Double Digits.

I remember back in the day when I turned 10 years old it was SUCH a big deal because I was finally "double digits" old. River is too young to appreciate or even realize that he is finally "double digits" old yet (in months as opposed to years) but it is big for me because he is only two short months from being old enough to measure his age in years. Yikes! Has it really been that long since he was born? It sure doesn't feel like it. Unfortunately, I have reached that age when time seems to go at warp speed.

In honor of the 10 months that our family has been complete here are 10 predictions I have for what we can expect for him as he grows up:

• He will be one busy little boy. He is constantly on the go crawling from one side of the house to the other in what seems like a matter of seconds. I'm hoping it will mean lots of fun and the loss of some of the extra pounds I am carrying around. But I also know there will be many exhausting, trying days.


• He will be one of those little boys that despite my best efforts will constantly have holes in his pants, scrapes on his knees, and dirt on his face from constant rough housing and playing. The other night he was hanging out with me while I was weeding in our rose beds. He was crawling right through the rock landscaping even though those rocks can be sharp. He was picking up the rocks and throwing them all while making his favorite growling sound. 100% Baby Boy!

River and Nico (she is SO patient with him it is amazing!)

• He will be at least a year old before he starts walking. Right now he is completely uninterested in walking. He'll do it if you hold his hands but half way to wherever you are walking him to he loses interest and you have to pick him up or let his legs drag. He loves to stand up on things but doesn't take the next step and walk around using the support of whatever he is standing up on. With the exception of in the bathtub, the very LAST place I want him to be wobbly walking!


• He will be a very snuggly, cuddly boy. We just started playing a game recently where I make a big circle around him with my arms and then slowly tighten up the circle until I'm hugging him tightly and he laughs and laughs and laughs. Once I release him he gives me a big hug and kiss.
  


• He will be a good drummer. Every baby loves to drum in some form. It is an activity they can do with their arms and hands before they really refine their motor skills. Even my weekly BabyCenter recommend getting baby drumming early on for development. However, Cory and River and I spend lots of time working on making music. Cory will be on the full set of drums or guitar and River and I will play one of the smaller drums. As a result I have noticed a marked difference in the understanding and technique River has on the drums. It is enough to bring a tear to one proud mommy's eye!
  


• He will be an adorable little boy and a looker when he grows up. Now, I fully recognize that this opinion could be biased because I am his mom and I would think he was cute even if he had a horn growing out of his head. But both Angie and his bfather are beautiful people and he has so much of their good features that I know he will be the same!
  

River getting a hug and kiss from his cousin Tessa (only 3 weeks apart in age)

• He will have a good sense of humor. I often refer to Cory as my "child by marriage." I'm sure we all as women can relate to feeling, at times, that our husbands are more like children than grown men. However, despite whatever complaints I may have in this regard, Cory's childlike silliness and sense of humor are a good part of why I love him so much. Already he is sharing those characteristics with River who has already taken to them so much that I know once he is able to understand Cory's jokes he will follow suit.
  

River and Daddy enjoying River's first big pool experience

• I will get a taste of my own medicine and have to parent a child like myself that throws what my Mom referred to as "text book temper tantrums" or tempertantrums so bad you only read about them in books! Already the simple act of putting on clothes gets River fussy and don't even think about wiping a booger out of his nose or trimming his finger/toe nails unless you are prepared for him to cry so hard he stops breathing at times. As soon as the torture of regular hygiene is over, however, the tantrum immediately ceases and he is back to happy, bubbly, River.


• He will be a Mommy's Boy. This isn't that much of a prediction as it is already a fact. He loves Cory and I very much and when in the presence of strangers will go to either of us easily. However, when he has a choice between the two of us he shows his love for his mommy and I couldn't be happier about that. It eases the pain of a working mom who wishes her only job could be raising him full time.

River and Me at Great Grandma and Grandpa Craig's House

• He will not be the daredevil we initially thought he would be. When babies are little, little, bouncing is a great way to soothe fussiness, right? Well, River was no exception to that rule. It was the extent of the bouncing required that set him apart from the rest. He needed at least one foot from the top of the bounce to the bottom of the bounce to be soothed. As a result we joked and said he would be our little daredevil not afraid of heights. Yeah, so those days are over! He is now deathly afraid of heights. He loves to climb up the stairs but will only go up a couple before he gets "too high" and needs me to bring him back down. He is also afraid of swimming pools and even sitting in bath water by himself (only a few inches deep). I guess I won't have a daredevil son to go skydiving with me after all!
  

Happy double digits, River! We love you 1,000,000 pounds:)