Audrey - 10 months

My sweet Audrey,

You are 10 months old! I am in awe every day at how smart you are becoming. Your little giggle melts my heart and that smile - oh that smile - it lights up my life!

Two more teeth this month brings your total up to 8! You don't seem to have any more coming right now and Mommy is very grateful! I don't think we've had a real break since you started teething. Your hair is also starting to fill in a little bit. It's so light that you still look like a baldy, but as the person who washes your cute little head every night, I know it's growing now!

We have started a new sleep routine since your 9 month well baby check up. Instead of Mommy nursing you to sleep, we nurse, then do tubby time, then read books, then Daddy puts you down to sleep awake. You are doing amazingly well with it and go down right away! You are still up twice during the night and Mommy is still nursing you back to sleep then, but that's next on our list to tackle. One thing at a time! You are sleeping in your crib all night for the most part though, which is wonderful!

Not only do you stand unassisted, but you took your first steps this month!! I still wouldn't call you a "walker" just yet, but on days when you're feeling brave (and definitely not when we're trying to get you to do it) you'll take a few independent steps! You love your little pushable lion too and push him around like a pro! Very, very soon you'll be cruising around on those twinkly toes.

Mommy loves the fall, so we spend lots of time outside this month. We hiked Mt. Greylock, played in the leaves and went apple picking! You were so cute trying to pull the apples off the trees and didn't want to leave.

When we ask you to clap your hands, you do so without being shown what to do. Mommy is amazed at how much you are showing us you understand. You can pick your baby doll out of a pile of stuffed animals when asked and you'll "shakey shakey" your sprinkles on command. You also love scarecrows and demand to be brought around Grammy and Grampy's house until you've seen them all!

You LOVE to read more than anything else! You'll pull every single book off your bookshelf, surround yourself with them and "read" them one by one. You will occupy yourself for long periods of time like this. You definitely show preference for any book with animals in it, so much so that Mommy wonders if some day you might have a career involving animals.

You love to get into things you aren't supposed to. You have learned to shake your head "no" to Mommy when she tells you not to do something and proceed to do it anyway. You also climbed all the way up the stairs (with Mommy following you to see what would happen). The house is now complete with baby gates, cabinets locks and outlet plugs!

You are silly,

sweet,

mischievous,

and curious,

and Momma loves you to pieces!

To the moon and back sweet girl!
Love Always,
Mommy