sweetest baby of all

weekends out and about

 On Saturday morning, we got in the car and drove to Ikea via IHOP.

They gave you a kid's menu with crayons.

After breakfast, we went to Ikea where you rode in a crazy Swedish cart. It was just your size!

You and Sascha examined the model kitchens and then we found you a new toy box. You now have too many toys to fit comfortably into the basket we've been using.

When we got home, I put the toy box together, while you helped.  Your favorite part was the packing material, but you also liked the tools.

We put all your toys into the toy box, while you supervised and made sure that everything fit okay. You stood there looking inside for a long time.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, you became ENRAGED!

There was no reason for it! You were just mad. You are becoming more toddler like every day.

Then as suddenly as it began, it was over.

See what I mean?  Toddler.

After a long day, you fell asleep in my arms. Sweet dreams Clara!

more outside

 We went to your friend Maya's birthday party, and you played outside in the grass. 

You also ate almost all of the cheese at the party, you cheese lover you!

warmer weather approaches

reorganizing all your clothes

Clara at 10 months

Dear Clara,

You are ten months old today.  You are certainly growing up quickly!  You haven't changed as much between nine months and ten months as you did between eight months and nine months.  I think it would be more accurate to say that you have refined your nine month skills.

For example, when you were nine months old, you learned how to pull up on the couch and stand there, holding on for dear life. Now, at ten months, you barely need to hold on anymore. You are able to lean casually against the couch while playing, and if you drop whatever toy you are using, you are able to bend over and pick it up. You are also able to get from standing to sitting, a skill that many of your friends have yet to master.You are still not terribly confident about your newfound balance. I see you standing next to the couch, holding on with one hand, when a toy catches your eye and suddenly, you are playing with the toy in both hands. Then you realize that you're standing, ON YOUR OWN, lose confidence and sit down quickly.

You are developing different relationships with your dad and me.  With him, you are silly and loud. He teaches you fun tricks, like high fives and various other silliness. With me, you are sweet and snuggly and much less mischievous.

You are still a very easy going, agreeable baby, but it is becoming slightly more complicated to bring you out to restaurants. You are no longer interested in sitting quietly in a chair. You want to grab everything on the table, turn around to look at what's going on around you, throw things on the floor and generally make a lot of noise.

This month, you have gotten even more curious than in the last few months. You love interacting with people. Over Christmas, you discovered the amusement of playing peekaboo, but until recently, you were not the one leading the game. Now, you pick up towels, discarded articles of clothing, hold them over your face and then drop them to laugh at us. When you are excited, you clap your hands or wave them in the air. Your dad has spend weeks teaching you how to give highfives, which you do maybe 75% of the time. You also like to wave hello and goodbye, especially when we take you to daycare.

You love music - all music. You do a funny little baby dance when there is music on the stereo, sing along when we sing to you and try to help your dad play guitar. You have an increasingly expressive baby vocabulary. What you lack in different syllables, you certainly make up for in different inflections.

You are endlessly interested in all of our food and seem to be reaching the end of your tolerance for "baby food." You are in the process of cutting your two front teeth, and at that point, you'll be more able to eat the same things we eat, which is very exciting.

You are quickly exploring the various secret hiding places for things in the downstairs of our house. You follow computer power cords into the couch to find their source (impossible - as the source is behind the couch, babyproofing and whatnot), open cabinets to pull things out onto the floor, and try to open the drawers to your dresser. You are interested in containers, examining tubes of diaper cream and sippy cups from all angles. I am excited for the months to come. Your actual personality is emerging, and you are a joy to be around. You give sloppy baby kisses and smile huge toothless grins.

Love,

Mama

snuggle nap