Evan 10 months, Caroline 10 months, Lincoln 10 months

This is almost 2 full weeks late, but at least I’m getting it done before he officially starts walking, which I am pretty sure is going to happen in the next week. Maybe once that happens he’ll thin out a little bit, because right now he’s one big solid chunk and carrying him with my arms is terrible. I HAVE to wear him in the Tula even if we’re just running into Target because he can climb out of carts and I’m too weak to haul him around. It’s a real problem. Being an enormous squish is adorable though, so it’s hard to complain.

The fact that he eats ANYTHING is definitely contributing to his size. Meat, vegetables, snacks, seafood, cheese, dessert, anything he can put in his mouth he will eat. He’s got a whole mouthful of teeth too, so he can handle even crunchy stuff (he loves Cheetos) or chewy stuff (today he ate clam strips). I’m not super worried about keeping him away from junk food or sugar because, well, fourth baby. I’m more worried about keeping him from eating the soot in the fireplace or bird seed (both things he tried to eat today).

He’s in 12-18 month clothes at the smallest and 24 months/2T for coming months. I have no idea what size his feet are because he never wears shoes. He still does this funny half-crawl half-scoot thing to get around super fast, but he’s getting quicker with cruising. I’m hoping by the time it’s cold enough for shoes he can walk for real and I can just buy him some tiny Bogs, since those have been perfect for Lincoln.

After we got home from vacation, we moved Finnegan down to his own room. Well, Linc’s room, which Linc doesn’t use and it has the crib so now it’s Finn’s room. After just a couple nights he got the hang of it and now he’s sleeping through the night. He also lets E put him down for the night or for naps. It’s delightful. I love my baby 10x more now that I am getting sleep in blocks greater than 3 hours at a time. He likes napping too, although that’s less reliable with our summer schedules. Luckily he also likes being worn still, so I’ve been practicing my baby-as-a-backpack skills and hopefully he starts napping that way.

Likes include water, sand, grass, his siblings, eating food, eating things that aren’t food, the dog, the cat, animals, nursing, sleeping, cruising, biting things, making a mess, trying to fall on his head, mommy, daddy, strangers, smiling, and hitting me.

Dislikes include being buckled into his car seat, being too hot, being too tired, being told no, and being hungry.

10 Month Milestones 

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Waves goodbye – He can clap. I’ve never seen any intentional waving.
Picks things up with pincer grasp – Yes.
Crawls well, with belly off the ground – Nope. He crawls like my other babies have, scooting on one leg.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Says “mama” or “dada” to the correct parent – Meh. He says both things, but never really to anyone.
Indicates wants with gestures – Mostly just by screeching.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Stands alone for a couple of seconds – Yes.
Puts objects into a container – Sometimes. If he wants to. Mostly he likes making a mess.

(Previously: Lincoln 9 months, Caroline 9 months, Evan 9 months – I think Finn definitely looks the most like Evan at 9 months)

Finnegan is now 9 months out in the world! That always feels like a big milestone, because now he’s more part of everything else than he is part of me. The good news is he’s still surviving mostly by nursing, so he’ll need me exclusively for at least a little while longer. I say that, but I did go out of town for 4 days this last month and everyone survived. But Finnegan still PREFERS me, which I am OK with, because he is my last baby.

Finn is enormous. I can’t wait for his next checkup so I can find out exactly what he weighs, but my guess is around 24 pounds. As Lincoln outgrows his t-shirts from last fall I am putting them directly in Finn’s wardrobe. Any pants smaller than 12 months won’t go past his knees. He is delightfully chubby and round and dimpled and squishy. It’s delicious. Being huge also means he’s finally gotten the hang of nursing sitting up or while in the baby carrier,  so taking him places is now 75% easier. It’s going to be PERFECT for our Disney trip and also very handy at the lake.

In other news, Finnegan now naps and sleeps in the crib, in what may someday be his shared room with Linc. Right now the 3 big kids are all choosing to sleep in one room, so Finn gets the nursery. We’ll figure out which room actually belongs to which kid some point in the future when they care. He still doesn’t quite sleep through the night reliably, but it does occasionally happen and he is taking at least one really good nap every day. For him. Not for me. I rarely get a nap, although I would really love one.

Likes include his siblings, his blankie, biting things, nursing, biting me while nursing, grabbing stuff, cruising, standing up, hitting things, crawling really fast, feet, naps, riding in the car, music, tickles, crackers, cheese, and splashing in the water.

Dislikes include being tired, falling on his face, the 10 seconds it takes to get buckled in his car seat, and teething.

He also dislikes sitting still long enough for his monthly photos, so these are a little…unposed.

