k r i s t i n a k a y e: Farrah's Ten Month Update

Dear Farrah,
What a pretty 10 month old, you are. You daddy said to you, "Gosh darn, you are beautiful - your nose, your lips, your eyes..." We are infatuated with you. Thank you for being you. If I could have picked all that I thought would make the perfect baby, I still could not have picked one as perfect as you. You may be stubborn, but your adorable smile makes it okay. You have a temper, but we will direct it positively, because to be strong-willed and determined are great qualities. Your laughter is refreshing and your hugs are like magic. You are our masterpiece!

At Farrah's 9 month appointment, she was 26" (4th percentile), 16 lbs 6 oz (19%), and her head circumference was 43.5" (39%). She is wearing size 3 diapers, and wears 9-12 and 12 month clothes.

Farrah's ninth month was my favorite this far. I feel like so much happened this month, she has changed and learned so very much, and she is so much fun! She learned to clap and point on request, she claps to patty-cake and she stretches her arms straight up when you ask her, "How big are you, Farrah?" as to say "SO big!" She is such an imitator! She clicks her tongue, fake coughs, laughs, sticks her tongue out...anything that you do, she'll do.

She says: dada, mama, night night (nigh nigh), banana (nana), hi, and meow. She attempts to say other things like moo (mmm), which she also says "mmmm" for food that tastes good, and other animal noises like quack and baa. She's into one syllables right now (da, ma, hi...).

She is getting more affectionate! She will hug my face or put her forehead to mine when I'm holding her, laying on the ground she'll tackle me with kisses, and she'll lay on our chest if we bring her to bed during the night. She will lay her head on us or on the floor and say "awww."

We moved her to a convertible car seat and it has made a world of a difference. She rides much happier, and I'm looking forward to turning her forward facing. She is always smiling when we open the back door of the vehicle to get her out.

One of the cutest things she's been doing is shaking her head no when you say no. She now has learned what it means, and will say no to things she doesn't want. She likes to be chased when she's crawling, dancing around her bedroom, exploring, and now she loves to hold both your hands and take off walking! She just doesn't have the balance to do it on her own yet.

She is such a great eater, and is kind of over the puffs and yogurt drops, and more interested in all real foods. She is starting to drink out of a sippy cup and is taking less breast milk from a bottle at daycare now. For a couple weeks in a row, she would only take 2 oz from the bottle and then shake her head no and tighten her lips.

She enjoyed her very first St. Patrick's Day and Easter this month, she still loves opening and closing doors, playing with doorknobs, standing on her tippy toes when holding onto anything, and giving open mouth kisses upon request. She also kissed her book the other day! She likes to holler loudly, especially when Keane and I speak loudly across the house to one another.

She loves reading books, she waves when you say hi or bye, and is starting to say hi (heh) and bye. She absolutely loves her crocheted lamb lovey and gets it from her crib. When she finds a hair bow, she will put it up to her hair (so cute), and she put some shoes on top of her foot. She is really into putting objects inside other objects and will contently do this for quite some time.

The joy of parenting is overwhelming. I am realizing how much changes in our day to day lives with a baby. I used to be able to go constantly, but now I am taking a lot more time to slow down and meet Farrah's needs (naps, baths, frequent feedings, early bedtimes), and I can't always join (doing things such as mushroom hunting). Farrah does love the four wheeler though! She leans toward it when she sees it, and contently rides as long as it's moving.

She did come down with a case of Hand Foot Mouth Disease this month, and that was no fun. She luckily didn't get too many blisters, and she didn't get any in her mouth which can cause the most pain. She must have had a terrible sore throat though, because there were two days she refused to nurse for me. She came down with a fever first, then the sore throat, and then the blisters remained for quite a few days. We sure were glad when that was over!