She is 10 Months Old!!!!

I know it is so cliché, but we just can’t believe our munchkin is 10 months old! Where has the time gone? Well, we continue to feel very blessed to have a happy healthy baby, and now that she is no longer puking at all, Madeline could not be more fun. She is a very happy and active baby. Our main struggle is keeping up with her energy! As long as she is entertained, she is all smiles. Mattie enjoys going out and about, loves visiting outside with our neighbors, and likes to wave at everyone in the grocery store. She does, however, have a bit of a temper and wants it “her way!” In fact, don’t even think about getting her to do something, walk, sit, eat, ANYTHING, unless she wants to. We have a strong-willed child on our hands.

We are very grateful that for now, I am still able to financially and mentally/emotionally afford to stay home with Miss Mattie. Thankfully, Jeff is willing to work super hard to bring home the bacon. I have worked on a few side projects and continue to miss my colleagues and career. However, it really is a blessing to be able to take care of Miss Mattie (not to mention great for my prayer life - I’m always looking for more patience!)  I hope to be able to continue to work from home on a few projects to stay in the game.

Here are a few more pics from the last few weeks:

 And, a few updates for our baby book:

-She is a speedy crawler and pulls up on anything and everything. She is also a fast walker as long as she can hold on to a few of your fingers. She has some serious muscles because she does squats like they are what pump her little heart. She loves to squat to pick something up, put it on the coffee table, knock it off, and then start all over to pick it up. We expect her to start walking any day now!!!! Our living room is finally baby proof, but it seems that nearly every day she discovers something new that has to be “proofed”. She understands the word “no,” and will stop once you tell her. But then she will try and sneak another attempt. It is super cute, but a huge sign that trouble is ahead. She has started tossing food from her high chair to Macy. We say “no,” and she stops, but then tries to distract you and will do it while looking in a different direction. Oh boy!

-She loves music (especially Praise Baby, Mickey Mouse clubhouse, and Ellen’s theme song). If any of these come on, she immediately starts bobbing and grins from ear to ear! She will also do it 75% of the time on command if you sing a favorite song. We sing a lot of “Happy and You Know It,” “L O V E,” “ABCs,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “Splish Splash,” Toni/Nana started “I’m a little Tea Pot” and it is a HUGE hit, and she still loves my mom's version of "Here comes Peter Cotton Tail," but she prefers if my mom hops while she sings :)!

-She claps and waves most of the time when asked and it sounds like she is starting to say “hi.” She also says “uh-oh” after hearing it every now and then. She still says “dada” all the time. She has mastered a lot of other consonants, but still no “mama!” Jeff likes to say it is because I don’t spend enough time with her! HA!

-Mattie loves Macy. I mean really LOVES her. She will shake just about any toy in hopes that Macy will play fetch or tug-of-war. They both love to play with an empty water bottle. My parents had them going at it the other day and Mattie was laughing so hard she looked like she was in pain. We caught a few of the faces with the camera.

-Mattie still nurses three times a day and takes a bottle before bed. She eats breakfast lunch and dinner and really loves feeding herself. She is eating lots of veggies, meats, fruits, and carbs. We are still waiting on some fruits and dairy. Her skin was reacting to dairy and our pediatrician wants said it would be best to hold off a little longer. This child has some unbelievably sensitive skin. Sometimes I think she gets a rash just from us looking at her funny. Her favorite food is waffles and she still loves bananas. She is not a huge fan of her baby cereal or anything she can’t feed herself. She is funny; she only likes to eat one food item at a time. I’ve learned to sort things on her tray in piles and she will work from one to the other. If you try to mix it up or insert a different piece she grows very mad and just rubs it all in her hair. (there is a reason most little ones don’t have as much hair as she does….I’m constantly picking food out of her head throughout the day! It is super cute for bows, but also a magnet for EVERYTHING else!). Mattie now has the beginnings of two top teeth!

-She loves her bath and does not like to get out. She also doesn’t enjoy diaper changes. She is a crazy child in the tub and we are still using the inflatable one….mainly for safety and to contain her! She takes a bath almost every single day - primarily because she has such sensitive skin we want to get all the food out of her hair!

-Mattie naps around 10:00 and 3:00 for 1-2 hours and sleeps through the night from around 8:00 to 7:00. We read a few books, sing a few songs, and she falls asleep in her crib. Thank goodness!!!!

-She attended her future cousin's baby shower this month. Melissa and Mike were in from California for a super fun baby shower in Kerrville. Some pics are included above.  

-Earlier this week, she learned how to feed me a piece of her food! It was hilarious! She absolutely loved it and now I'm always eating some slimy slobbery pieces of food. Lovely! She is also very ticklish (when she wants to be) and will laugh hysterically! She is also learning to put toys “in” and “out”of a container (my mom has really started her on this), and she has mastered a few other cause and effect toys. She loves her books and enjoys turning the pages…even if you are not done reading that page.

We think she is pretty cute and are loving this stage of life. We can't believe we are already starting to discuss a 1 year Birthday Party. I'm pretty excited about that. So, mark your calendars for August 6th...if you are actually still reading this. If so, thanks for you patience and interest in our Munchkin! We appreciate your love and support!