Maybe it's that when she's in her carseat, she leans as far forward as she can and actually looks out the side windows. Maybe it's that she is finally too heavy for me to carry up and down the condo stairs in her carseat, so now the carseat lives in one car or the other. Something's changed about her face too--she's just looking more and more like a little person, less and less like an infant.
Then there's the clapping, which she learned how to do on April 17--the day before my thirtieth birthday. It still delights and fascinates her to no end that she can slap her hands together and make noise--every single time she tries! Often she randomly starts clapping, and the ecstatic grin on her face is priceless. She especially loves it when others join in {or initiate} clapping with her. I can just imagine her thinking, "Wow, they all know how to do it, too!"
About two and a half weeks ago, Lainie realized she can get to things she wants by rolling to them. For the first time in her life, she doesn't stay exactly where I put her until I pick her up and move her. Crazy times for both the small girl and her mother! I have a feeling, given the scoochy movements she attempts when she's on her tummy, that she's not far from crawling.
:: playing with mama's birthday balloon ::
She's graduated to big girl baths, in the kitchen sink or the bathtub, out of sheer necessity: She is longer than the baby tub. Her head practically dangles off one end.
Speaking of that darling little head, her hair is starting to grow in. You'd never know unless you've seen her sweet little almost-bald noggin daily; it's only by comparison to a few months ago that one can say her hair is getting long and thick. Which are two facts Mike and I exclaim over regularly. Sometimes it's all frizzy from rubbing on the sheet when she wakes up in the morning. Especially these couple of wild hairs on top--there are just a few of them, but they are a couple inches long!
We've been making lots of little trips to the beach on nice afternoons. Lainie finds dogs, seagulls, and pigeons fascinating {which may or may not be because those are the only animals she's seen in person!}. She makes little "oof oof" noises at all of them--it is beyond precious. Once, instead of just strolling our way along with her in the stroller, I carried her and set her down at intervals on the rocky beach. Not such a good idea: all the girl wanted to do was put rocks in her mouth. We are sticking to the stroller or sitting on logs for now! There is a nice little playground too, and yesterday I put her in a swing for the first time. She was alternately giddy with laughter when I pushed her, or studying her surroundings from this new vantage point very, very seriously.
:: "I can't reach any rocks..." ::
At nine months, I weaned Lainie from night feedings, and the transition was surprisingly smooth. Immediately she started sleeping till 5-6am, and now--for the most part--she sleeps until 7-8am before waking. The past few nights she's been teething, but I kind of don't want to talk about it because she is such an easy teether, I don't want other mamas to get jealous!
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...ok, ok, I'll tell you. When Lainie's teething, she wakes up once at night crying...and no matter how you try to soothe her, nurse her, give her Tylenol, etc., she will be awake for about an hour and fifteen minutes {fitfully, clearly tired and trying to sleep} before finally falling asleep. She wakes up at her normal time, takes super long naps during the day, and after a few days, TA-DA! A tooth shows up! She is the most ridiculously easy teether I've ever heard of. She cut her third tooth last Friday, fourth tooth on Monday, and fifth tooth today {Tuesday}. I fully expect tooth #6 to pop through in the next day or two--I can see it bulging through her gums!
We've taken Lainie to restaurants and to friends' houses for dinner a number of times recently, and she does remarkably well. It's so nice to be able to go out to eat, or to a party, and know that some finger foods in her high chair will keep her happy and well-fed. I think she feels secure in her high chair--and I am so glad we chose to get the portable kind that buckles onto a regular chair! We take it with us everywhere.
Lainie loves to eat oatmeal mixed with yogurt, applesauce, bananas, hummus, rice cakes, cheerios, and bread of any kind. She likes fruit, some veggies, and things that are more flavorful/spicy, but not so much meat and eggs right now. It's so interesting to me how she really does seem to go through eating "phases" like I've read.
Recently there have been lots of "conversations." She'll say the same syllable or two over and over, varying the speed, inflection, and tone so that it sounds like she's carrying on a real conversation. If I respond, either in English or baby talk, she responds to me, and often gets more and more worked up till she's practically yelling, her lil eyebrows furrowed and waving her hands around for emphasis.
It's such fun being ten months old!
Happy 10 months sweet Lainie! Love this little glimpse into her world, and reading about her entertaining antics, it sounds like she'll be talking in no time!
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