Growing Up

All of a sudden you aren't a baby anymore. Overnight it seems like you've gone from wanting to be held all the time to only wanting to be held when you are tired. Now you are too curious to be confined in someone's arms. This morning daddy taught you how to put batteries in the remote control. You are pretty good at walking all the way across the room. I don't know what happened.

You've also discovered the joys of hitting and pinching. But, you only do it to me. Even when I scold you you don't seem to mind. You get real frustrated and decide that mommy needs to fix something. Only thing is...mommy doesn't know what to fix.

My favorite time with you is in the bathtub. It's the only time lately that you are a mommy's girl. You have taken to your daddy very well. We always take a bath together at night. And even though you don't want to sit on my lap anymore, you do want to play with me. I showed you how to blow bubbles in the water and so you bend down and stick your lips in the water and make a noise. Most of the time you aren't blowing bubbles, but you look so pleased with yourself and I praise you so much that you'd think you were the first person to discover bubbles. It is so cute.

You have 4 teeth now. And about 4 coming in. You no longer look like a baby.

Tales From the Couch

You like to sit up on the couch. You look so pleased, like you are so big. But, you know what? You also know how to get down from the couch. Chris (excuse me, Daddy) told me that you could get off the couch, but I don't think I was really listening. Except that you proved it to me today twice. It's pretty impressive. I mean, it's a couple foot drop for you, but you aren't afraid. I'm scared that if I blink my eyes too many times you are going to be 16 years old. Slow down already!

Chompers & Sleeping

You have 4 teeth now. One on the top and 3 on the bottom. The one on the top is new as is the one on the bottom, and I can't wait to see how you look when they are fully in. Or what kind of damage you can do to mommy's skin. You love to bite my lips and my chin.

You are 10 1/2 months old now. I can't believe it. It's gone by really fast at times. The times it doesn't seem to fly by are when you aren't sleeping well. Such as right now. You've never been a great sleeper. Last night you were off the hook, though! I tried putting you down at 7:30 but you were a wriggling machine. I let you cry for a bit, but I could tell you weren't going to sleep and took you out of your room to let you play. Boy, did you play. You talked and crawled and banged two balls on the t.v. while daddy and I were trying to watch it.

This is how you know you're parents were old when they had you---they are amused by the loud noise and instead of reprimanding you because they want to watch the program, they just laugh. Or maybe we're just tired. Anyway, at 9 I decided you really needed sleep since you are still getting over a cold. I had to let you cry again, but you finally went down. You had me up about 3 times after that, though. You just weren't interested in sleeping last night.

I hope you will forgive me when you are older for letting you cry sometimes. Or better yet, I hope that you don't remember. I never want to let you cry, and I can withstand about a week of getting up numerous times during the night. But, after a week, I'm a zombie and it dawns on me that I need some good sleep. Just know that I love you and would always go into you every time you needed me...if only you weren't doing it so often. Oh, my sweet, baby. I'm so glad you're mine.

Walking!

You are walking. You've been taking unassisted steps and last week you walked all the way across the living room by yourself. Yesterday you did it again. For some reason you excel when you have two things in your hands. I guess you are distracted by it. You shake whatever is in your hands and you start walking.

Sweetness

I think the sweetest thing you've ever done you did today. We were in your room picking up books from the floor, and you heard the door squeak and open which means that Daddy has come home. You said "dada" in an excited, high pitch and made a bee-line for the front door. It was so adorable. Precious. It made me smile, so I can only imagine how your Biggest Fan felt.

How I Love You

Darling, Haven. You are taking a nap right now, and I was thinking about how much I adore you. I never knew you could love someone so much. I love your daddy. When I think about him, he makes me smile. And, I feel the same about you but different. There is no one in the whole world like you, little girl. I am so blessed that God gave you to me. So blessed.

Here are some of the things that I love about you: the way you crinkle up your nose when you are being naughty. You look so wicked I just love it. The way you decide you don't want to eat something and throw it on the floor. If it gets stuck in your hand you keep shaking it until it comes off. The way you will pull up on my legs to get me to hold you and then you will do circles around me, bumping your head on the kitchen cabinet knobs, until you are so ticked off that I have to pick you up. The way you lay belly down on the floor and sweep your hands back and forth like you are swimming. The way you look at Trudy Lou and Sophie and smile. They always make you smile. Except for yesterday when you were feeding one of them squash and they bit your finger. That did not make you smile. My absolute favorite thing is how you dance. Your grandpa said it best--you look like the beat has taken you over and you can't quite stop it. I could go on and on. You are only 10 months old...your personality is just developing. I can already tell that you are going to be ornery. That's good--my favorite quality in a person.

Names & Pains

You've started calling us "dada" and "mamaman." Not all the time, but enough that I think you've finally got it. Today was the first day that you actually pulled up my shirt to get to the goods, so to speak. Usually you just aim in the general direction and then you start this fake cry. And last night you tried out your new top tooth on mommy. We were in the bathtub and you like to blow raspberries on my belly. You did that and then you bit down on the skin above my belly button. And left a little puncture wound. I told you "no" and you just looked at me with big brown eyes. I knew your daddy would think it was funny so I told him when he came home from his pottery class. It pleased him. It hurt like the dickens too. I love you so much. You make me laugh.

Mad Skills

In addition to your new-found skill of taking steps, you have started to dance. It is my absolute favorite of all the things you have learned. You just shake the top of your body and jut your head in and out. It is so adorable.

Your Aunt Hannah picked you out a yellow giraffe at Wal-mart that plays music when you press buttons. You love this toy. Because you have no problem pressing the buttons. However, and much to my dismay, you like to press down one button and so the song gets stuck over and over again like a CD that is skipping. You love it. You dance in your car seat until Mommy finally has enough and moves your finger off of the button so we can hear a whole song.

You've also begun to play peek-a-boo and you will hide and pop up anywhere you think is a good spot. Over and over again. And another of your new-found skills is to wave. You do it like Miss America. Your wrist is very floppy like you aren't quite sure if you want to wave or not.