Rosemary, you are 10 months old this month, and I can hardly believe it. We are going to blink and you’ll be a year old! In fact, there isn’t even a February 30th, so this is technically the last of your monthly birthdays.
Last month, I joked that we may never see a time that you nap….but I spoke too soon! I was reaching the end of my rope (you are exhausting!), so I really buckled down on getting you to nap. I created a schedule, bought a sound machine and blackout curtains, fed you lots of solid foods, and stopped letting you sleep in the car. Then, I just let you cry it out. It was really hard. Twice a day, I had to listen to you scream for an hour in hopes that one day you’d actually fall asleep. After 5 days, you finally fell asleep for 20 minutes. After a few days of short naps, you finally slept….FOR TWO HOURS! Your naps vary some, but you have been napping for 1-2 hours twice a day for the last few weeks! I feel like a new mom. I’ve been able to cut out screen time most days and focus on you while you’re awake. Thank you thank you thank you!
Speaking of naps, I’ve been meaning to document some of the songs I sing to you as I rock you to sleep each night. Songs come and go, but there have been a few that I’ve sung to you since you were born that you seem to like. Some are totally random ones that I’ve liked. Others are ones that remind me of when I was a baby. But here they are:
- I Love You, Rosemary
- You are my Sunshine
- Time After Time (the Frank Sinatra song, not the Cindi Lauper one)
- You Belong to Me (another crooner one)
- You’ve Got a Friend (James Taylor)
- And I Love Her (The Beatles)
Another thing I mentioned last month is your lack of teeth. Well, while your friends are sprouting their seventh and eighth tooth, you’ve been my little toothless wonder. I’m still nursing, so I’ve been happy about it, though a little worried that something was wrong. Moms are funny that way. Lack of teeth made me think you had a growth issue and you’d be baby sized forever. Completely irrational, but moms, right? Well, guess what? I’m writing this 3 days after your 10 month birthday, but you’ve actually started to sprout your first tooth! It’s your bottom left one and it’s the most adorable little baby tooth ever. It looks like a tiny grain of salt!
This month, you are so busy! We had to install a gate in our den because you were determined to get to the stairs and the dog food! You are standing strong and cruising around the side tables and sofas. You are pretty good at getting down when you want to as well. You very delicately lower yourself down and put your little hand on the ground. It’s adorable. When you get sleepy, though, you’re a little less careful and start to fall more. We’ve been trying to baby proof things so you can’t hurt yourself!
You crack daddy and I up with how much you love food now. When we have food, you are like one of the dogs begging for a bite! You especially like to beg for food from dad! You look like a little baby bird with your mouth open! We’ve been feeding you your own food three times a day now, too. I sometimes feel like I spend all day feeding you. Our schedule is (times vary slightly):
7:30 – Wake up & Nurse
9:00 – Feed you breakfast of oatmeal and peanut butter
10:30 – Nurse and put you down for nap
12:00 – Wake up from nap
1:00 – Feed you lunch (normally yogurt and fruit/vegetable of some sort)
3:00 – Nurse and put you down for afternoon nap
4:30 – Wake up from nap
6:00 – Feed you dinner (normally a protein and fruit/vegetable)
7:30 – Nurse and put you to bed
I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to nurse you for so long. I know it’s kept you healthier, and I’ve really enjoyed all the cuddles!
You’ve gotten really chatty, especially in the car! Still holding out on saying “Mama” though! I love hearing your voice, no matter what you’re saying, so it doesn’t bother me!
I signed you up for Mother’s Morning Out this month. You’ll be starting there in the fall. It was a tough decision for me because I love all our time together. I am excited to see you interact with other kids and know you’ll have fun, so I think it’s the right thing to do. You’ll be going to the same preschool that I went to as a baby, which I think is really special!
All of the outfits in this post are outfits that I made for you. Your naps have allowed me to get some sewing time in again, which has been really fun. I hope one day you love to craft with me! There are so many things I wonder about you. Will you like art? Will you be a righty or a lefty? Will you be good at things that I wasn’t? Only time will tell!
I also finally remembered to get photos of you with your bunny this month. You love this thing. We have three in your crib with you so you can always find it when you wake up. If you find one while you’re awake, you instantly look sleepier and start rubbing its ears to go to sleep. It’s really cute!
As my favorite book to read to you says, “You are my angel, my darling, my star. And my love will find you, wherever you are.”
