Baby Girl:
I have been really terrible about writing these "monthly" updates. Beyond terrible. I don't have much of an excuse so I won't even throw one out there. So I decided to start writing about ten months when you're only nine and half months old so maybe by the time you hit ten months I'll have written an entire post. Maybe it'll be early! Woot!
So, besides the fact that you are just the best thing in the world, and my sweet, sweet, baby girl, yesterday I looked at you and thought how much you don't seem so much like a baby anymore. You're big. You're all over the place. You're getting to be a toddler.
You're not much for sitting still these days, and meals in restaurants are getting more difficult. Unless you have french fries or crackers or whateverthatisonyourplatemommythankyouverymuch. You like food- and you want to try anything and everything. Sometimes you just chew/gum stuff up and then spit it out, but you've been actually ingesting more and more. Your fifth tooth peeked through your gum the other day and you can chomp with some significant force.
You're still sleeping in our bed with us. I love to snuggle you, but you're getting kinda rowdy and floppy... we will probably try to transition you to your crib soon, but we've been saying that for months. I will miss sleeping with you but I think we will both sleep better. or at least that's what I'm telling myself. It'd be easier if you weren't the sweetest cutest thing ever while you sleep, and especially when you wake up all smiley and sweet, like you're just so pleased to start another day.
You are crawling like a speedster, and you're walking if you can hold on to something (a hand, a table, the baby jail, your rolling walker toy), and starting to stand up all by yourself. You can climb up a step (we don't have stairs, but I'm pretty sure you could get up them if we did), but you can't get down it without scaring me.
We had our first real vacation last month- we went down to the beach in Florida with your Mimi and Pawpaw, and then to your Aunt's house for a few days. You took some excellent naps on the beach listening to the ocean, and
you even liked the waves. You seemed to enjoy the pool a bit better
though. Next year you'll probably have more fun with the sand, this
year you weren't quite sure about it. My goodness, you love your Pawpaw, and he thinks you are just the cat's pajamas. You two have always been buddies, he comes once a week to hang out with you and Mimi, but on vacation you could not get enough of each other.
Pawpaw built you a swing for the front yard, and it is one of your favorite things. You still enjoy a walk in the stroller, but it's not a guaranteed nap anymore. You love watching children, and you giggle and giggle to see them. At the zoo you watched the kids more than the animals. I'm actually not sure you noticed the animals at all...
One animal you have noticed is Dobby. You love Dobby. You want to squeeze him. You want to lie on top of him. You want to grab fistfuls of his fur and shriek with glee. And bless him, he lets you. For the most part. I don't know if he's too dumb to run, just really doesn't mind, or wants to be petted by me so badly he'll tolerate the consequence. Merlin, notsomuch.
You like to stick your hands in my (or daddy's, or whoever's) mouth and grab our lips and try to rip them off our faces. You love to watch videos of yourself on someone's phone. You hate for the rings to be stacked up on the ring pyramid. You like to bang on various surfaces and listen to the noises. You make some great noises yourself, and though you've said what sounds like Mama you've never said it in reference to me, I don't think. The closest thing to a word is "Ma... ma... ma... ma..." when you're hungry, asking for milk. I love your little noises. They're not always little, actually.
Current nicknames: Chicken Little, Chicken Nugget, Chicken, Nugget, Turkey, Turkey Dog, Monkey, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Head, Lovebug, and, as always, Baby Girl.
I love, love, love you more than the world.
Momma.
