Our baby boy is now part of the double digit club…in months of course! It’s still so hard to believe he’s been in our lives for 10 months. In some ways, I can’t remember life without him. As I said to Vishnu, it’s like he’s been a part of us forever.
Ok, enough of the sentimental stuff. I’ll save that for the ONE YEAR post! 🙂
Month 10 was a good one overall. Kaiden hit a major milestone, caught the stomach bug (again), really gained traction with finger foods, etc.
Continue reading for a run-down of how our household fared…
STATE OF KAIDEN
Let’s talk about the biggest development first. Kaiden is crawling…all over the place! He went from scooting to full blown hands and knees movement in the matter of a day. It’s kind of funny how we’ve been waiting for this for so long, and now that he’s actually doing it, we have a bit of anxiety. He’s definitely using his newfound skill to get to various pieces of furniture and pull himself up. It’s so cool to see him develop in this way, but it also makes my heart race. The balance between keeping him safe and letting him learn on his own, I suppose.
K’s imitation game is also very strong now. Sounds, especially screaming ones, are his favorite. It’s funny to watch him observe us and then reciprocate whatever we’re doing. He’s such a little goober!
This brings me to his cute little personality. Kaiden continues to be very observant. If he’s in ‘watching mode,’ nothing can distract him. This is also when you’ll catch him being the most serious. He has to have an understanding of his environment before he cracks even the tiniest of smiles! But once he does, game over…your heart will melt. He has the most infectious little laugh too. I love how much he loves making us laugh! Vishnu and I also think Kaiden is/will be a bit stubborn (wonder where he gets that trait from?!). If he doesn’t want to do something, he won’t. Period. Out of all this, my favorite part of K’s little personality is that he doesn’t stay upset or sad for long. He’s so easy to appease! From bumping his head to not wanting to have his diaper changed, he can go from hysterical to calm in a matter of seconds. I LOVE THIS! Please stay this way always, little man!
Kaiden definitely said his first word at some point this month. And it was…dada. No biggie, just sitting around waiting for my turn! Vishnu strongly believes K thinks I’m dada. Nice try, V, nice try!
In terms of food, Kaiden is on an all table food diet now, and it’s so amazing to observe! He loves food so much, and I hope to continue cultivating his love for different flavors and textures. So far, he’s really loved Thai curry with tofu and veggies, khichadi (an Indian dish made of rice and lentils) + Greek yogurt, carrot + zucchini muffins, waffles, avocado, blueberries, banana + egg omelette, Greek yogurt + applesauce + almond butter, turkey meatballs, toast + peanut butter, cheese (ALL THE CHEESE). Now we need to work on his sippy cup skills and get more water into him during the day!
KNOCKING ON ALL THE WOOD, but Kaiden continues to sleep throughout the night. He’s usually down between 6-6:30 pm and up between 5:30-6 am. After all those months of very little quality sleep, I can truly say this is a game changer in SO MANY WAYS! V and I feel like real humans again!
Separation anxiety is at an all time high right now, but it’s honestly not THAT bad. Kaiden doesn’t like it when I leave the room, but if he’s distracted enough, I can slip away without him getting too upset. He also likes to be held more than usual, which I’ll take! I love it when he lets me hold him like a little baby! His teachers tell me that he doesn’t like it when they’re out of sight too. He usually cries until someone picks him up or sets him up with a new toy/play area. Like I said, it’s honestly not too bad, but we’ll see how it progresses over the next few months…
And finally, Kaiden got his THIRD haircut this past month. My dad and Vishnu took him, and when they got home, Vishnu told me to take a look because K screamed his head off the entire time. This meant the lady did the best she could, but I’m sure our crying baby didn’t make things easy by any means. I thought she did a decent job, although I did have to trim a few stray hairs! Ha!
That’s our Kaiden! I can’t tell you how lucky we feel to be his parents. He makes this parenting gig SO VERY fun!
[Side note – I got Kaiden this activity cube toy last month, but he only really started playing with it over the past few weeks. Let me tell you, it keeps him very busy, and I can how it stimulates his little brain too. Apparently, the age range is 9-36 months, so you know you’ll get some good usage out of it!]
STATE OF MAMA
Overall, I’m doing well! So that’s a big plus!
I still struggle quite a bit with work/life integration when Kaiden gets sick. It’s such a hard balance when I can’t take him to daycare and have to work from home. Case in point, this past month, Kaiden caught the stomach bug and had to stay home from school. Well, that day happened to be one where I had an important meeting. Luckily, he slept for the first 45 minutes or so, but of course, he woke up for the last half of my call. And he wasn’t quiet either! That’s life I suppose…makes for some funny stories!
More than anything, I’m so thankful for parents and in-laws who can and are willing to drop everything to come help us when a prolonged sickness hits. K’s symptoms didn’t just go away in 24 hours, so we had my dad fly up for a week or so to help out. LIFE SAVER!!! Even after he was better, it was nice to have an extra pair of hands around to help with stuff. Man, I wish our families lived close by!
Other than that, I’m really trying to focus on myself a little more. On doing things that bring me joy. The key here is not to feel guilty. For example, if I have a few minutes to spare, I try not to focus on my to do list, and instead, enjoy something quick for myself – mindless IG scrolling (I stop myself at 5 minutes), blogging, reading, episode of my favorite show, meditation, etc. Even if said activity is only for a few minutes, I find that these quick joy breaks really rejuvenate me and help me feel like Par.
And finally, I’m so excited to share that I was a guest on the Best of Both Worlds podcast on Friday. I chatted with Sarah and Laura (the hosts) about the corporate mom life. My episode goes live on June 19th. Can’t wait! Hopefully I sound somewhat eloquent! Ha!
STATE OF DADDY
‘Dada’ is doing ok too!
Work is going well. Definitely busy while he’s at the hospital, but aside from a few late nights, Vishnu’s been home for K’s bedtime routine. Love it when that happens!
Vishnu’s also been taking some time for self-care by going to the gym a little more regularly. He’s found a couple of classes he likes and tries to make them whenever he can. This makes my heart so happy! After listening to him talk about finding a fitness routine that works for him, I’m so glad he took action in the name of his health and well-being.
STATE OF PAR AND VISHNU
Par and Vishnu are doing better than ever. Over the past month or so, I’ve seen our communication improve more and more. I’m guessing this has to do with our previous conversations, our bucket list, and in general, making more intention time for us. And I should share that this is more on me than V. Believe it or not, his communication skills are much healthier than mine. 🙂
Like I shared last time, we have a fun trip (for a friend’s wedding) to LA at the very beginning of June. We also have a few ‘free’ weekends coming up soon that we plan to fill with outdoor family time. I see the park, museums, brunch, and ice cream in our future!
Our book club (we’re reading Dark Places) is going ok. We’re both caught up to where we need to be, we briefly discussed pages 1-89 at dinner the other night, and now we’re moving right along. The only problem is I can’t read this book right before bed! It gets me all worked up. I may be the one slowing us down this go around.
Month 10, you were so good to us. Can’t wait to see how number 11 goes!
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