10 Months!

CB, this has definitely been my favorite month so far. Why? Because you have started waving, clapping, dancing, playing the piano, making friends, and so many other adorable things. I feel like your personality has just exploded this month, and it is delightful. Let's take a look.

Likes:

• Exploring the house and unloading everything in sight
• Looking at books, turning pages
• Black beans
• Blowing her own zerbits
• Music (she always immediately starts bouncing your knees and smiling) and dancing with mommy, especially if I dip her (she starts leaning back again as soon as she comes back up)
• Feeding herrself
• Swimming and the socialization it involves
• Children, especially 10 year old boys for some reason
• Drawers full of things
• Sitting outside and crawling around in the grass
• Glasses (or "face toys" as I like to call them)
• Brushing her teeth

Dislikes:

• Having to stop playing for diaper changes, plus being forced to lie on her BACK for diaper changes
• Having to stop playing long enough to put clothes on
• Going down for naps (oh, naps, why are you always such a struggle?) 
• Having things taken away from her (i.e. my keys when I need to drive, the lint that she has picked up off the floor and put in her mouth, etc.)

Accomplishments/Adventures

• Waves in the most adorable way, especially when crawling off to explore something. I say, "Hey, where are you going?" and she turns and waves at me.
• Clapping, which is especially delightful when we're listening to music or when we're excited about something
• Climbs up the stairs very competently (although I am pretty paranoid still and climb behind her, because she still trips sometimes and we have a lot of stairs)
• Leaves a room where I am to go and explore something else, and crawls to other people (like the other day at church when she decided that this boy named Charles (who is 11) was her new best friend and crawled down the bench to play with him, where she sat giggling, waving and hugging him for about 15 minutes. 
• Cruises a little better, and goes between items of furniture that are close together and works her way down the couch
• Has finished her first ever swim class, even though it doesn't mean she knows how to swim. 
• Got her first sunburn when we were just going to go out for a short time but then ended up visiting with a neighbor for way too long. Good thing I made her wear a hat, because she just ended up with a farmer tan on her little arms. (Of course the next day in swim class they talked about sun safety and I felt like a terrible mother - but I bought sunscreen the very night she got her sunburn.)
• Numerous bruises for various reasons
• Gives hugs!
• Stood by herself for about 10 seconds, arms straight out with a huge smile on her face (yesterday! just in time to be part of this post!)
• Has added "Yeah yeah yeah" to her speaking repertoire, and says it most often when she's excited, which is fun.

CB, there are many things I love about you. I love how you bounce whenever you are happy. I love the shriek in your laugh when something is really funny. I love that you are a cuddly baby who loves to crawl into my lap and wrap your arms around my neck. I love that you smile when I kiss your cheeks (which is constantly - sorry about that) and that you start conversations with your dad by buzzing your lips. 

One theory that I have about you is that while you aren't terribly timid, you are careful. You usually take a minute or two before you'll warm up to new people, and they have to earn it. When you were learning to crawl you would spend a lot of time rocking on your hands and knees before flopping down on your belly and army crawling, until the day that you crawled perfectly on your hands and knees. It was as if you were constantly testing your readiness and waited until you knew it was there. You seem to be the same way now as you get ready to walk. You pull yourself up on everything (including me) and you go up and down. You cruise around the furniture when there's something you want. Yesterday you were climbing on me and then pushed yourself up, and suddenly I realized you were standing on your own with a big grin - and then you calmly when back down and wouldn't do it again. You will walk a little when I hold your hands, but most of the time you'll just sit down. You don't leap from one thing to another if it's close but not quite close enough - you calmly go down on your knees and climb back up again. I'll be interested to see if this theory holds true when you actually do start to walk, but you're fascinating to watch. Always testing, my little scientist. 

This month we welcomed a Korean exchange student into our home for the summer, and you LOVE her. She is so cute about playing with you, and the other night after she helped you figure out how to hit metal bowls with a spoon, you crawled up into her lap and put your arms around her neck. It was unbelievably cute. (What's that you say? You wish there were a video? Well, okay.)

I swear that I thought you were teething about 12 times this month, and you probably are (your drooling had eased up a bit and then came back with a vengeance, plus you keep chewing on my knees and arms) but still no more teeth, and I can't even tell which ones might be coming in. It's a mystery.

Side note: baby clothes sizing is such a joke. You fit well into most 12 month clothes, but you're still completely comfortable in 9 month clothes, and even some 6 month shirts. It's ridiculous.

You love to drum on everything. You love to play the piano and crawl over to it all the time. You love to dance and bounce to music. You love to "paint" in your food when it's something that leaves liquid behind like black beans or pasta. I assume that means you'll be artistic in some realm or another (although it's okay if you aren't, because clearly you appreciate those things anyway).

I know every mother thinks their child is a genius, but I really am always amazed by how much you understand. I love it when I say, "Where are you going?" and you stop to wave at me before you carry on. I love that when I say "Come back here!" you usually do, and when I tell you not to drop your plate off the side of the high chair, you bring it back over the tray. (This doesn't mean you don't head off again or drop the plate a minute later, but it's cool that you understand.) Last night I was showing Daddy how well you turn the pages of board books, and you had your toothbrush in one hand, so you weren't turning it. Then I said, "Okay, your turn. Turn the page," and you were on it. Your Daddy was so impressed, which was fun.

On the day of your 10 month birthday you woke up sick (which is why I didn't get your post up until today) and although you tried to be happy, you had some pretty sad moments throughout the day. I took this picture in the evening while we were on a little drive:

So miserable.

 Today was Mothers Day, and you were in slightly better spirits, despite running a little fever and being all congested. You gave me a delighted smile when you and daddy brought me breakfast in bed and an award for "Excellence in Mothering." It's so sad when you're sick, but I love the snuggles. I'm so happy to be a mommy, especially when my baby is you.

Love,

Mama