10 Months!

Happy 10 Months to Isabelle Ann!

I can't believe our little girl is already 10 months old! I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but it truly is amazing how fast she has grown up.  She has changed so much and is the biggest blessing to our lives. 

What is Isabelle up to at 10 months?

Crawling:  Isabelle LOVES crawling everywhere.  She has this perfected and can get from one room to another in a matter of seconds.  She loves to be moving and loves exploring new things, actually she loves exploring anything that she can get too, which is about everything. 

Cruising:  The day after her 9 month doctor appointment, Isabelle mastered cruising on furniture.  She had been standing there for quite some time but now she can quickly get from one side of the couch to another.  She loves going from the ottoman back to the couch and back again.  She also loves cruising on the downstairs couch since it wraps around and gives her more room to walk.  Another favorite?  Anything she can stand up on.  She will pull up to stand on the fridge, the wall, the door (anything she can) and walk along there with her hand pressed up against the surface. 

Walking:  She still loves to walk holding on to her doll stroller, her Disney Princess car, or our hands as much as possible.  Actually most days it seems more like a run then a walk as she moves so fast!  She has started taking a couple steps holding on to just one hand of ours and can stand and walk with her stroller or car holding on with just one hand. 

Standing:  Isabelle can now stand for about 5 seconds on her own without any help at all! (Of course I don't have time to snap a picture in this time frame but here is one of her standing by her play table)

Talking:  MaMa and Mom.  Those are the two words we hear hundreds of times a day.  And it never gets old.  She looks right at me and says it and it melts my heart.  She is also "talking" a lot more too, and saying more sounds and syllables then before, although we can't make out anymore concrete words.

Eating:  As a previous post mentioned, Isabelle loves eating.  She eats three meals and three snacks a day.  She drinks lots of water and about 4 oz of white grape juice during the day also.  One of her new favorite foods seems to be Sara Lee Blueberry Crumble Wheat Bread.  She LOVES this.  She usually has some during her morning snack.  Today she tried Earth's Best Organic French Toast and seemed to like that as well.  It is still a little slow going on the adult veggies though, although she did get a few french cut green beans and a baked sweet potato down the other night :)

Playing:  Isabelle loves playing.  She loves holding things in her hands and crawling around with them  Loves her stuffed animals.  Loves rolling balls across the room and crawling after them.  Loves toys that sing and light up.  Loves her talking animal puzzle.  Loves her numerous shape sorters.  Loves being read to.  While she may not play with one thing for too long before moving to another, she definitely has fun exploring all that there is.  In the mornings we play in the basement since that is where our TV is and she can watch Sesame Street (or at least it's on in the background).  No matter what she is in the middle of doing when the Sesame Street and Elmo's World theme songs come on, she will stare at the television, smile, talk, and bounce up and down to the songs.  We like to say she is dancing!

Napping:  Isabelle loves her naps.  She still naps twice a day at 10:00 am and between 3:00 and 3:30pm.  Her naps range from anywhere to 1 to 3 hours each.  She is such a good napper and wakes up refreshed and ready to play!

Sleeping:  Isabelle's sleeping patterns have definitely changed.  She use to sleep through the night great, sleeping 12 hours at a time.  But since about 8 1/2 months she has been waking up during the night again.  She isn't hungry and doesn't want anything but for us to hold her and rock her back to sleep again.  Some nights she will wake up once, some nights she will wake up 5 or 6 times.  We talked to her pediatrician about this and she said it's Bedtime Separation Anxiety, which usually starts around 9 months.  Basically she wakes up and realizes she is alone and wants to be with her mommy or daddy.  She did tell us to let her cry it out at night and in a couple nights she would be sleeping through the night again.  I know several people have done this and it works, but neither Kevin or I have any interest in letting her cry it out.  So until this phase passes, Isabelle will be getting lots of cuddle time.  Even if it is the middle of the night. :)  Years from now we will wish she was little enough for us to rock back to sleep.

Mommy:  Lately Isabelle seems to be going through a mommy phase. :)  Of course it is undeniable how much she loves her daddy.  She lights up when he comes home from work and greets him with a big smile.  She loves playing with her daddy, loves bedtime stories with him, loves him rocking her.  However she loves following me around.  If I leave the room, she tends to crawl right after me.  If I walk in the room, she tends to turn towards me and smile and usually say mom.  When I take her shopping she is not a fan of her stroller since she can't see me.  I often pull the stroller from the front so she can see me (or more times then not carry her). I joke that its like Mary Had A Little Lamb...where I go, Isabelle goes.  And of course I love this.  I will soak this in as long as I can.  It's no wonder she is though, as I never leave her side either.

Climbing: This says it all.  She loves climbing on anything she can.  She especially loves when we set her on the couch or bed and she can climb over blankets and pillows.  Her favorite though is climbing all over us if we are on the floor.  We seem to be her personal jungle gyms lately. :)

Understanding No:  This one isn't fun for Isabelle, but its good to know that she recognizes what the words "no no" mean.  It seems the only times we find ourselves saying no is when she touches or stands against the fireplace screen, tries to pull the outlet covers off, crawls to and starts playing with the carbon monoxide detector, or tries to (and has successfully) pullen the vents from the floor completely out.  In these cases we will say a very nice "no no".  She usually stops what she is doing, turns to look at us, gives a pouty face and will sometimes cry . My poor baby. :(  But we have to keep her safe. :)

Wow.  I didn't realize this post was going to be so long or detailed.  I guess at 10 months there is lots to report.  We love you with all our hearts Isabelle Ann.  You have enriched our lives more then we ever thought was possible.  You brighten each and every day.  We truly treasure every moment we have with you and never take a single moment from granted.  Happy 10 month birthday munchkin!

Isabelle Ann 10 months ago.  November 3rd 2009.