Elise- 10 months!!

Dear Elise,

I simply cannot believe you are 10 months old!! Time is flying by way too quickly! You are such a fun baby, though you're not going to be a baby for much longer! Every day you learn something new and I am watching you turn into a toddler before my eyes. You are a joy to be around and I try and savor every minute of this fun stage! You are active, inquisitive, and always in motion. You are very good at keeping yourself entertained. You love to take two plastic items, put one in each of your hands and crawl so they make a loud sound when they hit the floor. In fact, you love loud noises and really nothing seems to scare you; the vacuum seems to be a fav.

Some tidbits about you this month:

• You are a great sleeper!! You sleep from 7:30-7:30 and take 2 naps each day. You are so easy to put down. If you don't fall instantly to sleep you will happily play and babble in your crib until you do. You never wake in the middle of the night (knock on wood!)
• You sleep on your side or tummy. I keep a blanket in your crib and you love to snuggle with it.
• You are becoming pickier when it comes to food and no longer eat everything I give you. Go figure, it's like you have a mind of your own. You love Greek yogurt, either plain or with fruit mixed in, cottage cheese, regular cheese (notice a pattern here??) tofu, and anything with applesauce! Those are my go-to foods because I know you will always eat them. Your manners are still atrocious and the only one happy about that is Jaws. You are very good at feeding yourself assuming it's something you want to eat. Otherwise it ends up on the kitchen floor. You are still our little begger and want to try everything that we're eating and drinking. Daddy's Bud Light can is another favorite. There's not much you can't have at this age- err.. except of course beer!
• You attend Mother's Day Out two days a week. Daddy gets you ready and takes you every morning while I go to work. You love it and have made good friends. Your teachers always give you a great report at the end of the day.
• I have joined a mom's group and you have become a Mopette! Our groups meet every other Friday and have lots of activities in-between meetings. You're making new friends everywhere you go! You are very good at playing with other babies and don't mind when I leave. Strangers don't bother you at all.
• You still adore Jaws, Bailey and really any dog that we may encounter on our walks. You love to climb all over the leather chairs in the family room; I think they're nice and squishy for you. Speaking of, you love to flop all around on our bed and play peek-a-boo under the sheets. You love to be held upside down and also fall back, look at the ceiling, and giggle when we walk around the house. Your little personality is shining through and I think you're going to have a great sense of humor! You like to have fun!
• You are a breast-fed baby, in addition to solid foods and water. My goal was to BF you for at least 9 months (when most of the BFing benefits are reaped.)
• You are on the petite side, still wearing 6-9 and 9 month outfits. I think you weigh around 18 pounds. Your hair is coming in more and more each day and is also getting lighter. I wonder if you'll be a blonde?
• You babble all the time though "Dada" seems to be your word of choice. "Dadadadada" all day long :)
• You are a warp-speed crawler. You are also pulling up on everything in sight and sometimes stand by yourself. I don't think it will be long before you take your first steps.
• You have 7 teeth; 4 on the top and 3 on the bottom.
• You love shoes!!! I can surround you with a dozen toys, but if there are shoes within your sight, you will race for them and begin chewing on them. Yea, that's kind of gross.

Daddy and I are having a blast with you! We adore you to bits and can't wait to see what next month brings!