10 months

Dearest Grayson,

10 months old.  It is so hard to believe that last Christmas you were in my belly and this Christmas you were crawling all over the family room getting into everything and playing with all your presents.  What a difference a year makes!

This month has been a very busy month for you.  You are now officially crawling, not just your version of crawling.  You are fast as lightning and as quite as a stealth bomber.  I will frequently come into the playroom expecting you to be in there and end up finding you hiding in your brother's closet getting into all of his pull-ups or yanking all of his books out of his baskets.  We have had to start closing all the doors in between the family room and playroom to keep you somewhat contained.  Cammy said that she put you in the playroom one afternoon and came to unload the dishwasher.  Next thing she knew she felt someone pulling at her pants leg and looked down to find you smiling up at her.  See...you are very sneaky.  Let's just say I have caught you eating dryer lent out of the trash can in the laundry room on more than one occasion.  I know, sign me up for mother of the year.  I definitely think it is time to get the baby gate up.

Not only are you crawling, but you are pulling up on EVERYTHING.  You even have gotten brave enough to start testing out standing by yourself and the proud little look on your face melts my heart.  I have a feeling it will not be very long until you are walking.  YIKES!  You love getting in to things that you know that you are not supposed to be in.  We have decorative tin outlet covers and light switch covers in the family room.  One day I caught you pulled up on the console table with the outlet plug cover pulled out and you had managed to bend back the tin plate and were reaching for the live wires behind the outlet.  Needless to say, that outlet plate got changed to a hard plastic cover very quickly.  You still love to pull the outlet plug cover off though.  I will tell you know and you will stop and look at me and then reach again and then I say no again.  And so it goes until I pick you up and move you.  You then screech and fuss and get angry with me and two seconds later crawl over to do it all over again.

Speaking of screeching and fussing.  You have become VERY opinionated in the past couple of weeks.  You are still sweet as sugar, but man, watch out if we do something you don't like.  You will definitely let us know about it.  You will throw yourself around on the floor and fuss and cry.  Quite melodramatic.  We might be in trouble come your toddler years.

You have learned how to clap and you have learned how to do the touchdown motion.  both are so cute.  You still aren't talking a ton, but over the weekend you did start babbling just a little bit.  We have a speech therapy evaluation for you at the end of the month.  i am hoping I will be able to cancel that appointment.

You are eating great and are almost fully transitioned to table food.  You love lunchmeat and fruit.  You have had grapes, blueberries, strawberries and mandrain oranges.  You will eat pasta, chicken, ground beef.  Basically anything we eat.  You love goldfish, cherrios, waffles, french toast sticks, mum mums, and yogurt melts.  If you are in your high chair you expect to be being fed none stock.  If not, see paragraph about expressing your opinion above. 

I took you to the doctor for an ear recheck last week and you had gained over a pound since your 9  month check up!  You now weigh over 21 pounds.  So big!  Speaking of ears, your poor little ears have been giving you fits.  You have had four ear infections since Labor Day and your time for tubes has come.  We are taking you for your ENT consult next week.  Hopefully the tubes will help you feel better, although honestly it is so hard to tell you have ear infections because you just don't fuss and cry that much.  such a sweet baby!

We love you to the moon and back.  More than all the stars in the sky.  More than all the sand on the beach and more thank all the water in the ocean.

Love

Mommy and Daddy