Desmond is (still barely) TEN months old!

(Would you believe I started this post on 9/24, just like I was supposed to?  And now it's 10/22! A certain 10-month-old was keeping me VERY busy!)

• Teeth: FIVE!  He's been so much happier since that fifth one came in.  I'd love for the others to just all come in at once. We could have a few miserable days followed by MONTHS of happiness.  Yeah, I'll just keep hoping on that one.

• Weight/Height: Most recent estimates put him at approximately 25 - 25.5 pounds.  Not tiny. Also? Not short.

• Sleep:  No huge changes since last month.  He still sleeps through about 50% of the time.  He's had a cold, cough, and a minor ear infection, so that's definitely not helping his sleep.  Mostly, though, I think he's hungry.  He still isn't really excited about purees or most table foods, and the bottle alone just isn't cutting it anymore. So he has been taking another WHOLE bottle at about midnight or 1:00 AM.  Then sometimes another half at 5:00 or 6:00.  Then, just when we're about to lose our minds, he'll sleep through the night.  It's good that he knows our limits so well. :)

• Food: Still not really into the whole "real food" thing.  Loves his bottles.  Likes to pick at things like Cheerios and that freeze-dried baby fruit.  Tolerates purees for a few minutes.  Operation "Feed Desmond Table Food" is in full effect.

• Verbal: Still babbling up a storm.  This one might even have a word or two by 12 months!

• Gross Motor: Walking: Mastered.  Running: Getting there.  He still has that adorable Toddler gait, which I plan to enjoy for every last second. 

• Fine Motor: Pretty good.  Definitely has zero trouble getting small things into his mouth. (We work hard to make sure all of those small things are food.)

• Books: Desmond is really starting to like his books.  We do one or two during bath, then we might go through as many as five (sometimes repeating one book 3-4 times) at bedtime.  He is a master of turning pages, though sometimes he'd rather just flip to the end instead of turning a single page.

• Likes & Dislikes: Favorites are still raspberries and peek-a-boo.  He's starting to warm up to playing chase, but, like I said, he's still working on that whole "running" thing, so you have to be a little bit careful.  He definitely WANTS to play. And boy, if Dexter even hints at a smile, Desmond is all giddy.  They are hilarious when they play together.  We still play our fun game of shaking our heads back and forth. I suppose that will get old and boring soon, but I still really enjoy it. :)  Dislikes? Diaper changes. He's always clamoring to get off of the changing table.  And, as stated above, he's not a fan of real food. 

He's still pretty darned happy and super smart. He's all about turning off the lights and closing the door after his bath, and he loves trying out (and yes, tasting) all of the toys and books he can find.

Did I also mention he's incredibly handsome?  There's still a little bit of Infant in him, but I do believe he's headed squarely for Toddler territory.

Oh yeah! Pictures!