ten months

dear Elizabeth,

as hard as it is to believe, i'm seeing little glimpses of your future toddler self now! you know just how to make us laugh (primarily by blowing very vigorous raspberries), you clap proudly for yourself multiple times per day, you shriek and scream at the girls if they take one of your toys away, and finally, you are actually crawling! you still don't move very fast in one linear direction, but you manage to make your way around the room with a combination of traditional crawling, scooting, pivoting, and army crawling. you can kneel upright without support now, and after a few frustrating episodes where you got stuck on your stomach, you can now push yourself back to sit up. quite belatedly, we moved you out of the co-sleeper into the pack'n'play for naps and bedtime. we have your crib all ready to set up once we receive replacement hardware for the hardware that was damaged earlier this year when our basement flooded. but for now, you're quite happy to have the extra space! 

yay, Elizabeth!

you are eating much more solid food now, including tiny pieces of chicken, bratwurst, bread, tortellini, diced fresh fruit, and fresh mozzarella. so far you tolerate everything without any sign of allergy. you are learning how to drink out of your tiny silicone open cup, although i don't let you try to hold it by yourself yet. you have four teeth on top and three on the bottom -- and your toothy grin is contagious!

sleepy baby!

i think we can officially call "mama" your first word. you say it while looking directly at me for something you want. "dada" is a close runner up! a few times you have also said "baba" while i was getting your bottle ready, but it hasn't been very consistent so i'm not convinced it was intentional yet. 

this month you went to Idlewild not once, but twice! the second time you got to wear your Halloween costume for Hallowboo. you make a pretty darn cute chicken! we also went to the Aviary, where you were absolutely entranced by the lorikeets. and you came along to Phipps Conservatory to see the Monet exhibit. 

first time at Storybook Forest!

watching the lorikeets at the Aviary

Monet exhibit at Phipps

Storybook Forest, round two!

you also had your first ride in the jogging stroller this month. you seemed a little confused about what was going on, but you certainly got lots of smiles from the other walkers and runners on the path. we have lots of miles to cover together, kiddo!

i think the highlight of your day is always when we go down to the bus stop to pick up Greta and Cecilia. as soon as we step out the door, you squeak and wave your arms with excitement. you love to watch the cars drive past, and then of course, as soon as the girls get off the bus, you are beside yourself with glee! 

playing with your new friend, the Shadow Baby

we love you so much, Elizabeth Rose!