Sophia's 10 Month Update

Sophia,

On October 28th, we had your 9 month appointment where you were 18 pounds 9.9 ounces (52nd percentile) and 26 inches (2nd percentile. You’re definitely my child, he he). The doctor said you’re developing on track, we just need to work on your speech / communication skills and make sure you’re getting iron in your diet. You got your first flu shot and aside from a few seconds of crying, it didn’t bother you one bit.

You have now been earthside just as long as you were in the womb. THe woman’s body is so incredible; going from growing a human to back to normal all on its own.

You are really becoming mobile these days. From fast army crawling to testing out regular hands and knees crawling (10/27); from kind of standing up with our help to pulling yourself up on different surfaces. October 26th marks the day you became interested in walking with us holding your hands. We’ve also lowered your crib this month as I’ve found you standing in their on your own.

While you’ve always been vocal about getting your shirt put on over your head, you’re now physically showing us that you don’t like it. You put your hands in front of your face to block me from doing anything with your head (putting on a shirt, wiping your face, putting on your bib, etc.). You’re also starting to help me take off your shirt by pulling it over your head.

Your relationship with Jericho continues to be good entertainment. You’re still chasing him around the house and have endured a few paw swipes from him. He does a great job at tolerating you. When you see him pass you’re beginning to point at him and squeal. It is so fun seeing you recognize him.

We gave you your own cupboard to explore, but you actually don’t care for it that much. You’re currently into exploring the house and have no preference for toys vs. household items (water bottles, pots, paper bags, etc.). You have learned where your toy bin is so occasionally you’ll pull things out of there. Peekaboo, hide-and-seek, and opening / closing things are your favorite games to play.

Grandma Karen made a quick visit during her fall break. You have changed so much since she saw you in August. It was fun showing off all of your new tricks. She so kindly watched you while we worked and cooked all of our meals for us. We are so blessed to have her in our family! We also got to celebrate her belated birthday with grilled peaches and Bible trivia.

Daddy’s work gave us some coupons for the Sauvie Island Pumpkin Patch, so we introduced you to one of the most fall things there is: Pumpkins. We ate fall foods (caramel apple, elephant ear, and caramel corn), took photos with the pumpkins, and saw the farm animals. You loved it until you fell asleep. ;)

We then made our way to a coffee shop in Hood RIver that we’ve been wanting to check out. Lastly, we walked around the Hood River Lavender Farm and daddy and grandma enjoyed some wine tasting. It was such a lovely day!

Your top two teeth have been very slowly starting to come in. I find baby teeth so very cute! I bet by next month they’ll be fully in. You may just get your two front teeth for Christmas after all. ;)

Daddy and I are continuously surprised with how much you’re eating. You can almost eat the same portion of oatmeal that I eat! This month you’ve tried pumpkin puree, peaches, goat cheese, and feta cheese. You’re pooping basically every day, if not multiple times a day, so we definitely know you’re eating food. We can’t wait to introduce you to Thanksgiving foods and the traditional Metcalf Cornmeal Mush.

My milk supply when I pump before bed has decreased a little bit; enough so that I am not giving daddy enough milk to feed you a bottle at night. I’ve went back to middle of the night pumping a few times to see if that will help give my supply a tiny boost. I cannot believe I used to get up multiple times in the night to feed you. It is such a luxury having you sleep all night long and me not having to (normally) get up to pump. Thank you Jesus for all the sleep!

We started gently disciplining you and boy is it exhausting telling you “no, this is not a toy. Please find one of your own toys.” You especially love the air purifier and cords. About half the time you’ll stop when we say your name sternly, but you’re still learning. We are working on teaching you that some things are off limits and that there is a better alternative.

Teaching you sign language has fully commenced. Our main signs are: milk, more, all done, please, cat, mama, dada, bye / hi, and no. Hopefully we start seeing some fruits of our labor because it is discouraging doing the signs over and over with no response from you.

We saw lots of friends this month! Libeth, Jose, and Kylene babysat you while we went on a date to Margarita Factory. It was so fun trying a few of their different margaritas. We tried the Mercedes (jalapeno, cucumber, and mango, the Cock N Bull (ginger), the Lovers (black cherry and agavero tequila), and the Big Bang (black cherry with pop rocks candy). We can’t wait to go back and try more!

You had some playtime with Nyla, Willa, and Leo and loved every minute of it. I love that you have baby friends you can grow up with.

Another month, another leap. Halfway through this month you started leap 7, where you learn all about sequences. At the end of this leap you’ll have learned that there are a series of sequences you need to complete to obtain a certain outcome. For example, there are a few steps you need to take to get the food in your mouth (find the spoon, pick it up, scoop the food, bring it to your mouth). You’ll also have the ability to point at things and want us to name them or you’ll “name” them (not with the proper name but your own version of it). So far, this leap hasn’t seemed to make you any fussier or clingier than normal.

Daddy and I did our civil duty and took the time to vote for our local, state, and national candidates and measures. We sat down together and talked about the pros and cons of each candidate / measure and determined how it fit within the context of the BIble. We hope to include you in this process in the future and show you the importance of being involved in politics.

Downtown Portland is preparing for the election by boarding up many of their businesses. It breaks my heart knowing that there will be violence and destruction plaguing our beautiful city once again. Thankfully, we know that God is in control and that he removes kings (or presidents) and sets up kings (or presidents). Our full hope is found in Him and Him alone.

“We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” - Psalms 33:20

Last month we had our family photos taken, by our lovely friend Diana Gula Photography. She did such a wonderful job (as always) and we can’t wait to send out our Christmas cards. We worked fast and hard to get it finished before we go home for the holidays.

Speaking of the holidays, in a few short weeks we are taking an extended trip to Utah where we will spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and YOUR FIRST BIRTHDAY with our families. Jericho is even coming too! We are so excited to see our family and friends and enjoy this wonderful season celebrating all our Savior has given us and His birth.

All Our Love,

Mom & Dad