9 Month Milestones (from Caroline’s 9 month post)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Stands while holding onto something – Excellent stander
Jabbers or combines syllables – Lots of jabbering, but not a ton of real sounds
Understands object permanence – A little bit, but he’s not that worried about it

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Cruises while holding onto furniture – All day, every day
Drinks from a sippy cup – He (like his siblings before him) prefers to drink milk straight from the tap
Eats with fingers – He can definitely get food into his face with his hands.
Bangs objects together – Yes

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Plays patty-cake and peek-a-boo – He thinks peek-a-boo is hilarious but doesn’t actually participate
Says “mama” or “dada” to the correct parent – Can’t say either mama or dada at all, definitely not to the correct parent

(Lincoln 5 months, Caroline 5 months)

Happy five months old, Baby Finn! We have now reached the age where taking Finn with me when I go places doesn’t mean I have stop and feed him twice. We might even be able to start going 5 hours in a row at night without eating, although I won’t get my hopes up too much. Today at the dentist appointments for the big kids, I wore him in a ring sling and when he got tired he just went right to sleep. THAT is the baby stage that means I start to do things again, instead of just surviving each day.

Finnegan has his very first teeny tiny baby cold. It’s barely a cold, just some extra boogers and a very occasional cough, but it’s still pathetic. Poor wittle baby. When he gets snuffly while he’s nursing he ends up biting me and that is my LEAST favorite. I’ve been squirting breastmilk up his nose, so hopefully he gets better sooner rather than later.

Baby Finn still sleeps in the swing (cringe) which means I’m still sleeping on the couch. Every time I think we are close to moving upstairs, he reminds me that he hates the rock-n-play and he hates side-lying nursing. I’m hoping this is the month where he starts rolling in both directions so I can try getting him to sleep in the pack-n-play in our room. I think rolling might be the milestone we need. It’s amazing that after 4 babies I still don’t really know what I’m doing.

He continues to be enormous – at last weigh in he was just under 20 lbs. Considering how much he eats, it’s not surprising. I’m buying him 12-18 month clothes (or more accurately, taking the huge piles of 12-18 month clothes I already had out of storage). He and Linc can sometimes wear the same pants. His socks always leave marks on his ankles. But I do not mind even a little bit – he’s so perfectly squishable.

All the kid love Finnegan (or as Linc calls him, “Oofa”)(no idea why) but Caroline basically thinks he is her special pet. She begs to hold him all the time. She’s obsessed with making videos of him. Today at the dentist I had to hold Linc so I passed the baby to Caroline and she did an amazing job with him until the other hygenist came and stole him (because everyone wants to cuddle the chubby baby). He is so lucky to have three big siblings who are always going to be looking out for him.

Likes include naps, snuggles, nursing, the swing, his blankie, his siblings, being carried around, the cat, the dog, looking out the window, baths, trying to grab food, tickles, chewing on stuff, having his picture taken, being worn in a wrap and Wyatt his fox.

Dislikes include gas, booger removal, nose wiping, not being allowed to eat real food, being woken up from naps by loud noises.

5 Month Milestones 

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Distinguishes between bold colors – Let me just ask him about that.
Plays with his hands and feet – His feet are like “Why are you so obsessed with me?”

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Recognizes own name – I don’t think we call him anything often enough to recognize it
Turns toward new sounds – All the time
Rolls over in both directions – Front to back all the time, he’s close on the other way

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Sits momentarily without support – Yes, because his giant butt holds him up
Mouths objects – Yes, thank goodness, now he can shove teethers in his own mouth
Separation anxiety may begin – He doesn’t like being alone, but he doesn’t care if it’s me or someone else

(Lincoln 4 Months, Caroline 4 Months)

Finnegan had his 4-month checkup today on his actual fourth monthday. The nurse asked if I had a guess on his weight, and I said “Oh geeze, he’s really chubby. Probably 18 pounds.” Then I sat him on the scale and it said…exactly 18 pounds. That’s almost four pounds more than his 2-month check-up. He’s not technically off the charts yet and still on the normal curve considering he was huge at birth too, but he’s only average for height so the chunk is real. He comes by it honestly too, because he nurses so much. SO MUCH.

The combination of cold weather, his tendency to spit up after eating, and a 2-year-old brother who often runs away in public means poor Finn doesn’t get out as much as I would like. We’re homebodies right now. Pretty soon we’ll master nursing while babywearing (he just needs to be a tiny bit taller) and hopefully he won’t throw up on my so often and then we’ll go on a lot more adventures. For now most of his social life is his siblings and trips to Target. Which is most of MY social life as well.

