Developmental check

The health visitor paid a visit this week for your routine 10-12 month check. Thankfully, you are doing everything that you should be at this age and passed with flying colours.

What you can do now:
Babbling - Always making your presence known and not being shy about it. It's always 'DDAAAAAaaaaaDDDAAAaaaaaaaaaaa'!!!!!! or 'AAaaaaaahhhhHHH'!!! and I am still waiting for the 'Mama'



Pincer grasp (9 months) - Constantly picking up hair and bits of paper/tissue from the floor and putting it into your mouth
Opening drawers and cupboards (9 months) - Favourite activity of emptying drawers in the morning and when I'm in the kitchen. You love the sound of banging the cupboard doors close.

Understand 'No' (10 months) - At the first 'No', will look at us, and then continue doing the 'forbidden' thing, until we say, 'Isaac, NO!!'. Then, you will crawl towards us.
Attempting to feed self (10 months) - Have to give you your own spoon at meal times as you always snatch the one I'm using to put it in your mouth. You also do not allow me to hold your hand to help you as you want to do it on your own. Makes feeding very messy but this will hopefully teach you to feed yourself

Dancing (10 months) - Moving your body up and down or stamping your feet to any music, especially from your 'toy table'



Clap your hands - Finally this week, considering I have been trying to teach you this for the past few months!
Playing on the rocking horse - Just learnt to ride on the rocking horse independently

Walk with the walker - 3 weeks ago, it was with us hovering over you and holding on to the walker to ensure you did not go too fast. You surprised us today by walking with it independently and with control.

Time to move on

It has been more than a year since we last got the flat valued. We held back then as the price was not right and I was pregnant.

We had our home valued again yesterday. The price is still not right. But, the difference this time is you, Isaac. You are getting more mobile day by day and will be walking in no time. It has been our dream to play ball with you and see you 'waddle' or run around in our own garden. So, it looks like we will have to accept a loss, to be able to move on to a bigger place with more room for us as a family and for you to explore and run. I suppose it's all about the more important things in life. It is a little sad, but photographs will be taken and it will be up on the market in a few weeks. On the other hand, we can look forward to creating another home.

Kids of the next generation

You belong to the group of babies born into the 'gadget filled, communication rich technology' in the 21st century. I remember getting connected to the internet and 'chatting' online only at 16, using a mobile phone only at 17 and owning a laptop only at 23!!
From 6 months old you have been 'skyping' every weekend, can't get your hands off the laptop and loves playing games on the iPhone. So, what generation is this known as? Generation Y? Z?

First artwork

This is the first piece of art you brought back that I believe was done by yourself... Maybe I should call it 'finger painting'? You brought home a card for Richard on Father's Day but I doubt that was your handywork as it was too neat :)

Playtime

What every baby loves to do... I think the videos say it all..

Bye-bye again

It's back to the three of us now and I'm sure you really feel the change this time. It started with going back to nursery after being off for more than a week and you only napped once. There was also no lullabies to the nap. Then, rather than coming home to lots of people to play with, it was only richard and I. You also want to be hugged and comforted when you woke at night. Maybe you need reassurance that we won't leave you?

It's probably bye-bye only for a few months before they will be visiting again. There's also your 'Yeye' and 'Mah Mah' thereafter. So, don't worry, baby :)

Bubble blowing skill

Can you do this?

The end of the breastfeeding saga

I have been contemplating about stopping BF over the past few weeks but could never decide on the best or right time to. I have been feeding you only once a day for about a month now and am pretty sure you do not get that much milk. So, I should be stopping. But, things seem to be working well, and is your cue for bedtime, so why change? Then, I decide to continue.

Maybe all the activities over the last 2 weeks slanted it towards stopping as there were days that you did not BF as you were too tired and kept falling asleep and I wanted to get formula into you rather than let you BF to ensure you continued to sleep well at night (thank God you still only wake twice). So, you have been feeding less and less. 2 nights ago, you delatched on your own and fussed a couple of times. You also did not seem that interested to latch on again and would happily take the bottle. This must be the sign to stop and last night was your last feed.

There was a 'twang' in my heart that this chapter in your life has closed. I suppose 10 and a half months' not too bad looking back at all the 'saga' that happened in the first 2 months. Isaac, I am sure you will continue to grow to be a strong and healthy boy!!

Going places

You traveled again last weekend. This time, it was to Cambridge and London. Amazingly, you slept the whole journey to Cambridge, 3 hours plus in total and is your record of the longest nap. I was relieved as I was dreading the thought of having to entertain you if you got bored in your car seat. I did not mind the journey back as there was everybody else to help with the entertaining, and I was driving ;) But, you were good too and only made us stop once.

I hope all the traveling was not too tiring for you as your your schedule was totally disrupted, having lunch sometimes at 3pm and going to sleep only near midnight and you slept on 3 different beds over 3 nights. Thankfully you were very well-behaved and seemed to thoroughly enjoy yourself. Maybe it was all the constant attention and love showered from everybody. You also skipped nursery for more than a week.

Punting in Cambridge - You went on the 'cruise' with gong gong and popo while we did it the 'hard way' :)

Lunch in 'The Orchard', Grantchester
Enjoying your first tube ride - Very amused by your own flickering reflection