Violet at 10 Months

Growth & Appearance: Your hair has a golden quality in natural light (when the sun actually comes out - we are in Washington state after all). I wouldn't be surprised if it has a honey tone about it in the summers throughout your childhood. Surprisingly, my hair was practically white when I was very young. Around 4 years it transitioned to brown. Just sayin'. You have some new hair growth around your crown, so that area usually looks frazzled.

You weigh 22.5 lbs and are 29-ish inches long. 12 month clothing. Size 4 diapers.

Teeth: Seven teeth now. You've recently sprouted a new bottom one on March 2. We try to always brush your teeth before bedtime. You don't mind. I had to ditch that measly little rubber finger brush though. Those things are dangerous, you about took my finger off multiple times. Teething for you equals fighting your sleep, weird diarrhea, clinginess, and a general whiny disposition.

Development:  Something I forgot to mention last month is that you try to help when I'm dressing you. When I go to put your arm through the arm hole you will stick your arm out straight as a board to go through the hole. It's actually usually very helpful, but sometimes you engage the rocket arm prematurely and it gets caught up instead of going through the hole. I then have to try to navigate your straight arm to the hole, and this always leads to a fit. Once that arm is straightened out it's impossible to get you to relax and bend it.

You sometimes head bang. It's a new thing that your Daddy and I get a kick out of. You'll do it to music or complete silence. It's honestly a mystery.

You're very giving. You like to offer me your food and toys. Just a few minutes ago you crawled over here, ripped your sock off, pulled up on my leg and gently laid your sock on the keyboard of the laptop as I was typing. You have a sweet soul.

You smile at anyone who gives you a second look when we're out and about. People always comment that you're friendly and mellow. You usually are. Sometimes you are all coy about your interactions by offering a cheesy grin and then turning into me and resting your head on my chest as if saying to the stranger, "I like you, but please don't take me from this lady."

You like to be chased. You've been known to let out a giant squeal and spring down the hallway when your Daddy simply makes a large movement to do something completely unrelated.

You can carry things in your hands while crawling now. If the item is too big you'll carry it in your mouth while crawling. 

You're really into clapping. You go big too, taking your arms back as far as you can and bringing them back together. 

You furniture walk all the time. You can make your way around the coffee table very quickly. You can also transfer from one piece of the furniture to another with ease. You stand unassisted quite often. For up to 15-20 seconds at a time. You can walk with a push toy across the living room. When you reach a barrier you'll sit down, turn the toy around, and keep on truckin'. You've taken a few wobbly steps. The first time was two steps toward me on March 10. It won't be long. I'll probably have my running shoes on next month.

Eating: You have impeccable vision. You can spot the tiniest speck of food (or fuzz) and retrieve it with your tiny pincher grasp and in it goes. You've been trying to eat baby wipes a lot lately, weirdo. And you can do serious damage to boxes of any kind. Any kind of food or product that comes in a box is not safe. It looks like a goat has got hold of everything in the kitchen.

We've been working on you feeding yourself with a spoon. Your coordination is um, not quite there yet. You do okay sometimes, then other times it looks like I bathed you in your food.

You're nursing about 4 times a day and 2-3 times at night still. You've developed this annoying fascination with tweaking the free nipple while you're nursing. I practically have no choice other than allowing this to happen in order for you to go to bed at night. Even when it's covered you'll start digging around looking for it and are pretty skilled at locating it through the clothing. It's annoying.

Sleeping: This bloody time change has been a joke. You've been pretty consistent lately. Two naps a day and bedtime around 8:30. You've not been fighting sleep much lately (slaps self in face for jinxing it).

You hate being covered up when sleeping. That definitely didn't come from me. You'll kick covers off in your sleep, usually leaving a single leg underneath and that's all. One leg in and one leg out, that's your style.

Favorites: You spend a lot of time putting things inside of other things. I find your small toys inside of your big toys. You have a weird infatuation with dragging things to the bathroom and throwing them in the bathtub. I find all kinds of things in there - toys, food, pacifiers, toilet paper, your socks, just whatever. You also spend a lot of time ripping the throw pillows off of the couch. You'll wallow all over them in the floor, but then get mad at them for tripping you up.