Dear Peanut,
You are ten months old. We won't even discuss how close that is to your first birthday because it makes Mommy a little choked up. Instead let's talk about all the things that you did this month. It was a big month for you. Unfortunately, you spent the majority of the month like this:
You seem to have gotten cold after cold after cold. You got one right before we left for vacation, and then you got a resurgence of it while we were on vacation. And then about a week after we got home you got another one that you are still trying to shake. It has been a long month sickness-wise. But you are a trooper when you're sick. You are the most pitiful version of yourself but you do you best to power through.The biggest thing that happened this month was that you went on your first vacation to Hawaii. This included lots of "firsts" for you. Your first time on a plane (you are an excellent traveler. Not one cry in either direction. All of your fellow passengers thank you...):
You also got your first taste of the beach. However since every single thing that crosses your path goes into your mouth, you were not set free to roam about on the sand. But you did check it out from your stroller and from Gigi's lap. And I did walk you down to the water where you just looked at the waves like, "What the hell?" All in due time...
You also had your first experience with a swimming pool. And you LOVED it. I think you are going to be quite the fish. You were pissed off that I wouldn't let you roam freely about the stairs in the pool and looked quite confused when you went down one step and were suddenly completely under water. But it didn't phase you. You loved the whole thing. Mostly you just wanted to chew on the side of the step or chew on whatever thing you could get your hands on (not unlike your regular existence) but if it was in the pool? All the better.
You also had your first taste of Chinese (?) cuisine at Benihana. You loved that more than I have seen you love any other food. Either you were just really hungry, or else you really love some portabella mushroom and asparagus and chicken with an Asian flair. Oh and of course, you also chewed on the chopsticks...
Once we returned from vacation you settled back into life at home just fine. You were really happy to see all your toys and your very own crib. Then soon it was time for your first Valentine's Day. I tried to get a picture of you in your adorable little shirt, but every time I pulled out the camera you saw me and furiously crawled over to me to get at it, so I never got any shots of your shirt. But you sure did look cute while doing it...
You amaze me with how fast and furious you can crawl now. I swear it was just like a month ago where you were actually moving. Now you can go down the hall as fast as I walk. And in doing that you have also decided that if Mommy was going to lag in baby proofing the house, then you were going to do your best to destroy it. So after several conversations about how my laptop cords were not for your consumption Mommy finally got wise and baby proofed the living room. Now all the shelves have your toys on them and you can pull them off to your hearts content. And best of all, no one is chasing you around telling you "no" and then trying to "redirect" you. You love it!
I can't believe how big you're getting. You stand up constantly, using basically anything to pull yourself up. And you are cruising around while standing on anything you can hold onto. You have definitely mastered the "side step" but don't do quite as good yet on moving forward and backward. Hopefully that means walking is still a ways off, although you blatantly stand up and let go of your hands and stand for a few seconds before you grab back on or fall over right now so you are learning...
As you can see by your pictures, your hair is getting longer. It is now so long that if I leave it alone it will be in your eyes all day long. So I have to use a clip or a rubber band to keep it out of your face otherwise your hair will have some combination of food and snot in it by days end. The clip looks sophisticated and cute, although it usually falls out within an hour of my putting it in so lately I have been opting for the "bam bam" on top of your head look. It probably isn't your best look, but as you will learn as you grow, Mommy goes for function over style.
You also got your first taste of the beach. However since every single thing that crosses your path goes into your mouth, you were not set free to roam about on the sand. But you did check it out from your stroller and from Gigi's lap. And I did walk you down to the water where you just looked at the waves like, "What the hell?" All in due time...
You also had your first experience with a swimming pool. And you LOVED it. I think you are going to be quite the fish. You were pissed off that I wouldn't let you roam freely about the stairs in the pool and looked quite confused when you went down one step and were suddenly completely under water. But it didn't phase you. You loved the whole thing. Mostly you just wanted to chew on the side of the step or chew on whatever thing you could get your hands on (not unlike your regular existence) but if it was in the pool? All the better.
You also had your first taste of Chinese (?) cuisine at Benihana. You loved that more than I have seen you love any other food. Either you were just really hungry, or else you really love some portabella mushroom and asparagus and chicken with an Asian flair. Oh and of course, you also chewed on the chopsticks...
Once we returned from vacation you settled back into life at home just fine. You were really happy to see all your toys and your very own crib. Then soon it was time for your first Valentine's Day. I tried to get a picture of you in your adorable little shirt, but every time I pulled out the camera you saw me and furiously crawled over to me to get at it, so I never got any shots of your shirt. But you sure did look cute while doing it...
