The News at 10.5 Months

As usual, I'm long overdue for updating everyone on what's been up with AJ lately.  At ten and half months, she is learning so much so quickly that I don't even know where to begin!  She understands and recognizes quite a few words now:  ball, train, toes, duck, outside, truck, cheese, cheerios....I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting.  "No" is of course a big one, though she's already not a fan of hearing it.  She's got a little temper in her for sure.  Apparently, in addition to large thighs, I passed that onto her as well.  Poor baby.

She says "Momma" and "Da-da", though still not necessarily at us.  However, while David was out of town last week, she pointed to his side of the bed, looked at me, and said "Da-da?"  Broke my heart.

She also says "B" when she sees her ball, but she says it a lot of other times, too.  It won't be long before she's talking up a storm (in coherent language, that is.  There is no shortage of "talking!")

We're trying to teach her to follow simple statements such as "Roll the ball" or "Brush Mommy's hair" or "Wave" (she definitely has that one down.  She waves at everything!).  If we say "Go get your truck" or "Go get your ball", she'll crawl over to it and hold it.  She is a professional crawler now and can get to where she wants to be almost faster than I can catch her.  She still loves pulling up on everything, with little regard to whether it's stable enough.  She has had a few bumps and bruises, which I'm sure will be the norm for awhile.  

The other day I was getting her dressed and she actually held her arms up and ducked her head down for me to put her shirt on.  I know that sounds like such a simple thing, but it's a big deal to see how much they take in!

She still loves peek-a-boo and looking at herself in mirrors.  Her favorite toys are now a little baby doll her Great-Grandma gave her, her ball, a toy phone, and certain books.  We have worn a path in the carpet from her pushing her little shopping cart walker.  She gets so excited and almost starts running with her little head in the lead.

She doesn't have a "lovey" yet that she can't live without, and frankly, I'm not trying to introduce one.  If she develops an attachment on her own, that's fine, but I don't want to have to begin tearing the house apart looking for a certain stuffed animal every time we leave.

She is a trooper on long walks or jogs and loves the breeze blowing in her face.  She tolerates my errands pretty well and is such a people-watcher and so observant.  Of course, everywhere we go takes extra time now because everyone wants to stop and talk to her.  I can't say I blame them...she is so darn cute. 


She is getting frustrated with being spoon fed, so I know our days are numbered before I'll have to start preparing more of her food instead of just popping open jars.  Rats.  It won't be long after that, though, that she'll be able to eat whatever we eat.  Of course, that will also require more work on my part to cook more often!

Other stories of late:

• We were having a particularly rough afternoon while David was gone.  She was throwing a fit because I wouldn't walk her around or pick her up.  I just let her lay on the floor and cry while I finished folding the laundry.  When she'd stopped crying, I picked her up and said "Okay, let's go downstairs and play with some toys.  Before we do, let's find Mommy's cell phone so I can call 9-1-1 after I kill you."  I kid you not, she started laughing.  God's grace, right?!

• After I fed her dinner one night I was cleaning off her highchair tray over the sink.  It was quiet on the other side of the bar, but since there was no crying, I decided to take 20 seconds and finish what I was doing.  I walked around the corner and saw her sitting there eating from the pile in the floor I'd swept up but hadn't put in the dustpan yet.  It was mostly her food, but still...ick.

•  She has chewed the heck out of her crib rails.  I remember registering for the guard, but we didn't get it and I didn't think about it again.  Until, that is, I turned on the light in her room one day (it mostly stays dark in there) and saw the damage she'd done.  It looks like a beaver got loose!  Since it's a convertible crib that will eventually become her head and foot boards, we really should have taken better precautions.  As one friend put it, it'll make for fond memories later.  Sure, a couple of memories would have been nice, but this is more like structural damage.  I just hope the stain is non-toxic.  I'll post pics in the next album.

I think that's all the update I've got for now.  Stay tuned for more and the latest pictures.  

We are just loving watching her change and grow everyday and there is never a dull moment in our house (no matter how much we long for one!)