I still quite can’t get my head around the fact that Jack is 10 months old already (okay and by the time I’ve actually posted this he’s nearly 10 and a half months!). In just under 2 months and he will be one and I really just don’t know where the year has gone. It’s like life has just been in fast forward and I’ve suddenly found myself nearly at the start of May with a crawling climbing baby. I know every mum seems to say this, but time really does speed up when you have kids, it’s crazy!
The last month has been massive for Jack. The night before his 9 month birthday, he learnt to crawl. He had been going backwards for quite a while, but just couldn’t quite work out first gear. Once he learnt to go forward there was no stopping him. Two days later he learnt how to pull himself up on the sofa. He is now pulling himself up to standing on everything (including the doors and walls!), and is cruising along the couch. He is getting better and better at balance every day and I don’t think it will be long until he is standing unassisted. He loves walking and will walk along behind his little walker or while holding on to our hands. It’s so cute and he’s getting better and better everyday.
The last month has definitely been full on, and Jack being on the move means he needs constant supervision. The playpen has been a lifesaver, and I’ve put him in there quite a bit when I’ve needed to do a few chores or go to the bathroom. For the most part, Jack has been really good though. We’ve put everything dangerous up high, and he can pretty much explore everything else.
We are trying to not say no all the time, as I can totally see why it’s one of the first words kids learn! 😂 Instead, we’ve been trying to say things like “we don’t eat books” or “don’t eat the washing” etc, but gosh it’s hard. No is definitely the first word that comes to mind a lot though and I find myself saying it way more than I really should. It’s amazing how kids just want the stuff they aren’t supposed to really have 😅
Jack is still chewing on everything and I can’t wait for this phase to be over. Everything goes in his mouth; books, toys…. even washing. He has to have a chew on everything, so we’ve had to be really careful about what is in reach. He loves cellphones and cables, so it’s a constant battle remembering to put them up high! He also seems to love socks, and I’m constantly finding him crawling around the place with a sock in his mouth. I actually Googled this to see if other kids do it too, and apparently it’s pretty common 😂
I wish I could say Jack’s sleep is still going well, but the past month or so it’s been a bit off. He’s been waking up in the night a lot more which is probably to do with the fact he can now move around and stand up in his cot (which is really cute the first time, not so much the tenth!). We are still putting him to bed at 6.30pm, and he still gets up around 6.30am, but there have been a few night wakes and early wakes which haven’t been much fun. Here’s hoping this phase is over soon.
Jack is still having two naps a day – one around 9.30 for 1.5-2 hours and one in the afternoon for about 1-1.5 hours. He goes for a nap really well and I think it’s because he is just so tired from all the crawling and exploring he is doing.
Jack’s favourite things to do now are to read books (he’s quite the little bookworm) and to bang things together. He loves playing with pots and pans and bashing them with a spoon. We are working on playing the xylophone, which usually just ends up with him chewing on the stick, but we are getting there. He also loves playing with cups and anything that can stack or be put into other things. He’s also a chatterbox and is always trying to make different sounds. He says mama and dada but I’m not sure if he actually knows who mama and dada are. He said mama first, so I’m rather happy about that!
I am seriously loving being a mum, it’s honestly the most fun job I’ve ever had. I love seeing Jack learn and change each day, and I really enjoy coming up with ideas for educational play. It can definitely be tricky being a full time stay at home mum AND a work from home mum, but I’m getting better at managing my time and I’m so lucky that Jack is such a cruisy kid!
Every month I dress Jack up in a cute outfit and take his “monthly photos”. I swear it gets harder and harder as he gets older as he has no interest in staying put in one place any more. This month he was a very unobliging panda, and I love this last photo of him as it really just sums up our whole photoshoot this month – looking away after taking a bite out of the card 😂
