Grayson: 10 Months

Better late than never.  This month has been ca-raaaa-zy.

This may have been Grayson's biggest month of change since he was born!  He went from scooting on his belly to pulling up to standing within a matter of days and is now rarely found sitting leisurely anymore.  He is still somewhat unstable on his feet and hasn't unlocked his knees or made any strides toward stepping but he's far more confident than he was.

His humor!  Oh the humor!  I love watching this boy giggle and almost all of the laughing is brought on by startling him, throwing something at him or ripping something out of his hands.  My boy.  BOY.

One of Ava's favorite activities is being chased around the house and Grayson is starting to partake in the fun.  If Ava says, "I'm gonna get you!" he wriggles with glee and starts to dart off in one direction or another, usually in a circle, checking frequently to see if he's about to be caught and renewing his excitement.  I cannot wait until these two can chase each other around on foot!

Right around his 10 month birthday he started signing "all done" and waving hi and bye.  My big boy!

Now for an update on feeding, swallowing and all things medical.  Earlier this month, Grayson had diarrhea that lasted for two weeks and he had grown increasingly fussy.  He hadn't gained any weight in the previous 4 weeks so our doctor decided to do a stool sample and found it contained blood.  When all tests for parasites and viruses came back normal and an ER trip to check his kidney function following the onset of a fever (horrible timing) also came back with negative results, the doctor suspected an allergy and told me to stop all dairy intake.  Within 24 hours his fussiness subsided and his bowels calmed down in a matter of days.  We are both eating dairy-free until his first birthday at which point we can introduce it slowly and see how he does.

Prior to this whole process I had been having trouble satisfying Grayson's hunger with only breast milk because he wasn't swallowing any solid food.  I tried supplementing with formula but faced disastrous results--now I know his poor little tummy was just very upset after trying it so he refused even half an ounce of it mixed with 5 ounces of breast milk.  I was very discouraged but since getting his gut back on track I've tried soy formula and he has taken to it fairly easily.  I am relieved because I have been exhausted trying to pump and supplement his eating with my own milk or soothe a hungry baby.  We aren't in a recordable routine yet as far as supplementing goes but I've been supplementing usually the afternoon and evening feedings with a couple ounces of formula.

As for the issue with eating solids, he is more interested now in finger foods but still does not swallow the majority of what goes in his mouth.  He refuses anything that I put in his mouth with my hands or a spoon but he will shovel in cheerios, rice, peas, apples, pears, blueberries and sweet potatoes on his own terms.  However, 99% of what he chews, he then spits out, then goes for more, chews and spits it out, despite showing signs of hunger.  Next Thursday we are on our way to Phoenix Children's Hospital for the Modified Barium Swallow test that we had to cancel before Christmas because he was sick.  I am again praying for answers so that we can get this hungry boy eating!

Despite his constantly having colds, viruses or dealing with allergies and reflux, this boy continues to steal my heart every day with his wide smile, his remarkable contentedness and his snuggly nature.  When he gets tired or just wants a break he nuzzles his little nose into my cheek or my neck and stays there for thirty seconds or a minute at a time--every mother's dream!  It is such a joy to mother this little man and I cannot wait to get him feeling 100%.

 Christmas 2012

His first snow, in Sedona, AZ

My handsome boys in Sedona