Soooooo Big!!! (8-10 Months)

Heading out to the garage: one bouncy seat, one Jumperoo, one baby gym, one baby swing, one Bumbo, and one bag of bottles....  Inside the house, not-so-baby Jack is enjoying her new toy drum, books, and Tonka truck while sipping from her Camelbak straw cup (don't judge - it's her beverage delivery vehicle of choice!).  While the separation anxiety and intermittent teething continue to plague us (two bottom teeth already poking through!), we have still been enjoying Jackie's development immensely over the past two months.

A girl and her truck

Socially, Jackie is as sweet and outgoing as ever.  She loves other kids and will now wave and clap her hands (well, her "clapping" consists of slapping her hands against her legs) trying to make new friends.  Sometimes she'll surprise me now by giving wet, French "kissies" on the mouth and hugs without prompting.  She even begrudgingly allows Daddy to steal a kiss or two.  All kinds of new social "tricks" are emerging - blowing raspberries, clicking her tongue, smacking her lips, and raising both hands above her head to show she's "soooooo big" are among them.  Something she's taken to doing lately is squinting her eyes at people and giving a big, cheesy smile in hopes of befriending them - works every time.

Pool time!

Just chilling in a friend's hammock

Cheesy smile!  Can you see my two teeth?

Post-bath snuggles

Tuckered out from a long morning

She continues to avoid crawling, but can usually get to something that she wants by ambling around in a sitting position using her arms to propel her - it's a delicate balance to avoid falling onto her stomach, from which will quickly roll onto her back...and then she's stuck.  Occasionally she will cruise a few inches, standing while holding onto a couch or chair.  She's gotten very good at grasping small objects, and now prefers to hold her own spoon to feed herself or eat finger foods.  She will grab pieces of lint from the carpet and delicately taste them with the tip of her tongue before dispensing of them - smart girl. :)

The other day I took Jackie out for lunch at Panera Bread.  I was a little worried she might get bored and start whining, refuse to eat, try to climb out of the high chair, or throw food across the room.  But she was quiet and sweet, ate most of her grilled cheese sandwich by herself while I ate my salad, and entertained herself by playing with string on the window shade.  I thought about how far we have come since arriving in San Antonio, and felt very grateful for my big grown up girl.  Happy ten months!

Out to lunch with Mommy! 

Happy 10 months!