10 months!

Ana is 10 months old!

(OK, she's about to be 11 months old, because it's 10/28 and I'm super late to the party with this post).

(But I wrote this one if you're one of the many people who are curious about what she's eating!)

So. I LOVE THIS AGE. Did I say that last time? The past two times? I swear I love it more and more every day. She's such my little friend. I swear she understand us. She's so giggly and happy and more like a real person every moment. I get a little sad to leave her, like on Tuesdays when I actually have to go in to work.  : (  But I feel a little better knowing she loves it with my parents.

Huge baby!

Unrelated: I was imitating her tonight while we ate dinner and she was CRACKING up.

But yeah, outside of Tuesdays, I do feel like I still get to spend a ton of time with her! The best part of my work day is when I get to take my dinner break, and I swing my door open (and she usually has no idea I've been in the other room the whole time), and she spots me, and she's like, flapping her little wings, SO excited to play for the next hour!  My heart.

We read, or crawl around, or eat dinner together, or play in her castle, and it gives Emily time to eat or pee or do whatever ... or watch us and laugh because we're crazy.

James and I brought Ana to Natalie's fall BBQ in Paw Paw a few weeks ago and she was so sweet and fun. I thought she'd be shy -- and she is a LITTLE reluctant to go to new people lately -- but she was the best. Babbling, and right now she loves to go "oh!", crawling all over the house, playing with the cats, sitting with Natalie and Candace and Joe ... I love that baby. I'm so happy when other people get to see how much fun she can be.

We took her to Rochester the weekend before Paw Paw (Analisa turned 10 months that Saturday), and she was just as adaptable and happy. She lovvvvved the basement stairs, which are lined with super plush carpeting, and did really well with the trip and James' family. We did both drives (to and from) overnight, so that Ana would sleep the whole time, and I think that's what we'll do from now on. It's just so much easier. Even if one of us is a little tired the next day. #worthit

Rochester fam!

She's still making progress toward solo-standing and walking, although she's definitely not there yet. Still talking a bunch, and I swear, JUST the other morning, I was asking her, "where's mama? Where's dada?" and she was pointing at me for mom and James for dad! We continue to get closer to connecting words with meaning.

Ana is such a little cuddle bear when we read, or when she wakes up from a nap. She's still sleeping really well. I just got her a ton of fall clothes from Old Navy, so it's been cute to dress her up in new stuff. She's so smiley and interactive; just hates getting her diaper or her outfit changed. Sometimes that can be a two-person job!

I realized her first top tooth broke through when we were out grocery shopping two Sundays ago. I almost started crying, like, HOW did she get to be such a big girl? I swear, the past 10 months have just zipped by.

Hammy sammy

Lately she just wants all the grown-up stuff that we try to keep out of reach. It's like she knows! Cellphones, glasses, beers, hot coffees, etc.  Or she'll want to go to the one area of the apartment where we DON'T want her (like the kitchen, or the yucky bathroom floor). The floors are kinda meh in the kitchen too, and it's the only spot in our place that isn't carpeted, but she's just like, "let me in those cupboards, and I'd like to pull myself up on the fridge please!" And climb in the dishwasher ... which happened! ... but that thing's stronger than it looks, as it turns out.  ;)

Playgroup is still going well; she mostly just loves climbing around the gross-motor room. It's ginormous in there with a ton of places to play. When we have to go in the other room, our main area, she gravitates toward these scary-looking naked dolls. James and I are always like, "of all the cool stuff in here ... why?" Haha.

What else ...

She hates socks. Which is fun because we look like parents of the year, letting our daughter go out in public in bare feet. But she still fights shoes, then she pulls her socks off in the car, and there's no getting them back on.  :/   We saw another barefoot baby in the grocery store recently and the mom was like, "no luck getting them to stay on with you guys either?" So ... we're not alone!

Bad transition/funny story: I get these emails from Scary Mommy every week, like, "it's 46 weeks, here's what your baby is up to!" and they're scary accurate, actually. I usually read them and I'm like, yep yep and yep. That's Ana! But a week or so ago, the email was like, "babies need to know their place in the family structure. They feel secure when they understand that you're the parents, you make the rules, you say no sometimes, you're in charge. And they're the babies and they're protected by you. You keep them safe. So don't be scared to lay down the law and assert yourselves, parents!" ... Or something.

I told James what I had read, and I was like, "so when she stands up in her high chair, don't feel bad when you say no or you redirect. She WANTS to know we're her parents and we set the boundaries, and she feels confident when we stop her from doing things like that."

He was just like, "k I want to talk to whatever baby they interviewed for this piece, because that's bullshit."

I was dying laughing! He so funnyyyyy.

Precious face.

It's true -- Ana definitely asserts her will and lets us know when she's not down with our plans. You can usually distract her out of it but ... she throws little fits and is constantly trying to test us and gauge our reactions. We act like most stuff is NBD. Don't feel like eating? Cool. Gonna throw your peas at the wall? I'm unfazed by you (you little monster).  She's just trying to see the effect she has on us and the world, I've been reading!

She's gonna be a LAMB for Halloween. Swoon! (Her deadbeat procrastinator parents didn't get on an appropriately sized bear costume fast enough). Shame.

And yeah, the hair's still awkward. She has so much of it now! But she remains our little boy. Especially because so many of her outfits are gender-neutral. Haha. We love our son.

Until next time!