The 10th Month

Happy 10 months little Meips!

This has been a big month for you. I thought I wouldn't have much to update, seeing as I was SO LATE with the last one, but you're really at that stage where you just change and grow everyday. I had forgotten how much fun it is at this stage with Noey and I'm now truly grateful that I get to spend this time at home with you.

So, some of the highlights of your development this month are:

1. You can stand unsupported for a long time.

"Look Ma, no hands!"

You are now very steady on your feet. You can stand, carrying heavy objects in both hands, with nary a care. You can also squat down and stand up without holding on to anything. Basically, I consider you as having passed the standing module and ready to progress to the next level of walking. All you need is a wee bit more confidence. You've been gleefully charging around on your walker with your funny little straight-legged walk so I think it wouldn't be long before you take off proper.

2. You took your first step

And yes, you've already taken your first step. A bit of a shuffle, which you've repeated a couple of times since, though you have yet to take more than one step at a time. These days, we can almost see you assessing the gap between spaces and deciding if you can make it across. Most times, you just lunge or sink to the floor and crawl across. I think once you get the confidence, there'll be no stopping you!

All dressed up and taking your first step, in your Elly dress, no less! Aunty A would be proud!

3. You can get on and off our bed on your own. You also know to get off the bed the right way, bum first.

"No, THIS is the way you get off the bed! Use your feet first!"

I'm quite pleased you learnt this quite quickly. At least I can stop worrying that you'll plunge - intentionally - over the edge of the bed. You still have a habit of flipping very quickly into a sitting position from being on all fours really near the edge of a raised surface though. Seriously, it's a skill how you always manage to choose to sit down just where you could tip over and give your parents a heart attack.

4. You are a very proficient crawler and you are also quite a climber these days.

I like how you don't let the fact that you cannot walk on your own stop you from being adventurous. It's all systems go for you when you reach the playground. You can make your way up the stairs and up any surface that you can get a knee on. Once I turned for a moment to talk to Aunty G (Dec's Mummy) and when I looked around, you were standing on the first step of a climbing structure and were trying to figure out how to get up the next step.

You weren't too pleased after you clonked your head a few times on the step above!

5. You sprouted your first 2 teeth.

6. You're eating like a champ.

Your meals now rotate between alphabet pasta, oats, and porridge, cooked with a variety of vegetables like sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, broccoli, peas, etc. and chicken, fish, tofu and sometimes beef for protein. You generally like everything. Atta girl. I think the one thing you weren't fond of were the bell peppers. Otherwise, you eat everything, and mighty quickly too. After your difficult brother, I can't tell you what a joy to feed a baby who actually likes her food! You even smack your lips when you see me eating something interesting. You're also constantly trying to drink from the soft drink cans in the kitchen, which are, thankfully, sealed. And you get mad when nothing comes out! You're our little foodie.

We have been happily feeding you in return, though with some restriction due to your sensitivity to dairy. I don't know if you've started to outgrow it, but after you had rashes for a week from yoghurt, I haven't dared to re-introduce dairy. You've been enjoying the soyghurt that I buy you on occasion instead.

The one thing we're not fond of giving you fish. For some reason, you tend to smell of fish for the next couple of days. "She smells like a baby... a baby MACKEREL!" said your father. We laughed, but it is true! I don't know what it is, though my latest guess is that it's your breath/saliva, that gets on your hands when you put your fingers in your mouth, then all over your head when you scratch yourself. I've got to figure out how to eliminate the smell because, phew!

Little Miss Messy-Mouth

7. You've start to show an interest in books. Like, finally! Unlike your brother however, you love the gimmicks -- the textured pages, the flaps, the sound/music/lights. Better if the book includes all of the above!

"Eh, so what's this book supposed to do? Where's the sound?"

Cognitively, we've also started to have more fun.

8. You know how to shake your head to say "no" when you don't want something.

Usually, this is your response when we try to give you another mouthful of food when you're not ready for it. Also, after being told off sternly for touching the power points on the walls, we've seen you head towards a power point, then stop short, shake your head, and move in another direction. It's really too cute. There have also been funny incidents. Like once when you were clanbering all over me, Papa looked over and said to me, "I think she's hungry. I think you should give her some milk." Immediately, you shook your head! We laughed and took it as a cue to delay your feed for a while.

9. You are starting to understand more, and can identify (ie. look in the direction) of the following when asked: pacifier, book, mama, papa, gor gor, sleep-sleep, milk-milk. You also understand "not in the mouth" though increasingly you're choosing to ignore this instruction.

Book and Ball. Check!

10. You absolutely love peekaboo. When we ask you to play, you'll crouch down behind a table, and then spring up with a yell. Sometimes you're so loud, we actually do get a fright!

"AHHHHH!"

11. Speaking of being loud, you've started to complain about your brother. Now when he harasses you, or when he takes toys away from you, you will look in my direction, expecting me to step in. And when I don't, you'll cry to complain. Gor gor can be rough most times, but I know sometimes he barely touches you and you still cry vehemently. On those occasions, I will reproach you for crying.

"Ack, hello, why isn't anyone doing anything? He's got me!"

You gor gor is lucky he's still bigger than you. He doesn't know what he's in for when you grow up.

11. You haven't been sleeping too well this month. There were a couple of days when you'll wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to go to sleep. On hindsight, this was probably due to teething, and the fact that you were probably in a skills-learning phase, both of which are known to disrupt sleep. But man, was I disgruntled by the need to carry and rock you for more than an hour each time!

"I don't want to sleep!!"

Consequently, I've brought you over to my bed more often, which surprise, surprise, you had much less trouble sleeping on. It's terrible for me though, because I then can't sleep from worrying that you'll fall off the bed, and because there seriously isn't enough space!

Stretching out. Like a boss. This is MY bed of course.

12. You've started to give us attitude. Yes, already!

We noticed traces of this earlier, but it's become very clear recently that when you're not happy with someone, you give them the cold shoulder. If I scold you for something, for example, for a while after that, you will ignore me and refuse to smile when I try to play with you. Just the other day, Papa scolded you for pulling out the tissues from the tissue box, and after that, you refused to eat the watermelon that he was holding out to you. The same watermelon that you'd been happily eating just moment before. When Papa passed me the watermelon to feed you, only then did you deign to eat it.

This one I'm not too pleased about of course. I can't believe you're already doing this, at 10 months! Hoo boy, are we going to have trouble with you over this when you get older.

This isn't a developmental milestone but a milestone nonetheless: you've finally spent your last month in the infant capsule car seat. Which you hate, by the way. I'm not surprised. In fact, at 10 months, it's a wonder you still fit into it. Baby Bites had to be given liberally to encourage you not to complain. I finally managed to get Noey a booster so you have since been upgraded to his old forward facing seat and we have much happier rides. The only problem is, you still expect the Baby Bites. And so does Noey.

Get me out of here!

It's been an interesting month.

Having been through this before, I know things are really going to speed up for you in 2012. And as much as I look forward to doing more with you, I just can't help but wish you'll stay your cuddlesome little self for longer. Difficult as you might be at times, you do have a winning personality. You engage strangers who play with you, sometimes even allowing them to carry you. You smile and squeal with delight and this makes you very popular wherever you go. You've clearly inherited your Papa's aunty-killing skill. And you are just the cutest little thing. We love love love you.

Big hugs,
Your slowly aunty-fying Mummy.