Fields of Green: 10 (...and a half...) months

My sweet girl,

I can't believe that you are really 10 months old. Really, you're almost closer to 11 months now; time is flying so quickly! We have been so very busy this month that we've barely been able to catch our breath. You have been such a sweet and perfect girl through all of it, I can't even tell you how proud I am of you!

You continue to amaze us with your sweetness, your smartness, and your silliness. You are suddenly changing so much and leaving babyhood behind. You got your top two teeth this month, and it made you look so grown up. You have developed such a sense of humor! You definitely have the English eye-twinkle; you get that from your Grandpa T. You will think something is funny, but instead of giving up a full laugh, you laugh first with your eyes. That little crooked smile and funny gremlin giggle follows soon after, but I love the eye twinkle best.

Case in point: twinkle eyes.

You love to give kisses, and you've gotten so good at giving them. You adore doggies and kitties, and you love to say, "Kuh-TEE! Kuh-TEE!" It cracks everyone up, especially when you call things kitties that aren't.

The day you turned 10 months, I cuddled you close for your morning nap. Bunny bear, you have no idea how much I treasure cuddling you. It's getting harder these days, because you just want to go-go-go from the moment you wake up till you go to sleep. There's just so much for you to see and do and explore, I know, but I love when you are still and clutching my hair in your fist. You put your ear right over my heart and your whole body relaxes. I just love that soft little cheek on my skin, just as much as I loved it the first time I felt it.

We still get up and snuggle first thing every morning. We talk and sing and read books in the big bed, although you have a tendency to want to chase the kitty and try to dive off of the bed instead of sit still and read with me. We usually sing "Good Morning" (from Singing in the Rain), "Good Morning, Beautiful," "This is the Day," "Skidamarink," and a silly song I made up that I guess I'll call "In the Morning," to the tune of "Oh, My Darling." We generally have a made-up song for each part of the day. You love our songs.

I love our night-time songs best, though. At night we play and play and act silly, but as soon as your jammies are on and it's just your nightlight on in your room, you snuggle up and listen to me sing. We always sing, "I Love You, Lord" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Best of all, (and really, this should go in your 11-month letter because it's just been the past couple of weeks) you've started singing with me. I didn't realize at first that was what you were doing. You hum a little sound over and over, "mmm...mmm....mmm..." and put your ear on my chest. Then you keep humming right along as I sing, with your hand in my hair or your own. I love it. I love that you want me to sing to you and I love how our little song makes you happy.

Your new words are "duck," "baba" (bottle), "kitty," "water," and "doggie." You can even point to doggie, kitty, duck, and ball in a book. Your favorite game is throw and catch, and it's amazing how good you are at it. You have a little fabric lettuce that you love to throw around. You've fallen in love with a soft toy doggie that Daddy gave me when we were in college. You clutch it in your sleep and love to have it close to you. You also love your little stegasaurus that your friend Halle Dru gave you at her birthday.

You are climbing the stairs with reckless abandon and keeping me on my toes at all times. You love to play "chase," and I was so excited the first time you initiated playing it all by yourself. You kept crawling away from me and laughing, then looking back over your shoulder. I couldn't figure out what you were doing, and then it finally dawned on me. I chased you all over our first floor. You don't always want your knees to touch the ground, so you often crawl around on your tippie-toes, and it cracks everyone up.

You also learned how to wave, and oh my goodness, could you be any sweeter or cuter? It started as a little princess wave, with a cupped hand and a turning wrist. Soon you were moving your fingers up and down, and usually you'll wave with both hands at once. You figured it out when we were in Williamsburg with small group girls, the girls who love you so much, and you waved at everyone; man, woman, child, beast, inanimate object. A wave and a smile, baby, and you knock 'em flat, especially when you throw in one of your very exuberant "HI!"'s.

Honey, we just love you so much. Every day with you is fun and sweet, even when you're having an off day or I'm not feeling well. I don't know how we lived without you.