Dear Ruby

Lovie Dovie,

You are ten months old today! This seems a little harder than all the previous months..possibly because you are now in into the double digits as far as months go. As sad as I am about time whipping past my own eyes, you are at such a fun stage! Everything about you lately just screams discovery. My favorite things to do with you might make you believe that I think you are my puppet..or my puppy. I can't help it-I just love giving you a command and having you do it. You can wave, clap, blow kisses, give kisses and hugs, and we are working on the sound that a dog makes. I am so amazed that you can do all of these things without me doing the action-you can connect the words to the actions. Even if we are to tell you "Good job!" or "Yay!" you know that a clap would be appropriate.

I have been away from you for the last three weeks because I am teaching at school. It's hard to know all of the time I am missing with you, but I just love coming to get you at the end of the day and seeing your face just light up. Everything about my day at that point can drift off, because you sure know the way to my heart with your happy little face.

Some time in the last month, you realized that you prefer to crawl on all fours. You don't always crawl like this, and in fact you are faster on your belly, but you do most of the time. You pull up often, but you scare me. I'm so afraid of you falling and hurting yourself on our hard floors, that I usually make you sit. If you are delayed in walking, you can blame it on me-I'm such a nervous mom. You now have a walker that you can cruise the house in-you are a pro at maneuvering that thing and unfortunately are an expert on running over my feet over and over again. You also have discovered all of the new trouble you can get into at a different level than before, so I have to keep a close eye on you.

You still are my little Carb Queen. You like teething cookies (go figure-you like cookies! Wonder where you got that from?!), cheese, bread, muffins, lemons, pickles, noodles, and your puffs, and apples. You do not like peaches, raspberries, corn, ketchup, or anything of the mashed, mushy, or liquid-y variety. You have five teeth and you're quite adept at working with what you have. I often catch you running your tongue over your teeth-after so long with no chompers in your mouth, I could imagine it takes some getting used to.

These days, you are too busy to stop and eat as much as you did just months ago. You actually lost a little bit of weight this last month because you're so active and a finicky eater besides. You're becoming a little more brave with trying new things, so I think we're good to go on the eating front. If I would have known the texture was going to be an issue, I would have just skipped all of the pureed, mashed stuff.

You are quite the little performer once you realize that anyone is talking to you or about you. You have mastered the fake laugh which sounds like an evil little cackle-it's funny when you make this sound because you do so any time you hear other laughter, so usually you can be caught laughing at a movie where I know you don't understand the jokes, but you hear us laughing. As soon as you catch anyone's attention, all bets are off and they melt into a big puddle of goo around your cuteness. You are quite the ham, smiling, laughing, clapping, batting your eyelashes, and shrieking. We usually either get comments about your happy disposition or your beautiful baby blues/eyelashes. If I didn't believe in love at first sight before, I certainly do now.

You are still infatuated with the dogs, stopping whatever you are doing to harass them. Finley, the puppy hasn't learned that she should be scared of you yet, and so the other day she came to play with you on your blanket. You tolerated it for a minute but then decided it was too close for comfort and knocked her away. Finley thought this was a fun game and so she jumped on your leg again. This went on for several seconds-you shoving and not being so gentle, Finley not realizing that you didn't like her being on your leg. Finally, you picked up your crackly book and shook it at her and she yelped whilst running away with her tail between her legs. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that I bet that dog will be the most tolerant dog of any I have ever been around.

You have started this funny thing (though I know this won't be found humorous for long) where if I take something from you (take for example, a cord..something you clearly should not have) you grab my arm and grit your teeth (the whole five you have) and sort of shiver at me. It's really funny, but it does scare me a bit that you seem to know just what you want (and let the world know when you don't get just that) at ten months old!

While you don't speak many clear words yet, you know how to say "Dada", "Mama", and recently (like today!) "Papa". But you do know how to sign for milk and the word more. I know it's only a matter of time before your vocabulary just explodes. If your facial expressions are any indication of your personality, I'm a little scared to discover the words that go with the faces.

In case you were curious, you still sleep in our bed. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. You are quite the night owl which you come by quite naturally. I ordinarily love that you are that way, but now that I am getting up before the sun, it's unfavorable to have you want to crawl all over me until 11:00. If I hold you off from your evening nap, you're good to go to bed by 9:00. One of my favorite times of the day is to lay in bed with you at night and watch you as you unwind. To watch your eyes get heavy as you drift off while I stroke your hairline.

You are the light of our lives. Sometimes I just start crying when I think of how blessed we are and how fulfilled my life feels with you in it! I wish that I could bottle up your precious giggles, your sweet baby smells, and your squeals of delight as I chase you around the house. I know that all too soon, you'll be too busy to stop for snuggles anymore. You are just as your name states-precious. You make my days a little bit brigher, my smile a little bigger, and my love a lot more. Your zest for life is something that we should all have-we love you so incredibly much, gorgeous girl!

XOXO,

Momma