Clara is TEN months old!

Clara, just like that you're 10 months old! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was writing about you being 9 months old and now you're another month older! I can't quite believe it.

This has been a fun month and a month with challenges. You haven't always been the happiest baby this month. You've been doing some teething...though you now have one bottom tooth to show for it! You haven't wanted to leave my arms, despite everyone wanting to hold you and talk to you. For much of the month, you would even cry if other people looked at you or talked to you. You needed to be IN my arms to be truly happy. Over the past week, you've started smiling at other people and high-fiveing them and sometimes even being held by them if you're distracted enough.

You always protest when I first put you down but you're often happy to crawl around and explore pretty quickly after. Nothing is beyond your reach now. You can get to any place you want to go. Well, you're not climbing yet, unless it's on one of us, but anything that is on the floor or within about a foot of the floor is fair game. You usually still army crawl but I've noticed you getting up on your hands and knees more and more and trying to get around that way too. You know how to push on doors to open them. You are fascinated with stairs but haven't tried getting up on any of them yet. You aren't too interested in walking yet. Sometimes you will stand on your feet if we hold you up, but mostly you just try to sit down so you can crawl away!

As you crawl around, you put everything in your mouth. Rocks and hair and threads and dust bunnies and leaves and Lego and everything you can find. It's pretty disgusting with all the stuff around here for you to find. I've just recently started letting you crawl around the outdoor dining space here but your tummy gets brown fairly quickly because it's just so dirty! But at least you're happy!

You love to eat and we've found very few things that you don't like. Avocados aren't your favourite. You do like most fruits though, and everything we eat. You do finger food very well! You also have a night snack of either yogurt or rice cereal with cinnamon or a squishy baby food pack if we're away from home. You do prefer your "mush" warm most of the time. You've also started playing with your sippy cup with water in it and, while a lot of it ends up on your clothes, you do also know how to take sips a little bit. You still nurse every two hours during the day and get mighty grumpy if your meal is late.

Your sleep has been getting a bit better this month. You're still up two or three times every night to eat. I'd love for you to sleep right through or only be up once. Maybe this month. You go to bed around 7:30-8pm and wake between 8-9am. You nap twice a day, once around 10:30-12 and again around 2:30-4pm. You go down for naps and night SO well. I just sing to you a bit and then put you in bed. Sometimes you play for a while and sometimes you cry for a while but you're usually asleep within 2 minutes of being put to bed. Thank you!

You love to snuggle your little hippo and a little burp cloth while you're in your crib or just waking up. You are never too urgent in your desire to be out of bed when you wake. Kayden asks every morning if she can go in to "help" you when she hears that you're awake. She will go in and you guys will play games like peek-a-boo for about 20 minutes before I come to get you. Your siblings do love to play with you and help you! Levi will carry you around and make sure you're safe. Kayden will entertain you and make sure you have everything you have.

Speaking of siblings, you sure seem like you just love to be a part of the busy-ness. When they scream, you scream in response! When they make lots of noise, you join right in. Your eyes light right up when you see them. It is beautiful to see. I keep asking them not to teach you to whine and fight, but we'll see.

You are a petit little girl. We weighed you this month for the first time since you were 5 months old. I was guessing that you were about 18 lbs but it turns out you're only 15lbs! You're wearing mostly 9-12 month clothes, though you still fit some of your 6 month clothes and already fit some of your 12-18 month rompers. You've been wearing disposable diapers so I've been able to pull out some of your smaller clothes again as a result.

Your hair is fairly light, but not quite white-blonde. It has grown a lot this month which means it's now at the length where it can get messy in the wind or when you sleep, and sometimes has the odd curl on the back. It is so soft! Your eyes are still very blue and you get comments about your beautiful eyes wherever we go! It sure seems at this point like they'll stay blue, much to your Grandma McCorkindale and Grandpa Buhler's delight! Well, it's to all of our delight, but it's their genes that gave you those "ojos bonitos."

Some fun things you've started doing this month are high-fiveing people and clapping! You went through a phase of clapping for everything! You still clap a bit but not as much as you did a week ago. When you see food you want, you yell for it. You also started taking some deep breaths before bed, just like I do when putting you to bed. I've found that if you're upset about going to bed, if I take deep, slow breaths, you will calm down more readily. It's worked for your sisters too, though it works better at a younger age. That said, this month you started breathing deeply alongside me while I held you before bed. It was the cutest thing. You would also sometimes "sing" along with me before bed.

One funny thing I've noticed this month is that you're starting to pretend. Until now, you've just been going with whatever emotions you're feeling, but in the last couple weeks, I've seen you squint up your eyes and pout out your lips and "be upset" when you don't get your way. You'll watch us to see if it's working and it's just the cutest thing. Of course I can't jump to give you your way the moment you do this, but it's sure hard not to! Your "I'm upset about this" face is just SO cute! You'll also make an "I'm amused" face where you squint your eyes and look up like you're rolling your eyes. I love to see your personality coming out more and more!

One word you've started saying, besides "Bah!" and other sound-words is "Mama." It always comes out in the saddest little voice whenever you're upset. You'll crawl or pull yourself around the house chasing me or looking for me and saying "maaa-ma!" Seriously, it melts my heart every time. I sure do love you, my girl!

You are an absolute delight, my girl. We love to have you around and to watch you grow and change and learn. I've loved this month just like I've loved every other month. I look forward to seeing how you grow this month. You're beautiful, inside and out. Happy 10 months, Sunshine. We love you!