Eloise - 10 months

Eloise is 10 months old!  Can it really be?  It seems like she was just born.  Two more months and she's a year old!  Wow how the time has flown by!

She is going and doing so much.  She is walking more and more but she prefers to crawl.  14 steps is the most she has taken at one time.  She is very stable standing on her own and can stand up from sitting though she prefers to have a little help still.  

 She now has 6 teeth in her mouth!  Once the bottom two came in they just kept coming.  She likes to use them too!  I've been nipped a few times while nursing, she bites down on her spoon and won't let go and she likes to bite my shoulder.  She hasn't gotten through to skin yet.  I'm trying to break her of it before she does! 

This girl loves to eat!  She eats whatever we eat pretty much.  We've started giving her a little meat this month.  She takes her time eating it.  It's new so she chews it a little them pulls it out of her mouth.  Puts it back in and pulls it back out.  Yeah it's kinda gross but what can you do?  Her favorite treat at the moment is popcorn and chocolate milk.  I know she's not supposed to have milk till she's one.  She only gets a few spoonfuls.   

Lately it feels like she and I have a bungee cord attached to each other.  She wants to be at my side all day.  If I leave the room she cries and chases after me.   She wants down and wants up again the instant her feet hit the floor.  

She loves to climb.  

She's climbed into our suitcase.  Which is very easy I know but that was just the beginning. 

I left her on the floor in the living room for just a few seconds and found her on to the couch (there was a rolled rug to help).  

She climbed into this chair all on her own.   

She climbed into this chair when we were at the pool.  She likes to climbed into the dishwasher.  She was in her room alone the other day and when Glen went to check on her he found her on to the bottom shelf of her changing table.  Anything that little leg can get over she's climbing onto.  When I laid her down for her nap the other day she was lifting her leg trying to climb out of her crib.  The rail was too high - for now at least.

She's realized she can open drawers and cabinets.  I can't keep her away from them!  She's caught her little fingers in them a few times.  She likes to swing doors back and forth too.  It makes me nervous she'll really smash her fingers with that!  I try to keep her from messing with the doors but she is fast and very sly about getting to them.

 I do believe she knows what "No" means but doesn't obey when she hears it.  When she's going to something that's off limits she'll turn and wave at me just before she goes for it.  Even when I tell her no she'll turn, give me that wave and keep going.  

She likes to pretend to talk on the phone.  When she gets one of ours she'll hold it to her ear and babel in her own little language.  It's so very cute.  

She's started to gather thing and squeeze them.  I don't know why or when she started this.  It can be anything.  She's usually moved on to something else before I can get a picture of her but I did get this one.  She has her doll, her outfit and the remote.   She is so very happy while doing it.  She's so silly.

At times it seems like she's referring to Glen when she says "dada."  The other day when he came home she leaned around the corner and it sounded like she said "hey dada!"  There are other times when she'll say dada when she wants to get his attention.  So sad she still won't say mama!!

She still loves to give herself kisses.  Now she'll give them when asked!  Aunt Staci was the lucky lady to get the first one.  She loves to kiss her dolls and stuffed animals.  She gives more hugs than kisses though.  When she gives hugs she pats your back.  She's so very sweet.  

 She hates her car seat.  She must have gotten burnt out with all the traveling we were doing.  The other day when I put her in it, she did the usual cry/bow back thing.  Then she let me buckle her in.  After I adjusted the buckle higher on her chest she grunted and hit it with both of her hands.  This little girl can be so feisty!  

She loves to get in and out of her bumbo seat.  She's figured out how to get in properly.  She still gets  one leg stuck under her or gets in sideways at times.  She's so fun to watch figure out how to get in and out of it right.   

 She is such a joy.  Just thinking about her makes me smile and want to be a better person.  Oh I just love her so very much.