Ten Months with Lyla

March 27, 2015

Ten Months with Lyla

Our littlest girl is 10 months old!

As we inch closer to Lyla's first birthday, I find myself thinking more and more about this time last year--my baby shower was at the end of March, we went on our babymoon in early April, and finally got her nursery in semi-working order shortly thereafter. There was SO much anticipation. I had been around children, babies in particular, a lot. But thinking about my own child and my own experience as a mom was just so hard to get my head around. The truth is that life with Lyla has been both exactly how I thought it would be and totally different than I thought it would be... all at the same time (if that makes any sense). Anyhow, enough of my reflective ramblings. Onto the 10 month update!

Lyla Rose is now sporting 4 little teeth. They make her look SO grown-up. Ahhh. But her smile is just so dang cute. Fortunately, biting hasn't been too much of an issue, as we are still nursing. But I did cut my losses and quit pumping this month. Hallelujah. It gave me so much joy to stick that thing in a closet to collect dust... you know, until I go back to work after future babies. Ugh. Baby girl has been getting along just fine on solids and goat's milk when I'm at work, thank goodness.

Lyla's favorite things are still music and dancing and she loves, loves, LOVES The Wheels on the Bus song. I will never understand it. But, it is such a great thing to have in your back pocket when she doesn't want to get in her carseat, or has reached her limit on roadtrips--it's pretty much a great distraction from anything negative (and I'll happily use it!). What's hilarious is that she particularly likes the verses about how "the babies on the bus say wah, wah, wah" and "the mamas on the bus say shh, shh, shh." It's like she knows.

She is babbling away and 'dada' remains her favorite word to date. She can't say 'mama' yet, but she understands that I am 'mama' and that Jake is 'dada', so we've got that going for us! She randomly started saying "uh oh" the past couple of days. I haven't the slightest idea if she knows what it means, but it's hilarious all the same. We JUST taught her how to high five and she thinks it is the funniest thing. Seriously, it's like Jake and I are comedians--full on belly laughs.

Lyla and our dogs are getting along better than ever. They share a whole lot of "kisses"; meaning, Lyla leans over with her mouth open and the dogs proceed to lick her face. It is very gross and very endearing. Guido has figured out that the best seat in the house is under Lyla's highchair during mealtimes (smart pup). Stella just wants to be near her and they will even play with toys together-- as you might imagine, many of Lyla's toys are appealing to our dogs and vice versa. There is a whole lot of sharing in our house. Good thing the experts say living in a house with dogs is good for kids' immune systems! :)

I have to say, as sad as I am to be transitioning from the baby stage to the toddler stage, the very best thing about this age is just watching her learn. It is so fun to see her connect the dots in her little brain. She watches our mouths closely when we speak, like she's trying to figure out just how we make that sound. If you point to two blocks, she will stack one on top of the other. She is just a little sponge. I love it, but have also become SO aware of what I say and do--I know she is watching our every move! (It's all fun and games until they start saying "no" or "mine"-- they don't get that stuff out of thin air!).

Here are some photos from the past month. Enjoy!