10 Months of Ben

It’s been a minute since I’ve done a baby update! Ben is 10 months old today which feels completely crazy to me! I feel like he was just born and now he’s crawling around. I’m already sad for the sweet little newborn moments that we blew through so fast, but at the same time, cherishing every single second as he discovers new things, hits new milestones, and learns and grows.

Becoming a mother was so surprising to me. I was always one of those people who were on the fence about kids. I liked the life I was building and didn’t know if kids were the right fit for me. It wasn’t necessarily that I didn’t want kids, but I also didn’t grow up my whole life dreaming of being a mom. I was of the mindset that if it happened, it happened.

Well, Ben cracked my heart WIDE open. I have never been happier or more at peace than I am right now. It’s like a part of me was missing but I didn’t know it. I can’t imagine not being his mom. I have been extremely anxious most of my life, but after having Ben my priorities have shifted, and I just don’t get anxious the way I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I have a whole new batch of worries, but overall, I just feel peaceful for the first time in my life. I’m content and I love being a mom. It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given.

Let’s do some questions!

Which convertible car seat are you using?

This was such a recent change. At Ben’s 9-month appointment, he was 30 inches long. So he is officially maxed out of the Chicco Keyfit. So we had to decide what was next pretty quickly. It worked out well though because our daycare also just changed their policy that you can’t leave your car seat during the day. Stephen drops Ben off in the morning and I pick him up in the afternoon, so we would leave the car seat during the day and then we each had a base in our car. Without being able to leave the seat during the day, I would have to swing by the house first and then go pick Ben up. It wasn’t a HUGE inconvenience because daycare is nearby, but it was becoming increasingly more annoying.

We did a lot of research on car seats and ultimately decided to go with the Graco Extend2Fit for a couple of reasons.

First, it received 8.5 on the crash test score which was one of the highest ratings. Obviously, safety is the most important feature to us, so having a high crash test rating was key.

Second, Ben can stay rear-facing for up to 50 pounds. Since our guy is on the bigger side, we want him to be able to stay rear-facing as long as he can. We were worried that he might hit the 40 pound limit of some of the other car seats sooner than we would like. We know baby’s weight will plateau out and he might be able to stay in longer than we think, but we like having the option.

We had some other things on our checklist, but safety was obviously our number one priority. It’s a little bulkier and harder to install than some of the others, but so far, we are pleased with our choice.

How is Ben’s Helmet and Physical Therapy Going?

I have started and stopped a draft post of our helmet journey more times than I can count. I get a little overwhelmed trying to type it all out, but I really do plan on sharing this soon. I have a highlight saved on my Instagram if you want more details on why Ben is in a helmet.

The most recent update is Ben is doing great! We have another appointment this week to make sure the helmet is still fitting properly and doesn’t need any adjustments. Then we get it off three weeks after that appointment! We are so excited. I can not wait to kiss his little head any time I want. He is such a brave, sweet boy. He doesn’t fuss or mind the helmet much at all and it certainly doesn’t slow him down.

We got his screwdriver helmet decals here! The back says, “I asked for a Phillips but got a FLATHEAD instead.”

How did you lose the baby weight?

I am a little cautious about answering this question because while I did lose the baby weight, I also was exclusively pumping and have a large baby. Honestly, that’s how I lost it. I was pumping four times a day and I have an oversupply. I also had a large baby so right off the bat, I lost a good amount of weight just because I wasn’t pregnant with a big baby anymore. Then carrying around a big baby was also like going to the gym. He is heavy and it was a good workout physically carrying him around.

This year, I am working on some lifestyle changes that are less about the weight (even though I have a goal weight in mind) but are more about being the healthiest version of myself I can be for Ben. I want to have the energy to be anything he needs me to be.

So, we’ve purchased an Echelon Sport bike and are using the Peloton App. I have a post going live tomorrow about using the Peloton App with the Echelon Sport if you are interested.

Are you still nursing?

For those who are new, I have been pumping since the beginning. We tried nursing and breastfeeding at the very beginning and then decided pumping and bottle feeding was our speed. Ben is lazy and would go to sleep anytime we tried to breastfeed. It became more of a pacifier rather than a mealtime. Our lactation consultant was helpful and gave us lots of tricks to keep him awake. I really gave it the old college try, but it became my least favorite part of the day with lots of tears from both Ben and I because he HATED being kept awake. So we threw in the towel on breastfeeding. Our lactation consultant was on board too and we have all been so much happier since. He still gets breastmilk, just from a bottle.

But to answer the actual question, yes. I was able to work on adjusting my pumping schedule a little and have moved my pumps from 4 times a day to 3. Ben has started eating solids so he didn’t need quite as many bottles, so we have started adjusting to that. I’m hoping to start weening and be done pumping around or a little after his first birthday. We have built a freezer stash so Ben will be able to continue on that a little longer once I am done pumping.

Are you doing Baby Led Weaning?

We are not. We started with purees and are slowly introducing table food. Ben doesn’t love table food and it’s been a process to get him to eat the few foods he does like. Over the past couple of months, he is starting to get better. He has always liked the purees, but actual table food meals has been a challenge. Puffs really helped us get started here and every day we work on it a little more. He still has his bottles and baby food, and hopefully we will just keep working until he enjoys table food. We just make sure he has a variety of fruits and vegetables in his baby food options, and then of course he gets nutrients from breast milk. We do an organic brand of baby food where all the ingredients are something we recognize so we feel ok about it.

Are you planning a first birthday party?

Yes, and I am so excited for it! Because Ben was born at the height of the pandemic, we didn’t get to do typical celebratory things. I had a beautiful and thoughtful virtual shower, but I didn’t get to see those people in person. People really couldn’t come visit when he was born. We couldn’t do any kind of parties or host visitors, etc. So I am really looking forward to his first birthday party to have all of our loved ones together to celebrate our precious boy. I have already been planning it and I think it is going to be so cute! His birthday is in late March, so I’m hoping it will be warm enough to do it outside.

How many teeth does he have?

6! 3 up top, 3 on the bottom.

How big is he now?

At his 9-month appointment, he was almost 24 pounds and 30 inches long.

Have you babyproofed yet?

Next on our list of things to do. He just started crawling last week. That has escalated quickly though, so babyproofing is coming ASAP. We are also probably putting our coffee table away for a while and making our living room space just one big playpen to keep him contained.

Favorites from this month

Here is a post on Ben’s current favorite toys.

We have been reading one little vignette a night from this book.

Our current shampoo/body wash and what we use to wash Ben’s helmet.

Our favorite wipes for the helmet and now just everything that needs disinfecting.