Sweet big girl, you’re 10 months old!

(Actually you’ve been 10 months for 2 weeks already—but if it makes you feel any better, I was 3 weeks late writing Claire’s 10-month blog!) The good news about a late post is that it gives you more time to change and grow. And boy did you ever! In the last week you’ve started crawling, Cora Katherine, and we’re so very proud of you!

You now have five teeth in (two on the top and three on the bottom) and three more poking through—and goodness, there’s nothing cuter than a toothy grin on a little girl. Your hair is coming in, too, and it’s that same strawberry blond we adored with your big sis. Surprisingly, your little arm hemangioma is also starting to fade out, too.

Your precious personality wins us over daily, as you’re quick to giggle and give wide-open smiles. You seem to have an affinity for music—as you love to wiggle “dance,” and can play your maraca and kazoo with gusto.

Month 10 was filled with more adventures—we wrapped up Mommy & Me Yoga, spent many Sundays out on the boat, took an all-girls trip with Nana Beth to Virginia, and enjoyed a few fabulous weeks of Auntie Haley Camp.

Weight: 20 pounds, 3.2 ounces (on the home scale)
Height: Long and lovely!

Eating
Mealtime with you is a hoot and a half. It starts with the prayer. As soon as Big Sis begins singing “God Our Father,” you break out a big grin and start wiggling. You know food is on the way! Your favorites are still watermelon, blueberries, frozen peas, peanut butter, and spaghetti, but you’re also totally game for carrots, salmon, pizza, bread, and cucumbers.

You get absolutely filthy at every meal, and we’ve been known to give you up to two baths a day. Worth it—and hilarious. Sometimes we’ll let you join Claire in the bathtub upstairs, but often we’ll just bathe you in the kitchen sink.

Nursing is still going beautifully, happening before each nap and twice (yes, still twice) during the night. Mommy had to travel for work for two nights in early July, and while you were a total champ with the bottle while I was gone, you picked right back up on our routine when I returned.

Playing
Just like your sis, when you rise you shine! You’re bursting with energy in the morning, and will play happily for 30 minutes by yourself while Mommy and Daddy buzz around and make coffee and breakfast. In a move of brilliance, Daddy got you accustomed to the play yard before you were mobile, so you don’t seem to mind passing time in there. You still love blocks and your tools, and are also becoming interested in books and the discovery cube.

Now that you can crawl, you love to slowly make your way around the room as you play for just a few moments with anything you can get your hands on. You adore the remote (buttons!) and all of Claire’s belongings (no surprise).

Your legs are super sturdy, but although you love standing at the couch or ottoman or activity table, you don’t quite have the balance to cruise. We aren’t rushing you, sweet girl—Mommy and Daddy are already baffled by how quickly your baby days are passing.

Sleeping
So…not much progress. We’re still blaming your teething and your inevitable growth spurt, but nighttime isn’t a ball around here. No matter what time we put you down, you’ll wake around both midnight and 4 a.m. Thankfully you nurse quickly and go right back to sleep…but it isn’t ideal.

That said, you earn back your cool points at nap time—when your long and routine sleeps make Mommy’s work from home schedule actually work.

Your Big Sister
…was more excited for you to crawl before she realized that it would give you access to her toys. For some reason Mommy thinks it’s hilarious to see you two “fight” over a block or doll. Flash forward to many, many years of learning how to share with your sister.

All that said, Claire still adores you and is eager to introduce you to anyone she can. She’s quite proud of the big girl you’re becoming.

It’s hard to believe it’s time to order invitations for your first birthday, Cora. Just this week my TimeHop app showed pictures of me attempting at-home tricks for turning a transverse baby. And a year later, you’re crawling around the room. God is great. (And you are too!)

Loads of love,
Mommy & Daddy