Loves the ceiling fan; terrified of the vacuum

Adam is nearly 10 months now and has officially spent more time outside of my womb than inside it. He's still very social, and transportable, and happy, happy, happy. He weighs 20 pounds (50th percentile), is average for height, and is starting to go blonde. His eyes are big and round and a beautiful shade of blue and chipmunks ain't got nothin' on those cheeks. He still enjoys traveling, which works well since I like to be on the go, and readily accompanies me (without fussing) on trips to Byerly's, Target, the mall, or local restaurants. He's in his element when he's able to people-watch. He is a very curious boy.
He now waves goodbye, gives kisses and hugs, points (his newest infatuation is ceiling fans), can roll a ball back and forth, shakes his head no, claps his hands, likes playing with buttons, bracelets, tags, and the faucet (we give him a bath in the kitchen sink), throws himself backward when sitting on laps (this one worries me. What if he does this when the adult holding him isn't prepared for it and flings himself onto a concrete patio or something?), drinks from a cup, scarfs down Cheerio's and Gerber's Fruit Puffs like they're the best-tasting treats in the world, loves playing peekaboo, listening to Raffi, and making a mess of his bath water, shakes with excitement when he sees "the kitty" (Pip), and trembles with terror when he sees our vacuum (I had the vacuum sitting in the living room last night and he couldn't relax until I put it "away" in the porch. For about five minutes afterward, he kept nervously glancing over his shoulder to see if it was still there), babbles—all the time—in his secret baby language, and has two laughs: the fake-sounding laugh (yeah, Mom and Dad, those ridiculous faces you're making are really funny) and the full-bodied chuckle (Stop! Tickeling! Me! Can't! Stop! Laughing! Getting! The! Hiccups!)
He's still not slithering on his belly or crawling on all fours, and I'm OK with that. It's sort of convenient not having to worry about him sticking those chubby little fingers in a light socket or eating the corner of a magazine page when I leave the room for a second. I might as well enjoy this lazy phase while I can. I mean, it's not like he's NEVER going to figure out how to get around (Right?)
His daycare friend, Zander, is two weeks older and is army crawling all over the place, he even crawls OVER Adam sometimes (like he's a bump in the road). You'd think Adam would be inspired watching his buddy zoom around the room, yet he remains unfazed. He's perfectly content to sit on the floor, surrounded by toys, waiting for the older kids to bring him what he needs. When he pays ANY attention to Zander, it's with a look on his face that seems to say, "Big deal. You can crawl. I'm so not impressed. Dude, you're totally wasting your energy." (Oh, he is so his mother's child.) When he's feeling really ambitious, he rolls from Point A to Point B, or pulls a corner of the floor blanket toward him to bring a toy closer, or bends way, way down, so his chin is nearly touching the floor from a seated position, to extend his go-go-Gadget arm in search of a certain object. He's more flexible than Mary Lou Retton. It's very impressive.
He's also in the "fling" stage of development, where he likes dumping toys out of containers and throwing them, particularly while in his exersaucer or at a restaurant. Especially at restaurants.
I kiss him all the time, constantly tell him how much I love him, and can't wait until 4:45 every day when I pick him up from daycare. When he realizes I'm there, he looks up at me with a huge grin on his face, reaches for me, then, once safely in my arms, nuzzles his face into my neck. It is such a tender moment. My insides turn to mush every time.

This spring, Adam also:
• gave me a reason to celebrate my very first Mother's Day as a mom
• graduated from his six-session "Water Babies" class
• was baptized at St. Mark's
• was diagnosed with croup (a virus leading to harsh, repetitive coughs that sound like a barking seal)
• battled through his first ear infection (his temp spiked to a scary 103.3 and he was very lethargic and whiney, poor little guy)
• sprouted a few teeth (probably related to the ear infection)
• welcomed his newest cousin, Logan Joshua, into the world on May 20
• went to Como Zoo for the first time with Auntie Tonya, Megan, Karla & Greta. (Loved the fish tanks, was sort of indifferent to the rest of the animals.)
• hung out with Grandma Patti so Aaron & I could go on a movie & dinner date one night & play SWAT softball another evening. We appreciated the opportunity to play softball together, rather than taking turns.
• had a slumber party in Forest Lake with Grandma & Grandpa S. so we could go to a friend's wedding up in Hinckley. (It was the first time both Aaron & I spent the night away from our little boy.) We missed him, but we all did just fine. To be honest, I don't think he even realized we were gone, he was having such a good time.
• spent a fun day/evening with his godparents, Uncle Shawn & Auntie Trish, while Aaron & I went to a friend's wedding in Wayzata. There was only one couple at our table who didn't have kids (I'm sure they REALLY enjoyed our conversations about breastfeeding, little boys "finding" their units, and thumbs vs. pacifiers). Five years ago we would've been appalled by those conversations. Ah, yes, times have changed, my friends. And I wouldn't have it any other way.