10 Months

Dear Ilan,

Your personality is starting to shine through.  The word for you this month is: excitable.  You are excited about everything!

When I put you down for sleep I lay you on your back in your crib and you smile up at me and pump your legs up and down, in this manic sort of excited way, fast fast fast, your heels make a swishing noise on the sheets and your whole body slides up and down.  You are so excited about going to sleep!

At mealtime, especially on Friday nights when we have challah and juice, you are so excited to eat that you can barely contain yourself.  Your whole body quivers and you wave your arms and try to lunge out of your chair to get to the food.  Sometimes we have ice cream for dessert and I share with you.  You smile and bounce and moose and make this gurgling noise of happiness in the back of your throat.  Your baby anticipation is so sweet and infectious.

At bath time, or anytime when anyone is in the shower or bath, you charge into the bathroom and pull yourself up on the tub and moose until we let you in.  And when we do, you reward us with the biggest grin and hit us repeatedly with your arm slaps of happiness. You love taking baths with Roan, even though he constantly splashes you and squirts water in your face.

There are two things you like to say: mum mum mum mum, and bah bah bah bah.  Mum is both me and Jay. Bah is bottle and food.  You are always excited to see us and always excited to see your bottle.

You play a game at bedtime that we call The Game.  We try to read you books and you try to crawl off the bed.  We grab your legs and pull you back and you laugh and laugh.  Repeat.  If we don't grab your legs quickly enough you stop and look back at us, waiting.

Roan has taught you how to growl.  The two of you growl at each other constantly.  And you growl at Jay and me, when you are happy, when you are angry, when you are hungry.  Or, when you just feel like growling.  You have also started to wave and play peek-a-boo.

Some photos from Month 10:

You have  only been on the swings a few times.  You like them.

You love pushing cars around the floor, you and Roan follow each other around the house with various cars and trucks.

You have a walker that you are just getting the hang of.  You push it until it crashes into something, then you  growl until somebody comes and turns you around so you can push it back.

Happy 10 months, Lani Lou.