10 months already?

The time since Abe was born has truly flown by. I had every intention of giving Abram the same amount of attention and one on one interaction that I was able to give Ben, but intentions are not the same as actions, and the reality of life frequently interrupts. My memories of Abe during the past 10 months are really of him being a little tagalong while I did various activities with Ben. But even with the lack of attention, Abe is still a happy little boy who is developing perfectly and brings joy to our family.

Ben was "late" doing almost everything: sitting up, crawling, walking, talking. When Abe was close to 7 months and still barely sitting up, I assumed he would be on the same trajectory as Ben. No biggie. Then when he got to 8 months, BAM! In that one month he got four new teeth, started self feeding, crawling, climbing up the stairs, pulling himself up and cruising. I think standing alone is coming soon, along with walking down the steps while holding on to the banister since he seems to want to skip crawling backwards and go right for the most dangerous option available.

Abe likes:
Putting objects inside baskets, bowls, etc...Looking for the remote? Missing a toy? Be sure to take a look inside all of our "catchall" baskets, and don't forget to check the kitchen drawers and the oven warmer.

Socks. He will take a single sock out of the laundry basket, show it to me, and then wave it around gently as if doing some sort of creative movement routine. Then he crawls around with it for a while. Sometimes he tries to put it inside a hamper or a dresser drawer. DO NOT try to take away this sock as it will lead to heartbreak.

His big brother. If Ben is telling some of his "jokes" and not getting much respect, he can always count on Abe to laugh.

Biting. He chews on everything in the house: toy, socks, shoes, furniture, me...If he is hungry he just pulls himself up on my leg and gives it a few bites. That lets me know he wants to get in his high chair and devour everything in sight. He usually proceeds to self feed by picking up whole handfuls of food, throwing them in his face and hoping a few pieces land in his mouth. If I make the mistake of thinking he is finished eating and put him back down on the floor, he just crawls up a gives me another bite so we can start the whole cycle over again. Yes, I do sign language. No, it's not working yet.

Abe dislikes:
Doing anything that he is "forced" to do, such as:
Getting his diaper changed
Getting dressed
Taking medicine
Having his face wiped down after eating
Being put in anything resembling "baby jail" like his exersaucer, bouncy swing or crib.
Having anything taken out of his hands, such as: my cell phone, electric cords, dirty silverware from the dishwasher, sticks from outside that he is chewing on, and rolls of toilet paper.

Gotta go right now and see if that little munchkin will actually go down for another nap. Wish me luck!