dear 10 month old

dear 10 month old,

I love how you greet the morning with a big smile under your pink pacifier. You stand up in your crib and  make noises until I come and get you. And when I come, you are so happy.

I love that I'm your favorite person, though you are loving daddy more and more every day.

I love how you point at everything and say "di." Everything is new and exciting.

You are such a people person. You stare at everyone and you aren't afraid to talk to strangers. Somehow you make even the most stoic of faces smile.

You can climb a whole flight of stairs, though you don't know how to come back down yet. It only confuses you when I try to show you how. Yesterday you tumbled down two steps. You didn't get hurt but you got scared. But you climbed back up today. You didn't even remember that you fell, or if you did, you weren't scared anymore.

You think daddy is so funny. You love when he plays with you, but after a minute or so you start reaching for me. Once I take you from daddy, you want to stare at him.

You love puppy dogs. You want to chase them, pull their fur and hold them. Puppy dogs don't like you that much yet.

You love cereal, but you don't like green beans or peas or applesauce.

You clap for yourself when you do something you know is smart. You also clap when daddy brings you to me. Daddy loves when you clap for him too.

You love waving "bye-bye" to everyone. The only problem is, you are waving to yourself, not them. But everybody knows what you mean.

When daddy builds a tower of blocks on the floor, you try to knock it down as fast as he can build it. It's a fun game that you love.

Sometimes you get whiny. You don't like when you have to miss out on the action or when you have to get belted in your car seat. And you do not like it when I tell you, "no."

I love that I have a little companion with me wherever I go. You are the best kind of company.

You don't know it, but almost every night daddy goes in your room and prays for you while you are sleeping.

You have changed my life a lot.

It seems like I think about housework more, but I do a lot less of it.

You have made life so much more interesting.

You help me not to think about myself.

You make me pray more too.

You've helped me understand things in a deeper way.

You are a joy, dear 10 month old. don't ever change.