Ten Months!

Oh the things you did between 9 and 10 months. You started crawling with your belly off the ground more, you are starting to get your 3rd tooth (can't tell exactly what one it is, but it started poking through on Wed the 22nd. Its one of the top left front ones. Its still pretty flat and hasn't poked through too much, but its giving you all the grief in the world. You seem to have been possessed this week though. You were crying over the smallest of things, you don't like your usual foods, you fight even more against me cleaning your teeth and gums, you have your pointer finger jammed up your left nostril almost all the time (must be to help with the nerve pain) and you want to snuggle and nap on me even more so, but your face must hurt because you keep tossing your head side to side to get comfy.
Speaking of sleeping, we lowered your mattress for your crib and cleaned out all the extra stuff so you can start sleeping in there. You started on monday the 20th and it was a rough go, but its getting better, even with you teething. Of course, when you wake up at your usual 4 or 5 am time for a midnight snack, I bring you into our bed for some snuggle time and you stay there with me until you wake up between 8 and 9. I can tell you like the family bed time as much as I do, and I think Papa likes it just as much because you like to snuggle up to him to fall asleep again. You are so funny, and you also seem to think its ok and pretty funny to pick on him too. He likes to make you think it annoys him, but I know he likes it to some extent. Next is getting you to nap in your crib. I like our napping together time, but there will come a time in our lives when you need to be in your crib and we need to start prepping for that soon. (I know anyone reading is going to be appalled that I still nap with my kid on my chest, but that's our one on one time and I love how snuggly he is when he's starting to drift off and when he's waking up, but doesn't want to sit up or start playing again) Just in the past day or so, you've been letting go and pushing away from things to test your standing. I can tell that walking isn't that far off. You don't like it when the person holding you starts trying to make you stand alone, but when you want, you'll let go and see what happens. You've learned pretty quickly that falling on your butt isn't going to hurt and you can get back up VERy quickly.
You are into everything worse than ever. I thought we would be ok with the height of our entertainment center and all (you still like to pull up on the glass part, but you've gotten smart and start pulling up on the wooden sides and do it quick so I don't see), but you have proven me wrong yesterday. You not only pulled yourself up on the entertainment center, you also cleared off a bunch of things up there and found the spare batteries we had taken out of the swing and put up there to be put in the charger. Thank God I happened to look over just as you pulled it down and it fell out of your hand. So now, we have to use your rocking chair, entertainer, and the top to your toy box to block off the tv and the rest of the entertainment center. For any other baby we would only really need to block the front and all would be well. Not you. I ran out of ideas of things to use to block the front, sides, and keep you at least 2 feet from even being able to reach the thing. You are so smart too, because you've started to even pull things out of the way to get what you want.
You've also started some talking. You say "AhMah" for Momma, "Dah" for Papa (or dada, depending on what he wants you to call him, we'll work on forming that better), and you also still use "Neh Neh" for when you want food or to nurse. If you want someone to pick you up or hold you, you go over to them or you make good eye contact and start opening and closing your hands quickly. Its like a "gimme!" kind of thing. Its really cute and really awesome that Papa and I can use your "gimme" hands to get you to come to us. Its amazing that now it feels like all your actions aren't random at all anymore (you have your VERY odd moments still) and that its all with purpose and its becoming something that we both understand perfectly.
You still LOVE to nurse. You won't take a bottle from me unless we are in a car or in a store and I can't nurse you. I bring you into the bathroom (along with your entertainer) for when I have to get ready for work and you will play in that, but once I'm out of the shower, you barely let me dry off and put in my contacts before you want me to pick you up and carry you (even while brushing my teeth!) and you often move the towel out of the way so that you can help yourself. I noticed this one day as I was getting dressed and you fought with me for a while about me putting on a bra because you wanted to nurse. Papa finds it so funny that I can coax you to my side of the bed by getting your attention and showing you the nip. You also like to pull on my shirt and bra to let me know that you want boob and you want it NOW. You've made me flash people in Walmart because you were thirsty. Its pretty funny that you know just what and where the momma milk comes from. You even inspect Papa's nips. You've come pretty close to latching on, but you stop at the last second like you get tickled by a chest hair or you notice that it doesn't look like the ones you nurse from. Its pretty funny and you do it all the time!
You really like your puffs and yogurt melts even more now. You like the container even more though. You use your bottom teeth to pop off the top and scatter them all over the living room so that you can choose just what exact puff you want. Of course you also hate it when I start cleaning them up so you come over and sit on the pile. What a nut you are.
You are finally in size 3 diapers, but we've run out of the Huggies (which I have grown to LOVE) but we have to suffer through a HUGE box of Pampers Cruisers before we can get more Huggies. Something about the Huggies, the lining doesn't all fall and get bunched up between your legs, they fit better, the tabs hold better, they last longer (one pee and you have a Cruiser SOAKED!), and they don't ride up your belly as much which causes them to fold over funny and irritate your belly and just below. You are also pretty hard to keep still and diaper, so the Huggies being quicker and easier to put on you is a HUGE plus. I just wish I knew someone I could sell the Pampers to, I'd go out and buy a TON of Huggies.
You love your toys, but you love the non toys more. Paper, boxes, tags on clothes, bottles, and anything else you shouldn't have. Stupid thing is, I have NO clue where you find this stuff. I vacuum twice a week and you still manage to find the strangest stuff. Just the other day, you sucked the cotton ends off a q tip. I don't know where it came from, but I stepped on it and noticed that it was all messed up and had NO TRACE of cotton on it. You had literally sucked all the cotton off. I didn't notice until about 5 mins after you crawled away so I had NO chance of pulling it out of your mouth. Just hope you poop it out ok...
You've been chewing on EVERYTHING. Even your crib is starting to get the brunt of it now. The other day I went to put you in your crib so I could go to the bathroom and noticed markings on your crib that weren't there a few days before. I looked closely and saw it very well could be teeth. Then I notice that you have flecks of the finish on your face. I hope we can find some sort of teething guard so that you don't destroy the thing before we get to put your siblings in there!
Well, my love, its about that time that I start getting ready to go to bed. I like to stay up late so that I get my alone time and all while you are sleeping. Then when you wake up and want to come to bed with us, I'm not waking from a dead sleep, I'm just laying down. You actually JUST woke up, my love. More to come and keep growing strong. You are amazing.