10 months

Double digits baby! 

Dear Lucy,

You are getting too big. This month has been all about communication and exploration for you.

The "mama" from last month, well it definitely refers to me now so it's official - you've said your first word! You still only really say it when you are upset but that is okay. But talking is not the only way you can communicate.  You have learned to wave hi/goodbye and love it. We can hardly leave the room without a wave. And a few days after you figured out waving, you started signing. Your first sign was "choo-choo." We have been doing other signs for months now and while we'd get a response, you never did them back, but just a couple days after daddy started doing "choo-choo" every time the train went by, you started doing it yourself! Now that you have the concept, you are on a roll. You also sign "milk" now. You copy us when we sign "all done" and "change" so I don't think it will be long before you initiate those as well. We've got to start thinking of new signs to introduce to you - maybe book and sleep?

You still aren't a big fan of "no" but you do listen pretty well. You know you aren't supposed to get into the cat water so you will look back and forth between it and me, when I say "no" you sit down, pout and even fake cry sometimes but you leave it alone. I have to fight hard not to laugh, it's just too cute. The one thing we aren't doing a good job stopping is your screaming.  Somehow you manage to hit the worst sounding pitch imaginable. Hopefully as you learn more signs, you start using those instead but half the time I think you scream just to hear yourself. You'll scream, stop to laugh, then start again while the cat is trying to run as far away from you as possible. 

This is you mid-scream. Why are you screaming? I don't know!

You still love to read and your current favorite, by a huge margin, is Pat the Bunny.You do all the tasks yourself.  In fact, after reading and re-reading it we normally have to distract you, hide it, and pretend we don't know what you are looking for if we ever want to stop reading it. All your other books get stored on your bookshelf but Pat the Bunny stays hidden behind a pillow on the couch only to be taken out when we are in the mood for at least 3 reads in a row.

You have finally gotten adventurous. Last month you would only play within touching distance of me and preferred to climb and crawl on me instead of the ground. Then at the beginning of this month, you would go a few feet away, turn around and look at me for a few seconds before hurrying back as fast as you could wanting to be picked up. Now you head off and barely look back but mostly you use your new mobility to join me. You want to be in on the action whether that is helping me wash dishes, exploring earthworms in the garden with daddy or "playing" with the kitty.

You like to crawl around after balls or to find daddy or I when we are "hiding" from you. You also like to cruise around the living room. You don't even need ledges anymore, just a flat wall. You remind me of a beginning ice skater, hugging the wall as you move about the house. You also love to "dance" which is really more of bouncing but if we say dance, you start bopping and laughing. We have to be careful because sometimes you are so exuberant that you'll hit your face so we try to encourage dancing with couches over tables or walls.

You still like to climb and can often be found on top of your walker wagon dancing. But luckily you are pretty good at climbing down things. You can easily climb down from bed, my lap and even the couch.

You have three teeth now and look a bit crooked when you smile but that fourth tooth is bulging so you'll be balanced again soon. And your hair is getting long but only on top. I love your bed head when you wake up from a nap - that is something that you get from your dad! But even with the worst case of bedhead imaginable, you are the cutest baby in the world!