly he can make his way to the stairs or bathroom.  He LOVES the toilet.  Gross.

 

And, as I mentioned before, this is his favorite spot.

 

He thought crashing through my "backdrop" was so fun.

 

Recognize this old train Carter siblings?  My boys love it.  Ben is trying to hit the horn in this picture.

 

So, here's a list of the top 10 things I love about Ben (in no particular order):
- His laugh.  Seriously infectious.  Not his I'm-slightly-amused laugh, I'm talking about his full on belly laugh.  It's less frequent and busts me up every time.
-His blue eyes light up when he smiles.  I love that.  But I think his eyes are changing color.  I'm not sure but they look to have more flecks of brown in them than they did before.
-His chubby, ticklish legs.
-His soft blonde hair.
-His hugs and kisses.  They are the best.  I love snuggling with him. I sometimes rock him to sleep just because he'll let me.  I know it won't last forever so I'm eating it up while I can.
-I love his attempts to play with Isaac and the little games they come up with in the car.  I love hearing that full belly laugh while I'm driving.
-I love that he is getting a little bigger and more capable of feeding himself.  He loves holding and drinking from a sippy cup.  He would love to feed himself with a spoon and gets angry if I don't let him hold a spoon while I try to feed him.  I gave up on the baby food for awhile because he wouldn't let me feed it to him.  He liked to do the table food.  Then he got sick this most recent time and has been difficult to feed period.  We are back to the baby food just to try and get something in him.  Poor thing.
-I L.O.V.E. that he is a good sleeper.  He goes through periods of less good but always returns to two solid naps and sleeping through the night.
-I love that he is getting more teeth without as much disruption in his sleep.  He has 5 and I think we'll see number 6 soon.
-I love his little wave and how much he loves his family.  He waves for his daddy when he leaves and crawls to him for hugs when he gets home.  He gives Isaac hugs and tackles in the morning when they first see each other.  He gives out the biggest smiles when he sees Isaac first thing after a nap.  I'm pretty sure he likes me too but I don't come and go nearly as often as his daddy or brother so I don't get the chance for welcome home hugs and snuggles.
And a bonus:  I love brushing his teeth.  You say "say ah" and he opens wide and says "ah."  It's adorable.  He still doesn't talk much though.  He doesn't even say Amen as much as he used to.  He sometimes sporadically says mamma or dada but those are hard to decipher from his usual mamamama and dadadada chatter.  He does like to make noise.  He grunts for things he wants and screams when things he wants are removed.

He really is a delight.  Can't imagine our little family without him.

And just because these were taken on the same day as the 10 month photo shoot...here are some beautiful roses that Jacob bought for me.  I sure love all the Brunson boys in this household.  I am one blessed girl!