Ian at Ten Months Old!

I am at a two-digit month age! Ten months old!

Major milestone; Ian sprouted his first tooth this month! This is one month ahead than Aiden, who sprouted five teeth simultaneously at eleven months old.

Anyway, read about Aiden's 10 month development here. Aiden and Ian may be brothers, but they are very different - like night and day!

Introducing Ian's tooth chart. Like finally!

Can you see the single tooth??

Other than that, on 10th Oct, Ian stood up unassisted on his own. However, this was reported by Aiden and the maid, and sometimes you just have to take what they both say with a pinch of salt. *smile* Well according to them, Ian was holding a balloon with one hand and suddenly he stood up solo for a few seconds (from sitting to standing), grinned, then plopped down on the carpet again. To date, Ian hasn't repeated this, but I am still hopeful!

Awww... that piercing stare!

His signature scrunched up nose.

If Aiden liked to growl and shriek at this age *drama king*, Ian on the other hand is a much calmer baby. He greets people by pointing to them with his index finger - it's his favourite way of saying hello to the person. Ian also definitely recognizes all his family members. Nowadays, he is much more generous with his smiles and would break into a big huge grin, without fail, every time he sees any one of us come through the door.

That index finger!

Great news, he can hold his own bottle! Well except when he's really sleepy or he's sleep-drinking. But other than that, all we need to do is to give the bottle to him and he would put it into his mouth and drink quietly. And when he's done with it, he'll just toss it to the side. We had several wet bedsheets because of this! His milk consumption has also increased, he's drinking between 5-6 oz per feeding. If last month was the month to lose weight, this month his chubby cheeks are returning slowly but surely. Still a picky eater, the maid has to include fruits in his porridge to coax him to eat (weird combo; rice, chicken and pear - oh well, as long as you eat, baby)!

Ian now knows his own name. If we hide and call his name out loud, he would stop whatever he was doing and find the person calling out to him. Hubby likes playing this game with him, and Ian would reward him with the earlier mentioned big huge smile when he finally spots him. Adorable!

Ian is also a very resilient baby. Unlike Aiden who cried and whimpered at every slight bump *manja boy*, this one barely notices even if he bumps his head on the glass coffee table - well, unless it is a hard bump of course. Ian is very independent - if he bumps his head, he'll just look around; and if no one makes eye contact, he will simply continue what he was previously doing. Well, even if he cries, it only takes a hug, a kiss and probably a quick dukung for him to calm down. He is a really easy no-fuss baby! #secondchildsyndrome

Similar to Aiden, Ian is tall for his age. Last month he was still able to stand up under the dining table. This month, every time he stands, he ends up knocking his head on the marble table.

Anyone fancies a toddler and an infant in a box?

If he discovers that something he is holding can make a loud sound when banged on the floor, he would crawl with it and bang it repeatedly on the floor (while crawling). Such a racket!

Speaking of crawling, he is starting to crawl less, but starting to cruise more. It is so cute watching him cruise from one end of the sofa to another, then drop down to crawl to the patio wall, then cruise again to the dining area, then drop down to crawl to the dining table... you get the gist.

That pout!

Ian now knows how to play with us. When we dukung him, he would bend backwards, give a big laugh and pull himself up again. He would repeat this again and again, laughing all the while. He also enjoys parallel play with other babies although he doesn't know how to play with them yet. Dafiya was at our house for the whole day when her mother was busy helping me with Hubby's birthday preparation, and it was so cute watching Ian looking adoringly at Dafiya, even laughing at her antics sometimes. Although they didn't play together, he was quite content playing beside her.

Dafiya and Ian, tousled hair and all!

Ian and Umar playing together... or rather sitting together.

We have also started transitioning Ian into Aiden's old car seat. Since it is forward facing, at least he gets to see a wider view of the road we're travelling on. But that doesn't stop him from crying out when he's bored! He really really hates the car seat nowadays. *sigh*

Sleeping soundly in another hand-me-down from Abang Aiden.

Gadget-smart, Ian now understand that the tablet is an entertainment center. He is starting to show signs of fighting for his share of table time with his brother. He also remembers where the electrical switches are - his favourite being the one at the corner of the dining table. Loves chewing on the plug sockets too! Time to do more baby proofing. *sigh* He also recently discovered that the fridge doors can be open and closed. He actually pulled the doors with both hands and placed his body weight backwards to pull it open. I quickly took him away and distracted him with something else, hoping that he would forget about it. Thankfully, it worked. I'm just waiting for the day when he'll discover that the kitchen cabinet doors can be opened and closed too!

Giving a nervous smile on the swing.

If we leave the stairs gate unlatched, he now knows how to climb up and over the gate lower structure to climb up the stairs. If we leave the toilet door open, he would crawl into the toilet and try to close the door. Also, if we leave him unattended, he would open the shoe rack door and start munching on my heels! Erk, Jimmy Choos or not - they are still not for eating, baby! Yes, he still hasn't graduated from the putting-everything-in-mouth phase! He is intrigued by anything and everything, and insists on taste-testing them with his mouth. It's funny because sometimes he's still picking up that object, but his mouth is already open in anticipation!

He started gnawing on the marble dining table recently, using his one single tooth. Oh my, it was like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard. Excruciating! *shudders*

Yes, even munching the wall!

And.... just three days shy of turning 11 months, he finally mustered the courage to take steps when held in a walking position with only one hand! He can also stand steadily on his own for about 5-10 seconds. One step closer to walking (and lots more exercise for Mummy)... hopefully more development on this next month!

Sleeping soundly beside the swimming pool.

Happy 11 months birthday, Ian! We all love you!