Kevin at 10 months old

I remember when Andrea was about 9 months old, I did a little inventory of her likes and dislikes, her interests, her habits, etc. Now, it's Kevin's turn!

Eating

Kevin eats well, but he has clear likes and dislikes. He does NOT like lumpy foods. Everything has to be totally pureed. His favourite fruit is pears; his favourite vegetable is butternut squash, with sweet potatoes as a close second. Recently, he has started to gnaw on cucumber circles and mini carrots (they feel good on his teeth), and today he got very excited about his baby rice crackers (Mum Mums) and chewed four of them to mushy bits! He tolerates pureed meats, but only if they're mixed into his veggies. He TRIES to feed himself, but his new game is throwing everything off his tray, so Mommy's usually in charge.

Playing

Kevin has a little rotation he follows throughout the day: play with Mommy, play on the floor, play in the Exersaucer, rest in the swing; play with mom, play on the floor, etc. He doesn't seem to have a favorite toy yet. Anything he can chew on is good; he also likes toys with lights and music. He still loves watching Andrea, too. He also tries to grab at her, or pat her, a lot--which, unfortunately, she still dislikes.

His favourite games are anything we play one-on-one with him. He loves to do "minouche" (an old Gagnon family game with French words and face patting), lean over upside-down in our arms and dangle (!), and be surprised by us popping up at him or out at him from somewhere.

He doesn't seem too interested in TV yet, with one notable exception: he loves the show Go, Diego, Go! He laughs and squeals and tries to talk to Diego, when he sees him on the screen.

Oh, and the latest, greatest plaything at our house right now is balloons. We've been to a few parties lately, and people often give us balloons to bring home for the kids. Andrea and Kevin love them! (Yes, I watch to make sure no one swallows anything.) Here's a picture, and video, of Kevin enjoying a balloon from Gram G.'s retirement party:

Moving Around

It looks like Kevin is going to take after his sister: still no crawling or pulling himself up. He can put weight on his legs when you encourage him. His main mode of movement is rolling! He rolls himself over and over, all around the room, to get whatever he wants. It's not an efficient way to travel, but it gets him there eventually. I am starting to put up the stairway gate, though, because he can roll himself over there now!

Talking

Kevin's not much of a talker, especially when he's in a new situation, or with people he doesn't see too often. Even when he does try to talk, he's usually pretty quiet--except for the occasional vocal exercises in which he screeches at different pitches! Right now he says "Dada" most, and sometimes "Mama." We also hear a lot of "Baba."

Social Development

I think Kevin's a bit of a shy guy. Like I said, he doesn't have too much to say around people outside our immediate family. It also takes him awhile to warm up to people, especially at big family gatherings or parties. He can get a bit overwhelmed if too many people converge on him at once, or if someone he doesn't know too well or hasn't seen in awhile catches him off guard.

I would say that he's definitely Mama's Boy. Andrea is clearly Daddy's Girl, so that works out well. He still adores Daddy, though--I have seen him cry when Rod leaves the house, or if Rod comes home and doesn't come and hold him right away!

Overall, he's a peaceful, cheerful little guy. He has the best belly laughs, and the funniest toothy grin ever.

His newest achievement in social development is waving hello and goodbye. He started that about 2 weeks ago. We have to prompt him, and wave to encourage him, but he usually does it. Sometimes he still waves both hands when he gets really excited.

Here's a video of Kevin from a week or so ago, when he started to wave. There's also a bit of Dada tickling him, and making him laugh.

Big Boy

I haven't weighed or measured him recently, but he is wearing size 12-18 months and 18 months clothing now. He wears toddler size 4 shoes (!). He still has the baby mannerisms, but sometimes when I look at him, I can picture him getting up and walking and talking any day now. He is really tall and solid for his age, just like Andrea was (and is).

I had to laugh the other night when I went in to check on him, and he was asleep with his leg hanging out of the crib. The angle of the picture I took that night emphasizes how much he's grown!



Overall, he's doing really well. Of course, I'm concerned that he's not crawling or trying to stand yet, but since we've been through it with Andrea, I'm not panicking. There's just too much about him to enjoy right now. I can't tell you how many times each day I find myself saying, "You're so funny, buddy!" or "You are TOO cute!"