Finn is wearing size 3 diapers but when this box runs out we’ll buy size 4s. He’s far too big for any 3 months clothes and almost too big for 6 month clothes. Most of his pajamas are actually 12-18 month sized because we roll the cuffs. His head is also too big for all the cute baby hats I bought so he got a nice new toddler sized winter hat from his sister for Christmas. He’s tall enough now that his feet touch the bottom of the Circle of Neglect (aka the exersaucer) flatly, so he’s started to spin himself around a little bit. It’s such a nice baby holding device when I am simply no longer capable of holding him myself. Not that I might holding him most of the time. The days when he just wants to nurse and sleep and nurse and I can sit on the couch without feeling any guilt for not getting house stuff done is going to end sooner rather than later.

He’s my last baby, and as last babies go, he’s doing an excellent job of making me both love having a baby and also being glad I won’t ever have to go through all the newborn stuff again.

Likes: Biting things, music, tickles, cuddles, smiling, meeting new people, nursies, his siblings, mommy, daddy, the baby swing, being awake at night, socks, being carried around everywhere, the exersaucer, his blankie, standing up.

Dislikes: Shots, teething, bad dreams, being alone.

The band-aids are from today’s shots, which happened only an hour before the photos so I didn’t want to yank them off. Besides, they match his 4 month sticker! The ankle marks are because his legs are too chubby for 2T socks.

4 Month Milestones 

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Smiles, laughs – He loves to do both
Can bear weight on legs – One of his favorite activities
Coos when you talk to him – He’s very vocal when he’s happy, lots of squealing

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Can grasp a toy – Yes, but often drops them. He’s working towards being able to hold things in his mouth.
Rolls over, from tummy to back – Yes, pretty reliably now

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Imitates sounds: “baba,” “dada” – No, just coos and giggles and loud noises
Cuts first tooth – TWO BOTTOM TEETH. But how is this a skill?
May be ready for solid foods – No one advises solids at 4 months anymore. He’s all milk.

Linc is currently chewing on an orange peel, banging a wooden spatula on the ground and trying to break into the TV cabinet – I assume because he objects to watching Tinker Bell and the Neverbeast for the 7th time this week. He is also wearing pants that are too big and a shirt that is too small. Poor, poor third child. It doesn’t seem to be bothering him at all though. He really likes wooden spoons and goldfish crackers eaten off the rug. He sometimes intentionally drops his food on the floor before eating it, just to make sure it has that nice dirty flavor.

We have become a super good babywearing team and it makes both of our lives a lot easier. He’s used to being on my back so he waits patiently while I get him up there and I’m getting way better at wrapping so it’s very comfortable and secure. It’s truly a lifesaver at home so I can clean or at the store when I don’t want him lunging out of the cart. He still gets to smiling and flirt with everyone but he is 100% less likely to fall on his head. Plus all these pretty wraps I have are getting used! Although now that it’s 90 degrees on the regular I would rather not wear him ALL the time

Lincoln is going to spend most of the summer giving me a heart attack while he tries to injure himself. I had to move the kid-sized chair upstairs because he wouldn’t stop falling over the back of it, and when I put it next to the couch so it wouldn’t tip he used it to climb onto the couch and try to throw himself off of that. He won’t stay out of the water at the lake, even though it’s freezing cold. He can walk but mostly chooses to scoot, which means his poor leg and foot is always scraped and he gets splinters. His favorite hobby is climbing on top of people and pulling their hair, which means one of these days someone is going to accidentally fling him across the room. But I doubt even that will slow him down.

He wears 12 month clothes but still only size 5 shoes. He will keep a hat on his head for a full hour but then pulls it off. He hates socks.

Likes include mommy, daddy, brother, sister, the dog, the cat, water, sand, dirt, cookies, messes, being carried, being worn, nursies, climbing, his blankie, naps, crawling, swinging, eating inappropriate objects, biting stuff, and smiling.

Dislikes include teething, diaper rash, and anytime he is not physically touching me.

And this one was to get my (terrible) white balance and it shows just how red his hair really is in the light:

10 Month Milestones (From Caroline’s 10 month post)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Waves goodbye – Sort of. He can wave but he doesn’t care to much. He likes pointing a lot more.
Picks things up with pincer grasp – Yes, especially if it’s teeny tiny things he definitely should not be eating.
Crawls well, with belly off the ground – No. He crawls on one leg and his hands like a monkey or a crab or some other weird animal. I will try to take a video if I can get him further than 6 inches away from me.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Says “mama” or “dada” to the correct parent – He’s starting to get the hang of it, but he mostly says “Dat!” meaning “What is dat?” or “I want dat!”
Indicates wants with gestures – Pointing, handwaving and screeching are his day job.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Stands alone for a couple of seconds – Stands alone all the time.
Puts objects into a container – Sure, as long as it’s little stuff into a big container. He’s not doing shape sorters or anything.