10 months!

Dear Norah,

10 months and a toddler in actions and attitude if not in age. You are walking up a storm. Of course, we spent a week at grandma and grandpa's where you teased them by taking one step at a time but no more. Then we came home and daddy got ready for his trip. I just knew you would walk as soon as he left and yep - he left Sunday night and Monday morning you took a good 5-6 steps. I tried all week to get a good video for him but no luck. You little stinker!

But now you are walking all over the place. Even carrying things. And being super proud of yourself. You are also proud of yourself for climbing and getting into trouble. We've  been busy baby proofing cabinets. It' harder to baby proof the trampoline and bay window you love to climb on top of but you know how to get down again so all is well. And you have figured out how to pull out the potty stool and climb on top of the toilet. Lucky we haven't had any issues of toilet seats being left up and bathroom doors being left open at the wrong times. But I have my eye on you! You've started playing hard too. And making big messes. Dirt, sand, mud, water. It's all good to you.

We've done a bit of bedtime adjusting and that's going well. You enjoy the new routine of bath and lotion and stories up until the point where you remember that the next step is supposed to be sleep. Then you start to protest  but two yawns and four minutes of vocal protests later (not crying, just singing and animated "talking" which clearly means "Put me down, you're making me sleepy! It's only 6:30! I want to play"), and you decide that you won't mind lying down and going to sleep after all.

  

If you combine the teeth you have with the ones Lucy has lost, you'd have one full set!

You started this month with your third tooth just poking through and now have seven so we haven't has a month of great sleep but you make up for your bad sleeping with great traveling. Trips here and there and such a happy baby in the car. You just love to go places and see things.

Speaking of talking, you've added some nice sounds to your vocabulary.  Nothing that consistently means anything but that hasn't stopped me and daddy from prompting you "say mama, MAma" or "DaDa!DADA!" You seem to think this is quite funny as you look at us while pointing at daddy and saying mama or pointing at a random toy and saying dada.

Other things you love - Pat the Bunny, my phone, beans and ground beef (but no other meat), taking books off shelves and most of all playing with the big kids. In fact, one of the few times you are really unhappy is when you get left behind. But that's not too often because they love you too - as long as you aren't eating their legos.