Ten Months Old!

February 28/March 1, 2010

Dear Riggins,

There is no February 29th, so I believe that means you are still nine months old for one more month!

Hooray!

 Unfortunately, I'm afraid that isn't how it works.  You are ten months old, buddy!  This month has been pretty short and sweet.  It flew by without any major travels, holidays (other than your first Valentine's Day!), or events.  Aside from Daddy studying for boards, this month has been characterized by lots of relaxed time at home. The other day as I rocked you before your nap, I reflected on how sweet these days are.  Just you and me, going about our days, playing, snuggling, running errands.  It crossed my mind that you will not remember these times and their everyday magic.  That pretty much sums up how I feel about getting to stay home with you each day: it's not always glamorous or easy, but there's something magical about these sweet, simple days at home with you.  I am savoring them for the both of us.  

February's "firsts" included one we had been waiting for: your first tooth!  You were pretty grumpy and feverish on the first day that it poked through, but they haven't slowed you down.  You refuse to let anyone look at them, but you did let Auntie Em (Dr. Fourmy!) brush them for the first time; you must have known that she is a professional!  Just two days later, a second tooth could be felt, but they are both still pushing their way up and are hard to see.

Unfortunately, your other big first was your first ear infection!  You are one tough cookie, because we never would have even known that you were sick; you never once pulled on your ear and we attributed your fever to teething.  But you cried when Daddy and I touched your ear on two separate occasions, and we finally got a clue!  Sure enough, the next day the doctor confirmed that you had a doozie of an ear infection and that your eardrum had already burst from the pressure!  You are now on antibiotics and are now back to your sweet self, other than a disruption to your sleeping routine.

At ten months you are a speed crawler and you love to pull up on anything and everything.  You once even stood unassisted for several seconds, so I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of that soon!  Other developments this month include waving bye-bye, bouncing to music, responding to "Give me the ____, please," understanding "No" (although obeying is hit or miss, I know you understand!), clucking your tongue, and making an "Oh" face with the cutest little rounded lips I've ever seen.  You still have a bit of separation anxiety this month and have had a more difficult time getting dropped off at MOPS, BSF, and church.  You always bounce back after I leave and have a great time, but you sure don't like to see me go!  You have also developed a pretty good whine when you want something, so we are working on some signing to curb that a bit!

You weigh 20 pounds, 5 ounces, wear a combination of 6-9 and 12 month clothes, and are still in size four diapers.  You still nap twice a day and sleep from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night.  Your hair has gotten long and thick, and I think it might be time for a hair cut; you're getting a bit of a mullet in the back!

Eating has become one of your favorite activities, and you hardly ever eat "baby food" anymore (though you still nurse about 4-5 times per day).  You have mastered both the straw and spout sippy cups and love drinking water and diluted juice.  You love every finger food and table food you've tried, especially momma's homemade macaroni and cheese!  Other favorites are cheese (your absolute favorite by far!), grapes, bananas, peas, tofu, sweet potato chunks, eggs, pancakes, and waffles.  At a restaurant the other night, I gave you a taste of my pickle just for a laugh...wouldn't you know that you stole my pickle spear and munched on it for the rest of the night!  I think you might have my affinity for the salty stuff!

Other favorites at ten months: watching Weber run in the back yard; swinging at the playground; riding in a grocery cart; "body slamming" on the couch, bed, or in your crib; getting thrown around by Daddy; twirling my "r" necklace (if you are in my arms or nursing, you are pretty much always twiddling my necklace...I love this!); peekaboo; Patty Cake and the Itsy Bitsy Spider; bath time; trying to get to Weber's food and water dishes; and opening and closing cabinet doors.

Riggins, you bring us so much joy and laughter, and God is using you to refine us in so many ways.  You will never know how much we love you!  In the words of a favorite lullaby:

How long do you want to be loved?  Is forever enough?  'Cause I'm never, never giving you up.

Forever isn't enough, baby boy.

Love,
Momma