You amaze me with how fast and furious you can crawl now. I swear it was just like a month ago where you were actually moving. Now you can go down the hall as fast as I walk. And in doing that you have also decided that if Mommy was going to lag in baby proofing the house, then you were going to do your best to destroy it. So after several conversations about how my laptop cords were not for your consumption Mommy finally got wise and baby proofed the living room. Now all the shelves have your toys on them and you can pull them off to your hearts content. And best of all, no one is chasing you around telling you "no" and then trying to "redirect" you. You love it!
I can't believe how big you're getting. You stand up constantly, using basically anything to pull yourself up. And you are cruising around while standing on anything you can hold onto. You have definitely mastered the "side step" but don't do quite as good yet on moving forward and backward. Hopefully that means walking is still a ways off, although you blatantly stand up and let go of your hands and stand for a few seconds before you grab back on or fall over right now so you are learning...
As you can see by your pictures, your hair is getting longer. It is now so long that if I leave it alone it will be in your eyes all day long. So I have to use a clip or a rubber band to keep it out of your face otherwise your hair will have some combination of food and snot in it by days end. The clip looks sophisticated and cute, although it usually falls out within an hour of my putting it in so lately I have been opting for the "bam bam" on top of your head look. It probably isn't your best look, but as you will learn as you grow, Mommy goes for function over style.Your personality has really come out this month as well. You are a very strong willed little girl. I remember when I used to write these monthly letters to you and talk about how you will eat everything I put in front of you. Not so much anymore. You have distinct likes and dislikes. In terms of the pureed food you still eat you love all fruit, sweet potatoes and broccoli. But any other veggies you just clamp your little mouth shut and deny entry. I also refuse to believe this but you apparently can tell the different between frozen veggies and fresh, organic ones. I was sick and tired of buying fresh, organic carrots and standing there for an hour to peel them and chop them and then steam them...all to get like 8 cubes out of it. A friend suggested just buying frozen carrots in the bag and steaming them that way. So I did and was so amazed by how easy it was in comparison that I bought 4 bags worth and cooked them away. Now you hate carrots. I refuse to believe that your delicate little palate could possibly distinguish between frozen and fresh but it is really big coincidence that you used to LOVE carrots and now you can't stand them.
You still continue to want everything that you are not supposed to touch. Your brother's toys are far superior to your own as are the phone, the remote control and any other object that I try to keep away from you. The other day I was sitting at my desk working and you wanted to crawl under my legs to pull all the cords out of my computer. I positioned my chair in a way that didn't allow you to get under there and you tried from every different angle. When it became apparent to you that it was I that was denying you entry you sat down and looked at me and SCREAMED. You screamed so loud that I was convinced that I had rolled over your finger or something. But no. You just didn't get your way. When you scream I truly think you might be able to shatter glass. It physically hurts my ears. Your brother could never scream like that. Or he didn't. But either way, you make your desires well known.
Thankfully we seem to have remembered how to sleep this month. I appreciate that. I can now put you in your crib fully awake again and you will play for about a half an hour and then lay down and go to sleep without any help from me. That makes my life much easier, thank you. Although this past week you decided it would be a good idea to try and cut three teeth at once (only one has made its appearance as of your 10 month birthday). You were miserable and I felt really bad for you. So sleep became something that we did in between the moans that came from your bed about every 20 minutes. And then you got another cold. Teething and not being able to breathe made for a baby who didn't sleep very well at all. And therefore a Mommy who didn't sleep either. That was fun.
Your "day in the life" hasn't changed much from last month so I won't go through it all again. You are still nursing exclusively and everyday you eat more and more finger foods. You drink from a sippy cup after Mommy finally found one that you liked. You still take two naps a day (for the most part) and still go to bed around 8:00 and get up between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning.
I am amazed at the little girl you are becoming every day. I can't believe how different you are from your brother. I say that a lot but it is just an amazing thing to get to parent two children and have two completely different experiences with each. I love your strong will. I love your determination. I love that you can now crawl over to me, climb up in my lap and bury your head in my shoulder. I love the way you squint your eyes when you smile a certain way. I love the way your eyes change color and, even at 10 months old, I am not sure what color they will end up becoming. I love the way you smell, I love the way you light up a room with your presence and I love how I can see the sunshine in your eyes on a rainy day. You delight me my baby girl and I love you more than words can ever express.
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