10 months old

Today you are ten months old. So much happens so quickly to you now—the notes I make at the beginning of the month are out of date by the time it comes to write your monthly letter! You are so swiftly growing up.

I usually tell you all about the things you are starting to do, but it’s interesting the things you stop doing, too. For a while you took a break from waving; I guess you were all waved out! Now you’re doing it again. You also stopped grinding your teeth (thank goodness). And no longer do you want to play standing at the coffee table, either—you have places to be!

You got much better at feeding yourself this month. For a while you wouldn’t even accept a spoon, but now you will if the food is very yummy. When you are done feeding yourself (which you can do now that you have mastered the pincer grasp) you start throwing the food onto the floor for the animals to eat (you love to watch them!) and Mommy and Daddy always say “uh oh!” The parrot, Alice, says “uh oh” a lot, too, so I guess it’s no surprise that, even at this young age, you said your first word this month: “uh oh”!

Verbally you really exploded at nine months, actually. You also can say “up” when you are climbing the stairs (which you can now do, very very fast, and learned to do quite suddenly!) or are pulling up on furniture. You say “da da” which seems to mean “doggie” and “kih kah” for the cats, in addition to “hi/hey” sometimes (not reliably). We just adore hearing your tiny little baby voice! You understand a lot, too, like the animals’ names. Your Grandmama noticed that when she said our cat Pudding’s name, you looked around for her. (You spent a lot of time with your grandmother this month as she watched you while I took a class. You two had so much fun sitting on the porch watching the birds, taking naps together, and cuddling while Grandmama sang songs, and you always think she is so funny when she makes a clucking sound.)

You are now fantastic at crawling and do it very quickly. When you are excited to get somewhere you lunge forward like a cheetah, grabbing at the floor with your hands. Now your knees are always red from the effort! Since you can get around very well I find you in all kinds of places. Once you were bent down gnawing on a door stop! Another time you were playing with cat poop (sorry!). You love to crawl over to the bookcase and “sort” the books for us. With your mobility has come an increased desire for independence (as with wanting to feed yourself). You now want to drink from your sippy cup and your bottle on your own and can even drink from a straw.

You also want to stand up in the tub (when you aren’t swimming around in there like a little otter—you love the tub, especially having your hair washed; you are so eager to lean back and get your hair rinsed off under the stream of water). But your desire to stand up in the tub has led to another new development: learning to understand the word “no.” Since standing in the tub isn’t safe (you hold onto the side and try to grab at the soaps on the edge, or reach into the basket of tub toys), I have to tell you “no ma’am.” You listen very carefully, perhaps sit down, and then pop back up again! I hate having to stifle your wishes that way, but in the long run your Daddy and I think it’s good for you to learn to obey so you can stay safe.

But oh, you really want your way! You have started throwing mini-temper tantrums when you can’t do what you want (like eat the remote control, or escape diaper changes). It’s actually quite cute, especially since you are very easily distractible. And as always you nevertheless are a very sweet and easy-going girl. Lately you want to share your toys, food, and bottle with us, offering them to our mouths with your right hand, a big smile on your face. You think it is absolutely hilarious if I pretend to eat your food or drink your bottle, and when I take one of your rattles into my mouth and shake it. When you are focused on drinking your milk, though, you hold your left food in your left hand and touch your hair with your right hand and are very still.

Now you can high-five, point (usually at the parrot), kneel, give kisses, walk quickly if we hold your hands, do sit-ups, help us put on and take off your clothes by raising your arms up (even if you’re upset about being dressed you still help us out this way!), and dance to music (by bopping up and down—but you have terribly cheesy taste in tunes!) You also really love to hold a sustained “ahhh” note while you or Mommy or Daddy moves our hands quickly on and off your mouth, interrupting the sound. And you still love to make your “stinky face” and have little conversations that way. You like “There was a little mousy,” “This little piggy,” “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” and rocking and singing songs. And one silly thing this month is your love of shoes. You have tiny little soft-soled leather shoes your Grandmama gave you that you just adore and take with you everywhere. You think Mommy and Daddy’s shoes are pretty interesting, too!

Blonde hair has really come in on your head and you have the most delightful little ringlets at the back of your head. You have so much hair now you can get bedhead, and it makes you look less babyish. To watch you busily go about your important business in the playroom, crawling around, picking up toys, toting them with you while you crawl somewhere else and pull up onto the furniture, I am starting to see the little girl you are becoming. You are still very much an infant, but there is some toddler in you now, too. What a big girl you are getting to be. So sociable, so good-natured, sweet and smart. We are constantly amazed by you.

Love
Mommy