10 months!

Dear Aiden,

You've taken to laughing whenever you hear us laugh. It's like you're joining in the joke and you're just delighted to laugh along with us. When you were itty bitty our friends brought their little girl over who did something similar. Whenever we laughed, she would laugh a couple seconds later, as if she just got the joke. It's really fun to see your little sense of humor peek out.

I can't wait to learn more about your little personality. You are showcasing more and more that you are a determined one. You will always crack that cranking streak though if we can get you laughing. There is something about chugga chugga choo choo that will almost always work. If it doesn't then there is something big going on - like teeth cutting through your gummy smackers. Ouch, ouchy, I just can't even imagine how unpleasant that is... You are a pretty good sport about it and we will see you drool and munch. But every once in a while it just gets you for a quick bout and you will scream, turn your head to one side, then 30 seconds later as I frantically try to grab something munchable, you give me a quick giggle. You then start jabbering to tell me that you're ok or just to explain how that one was the wooorst of them all. Sorta like I used to want to talk about each contraction after I felt it... well, that one was not as bad on my back, but oh geez, he gave me a quick kick in the gut. I'm guessing you have your mom's jibber jabber gene. Your poor daddy.

The other cranking moments are when you work yourself up into an overtired little bunch of heavy eyelids. I'll ask you if you're tired and you will shake your head no, doing a more determined stevie wonder than you used to do. As you start to loose steam and stop fighting it you start staring right at me. Your granny discovered that singing the little old lady who swallowed a fly would lull you to sleep. I've used this trick just about every time you've been fighting it in the car and you will fall right to sleep.

All of that hard work teething has led to four teeth or maybe three and a half. The two bottom ones are the exact same size, but one of the top ones is about twice the size of the one next to it. You look like such a cute little snaggle tooth. I'm goin to have to take a picture of your little halloween face so that we can copy it onto our pumpkin face. But first I have to get you to stop munching on your lip for comfort, but I do think it looks cute when you smile with your little lips tucked in.

Your favorite new trick is to twiddle your own lips. You will do it to prompt us to do it back at you, then you will smile and clap for us. It's like parent child role reversal. You are also getting the hang of blowing kisses and even the occasional high five! You stood alone for almost five seconds on the bed in the hotel room this past weekend. I've been told that your teachers find you standing close to the toy table holding a toy instead of the table.

As you begin to really cruise around we realize that this early walking is going to lead to some bumpy moments. Your little magnet head will find any hard spot on the edge of anything, even the soft couch. The funniest thing is when you want to crawl under the low coffee table you will sometimes lightly continue forward just tapping your head against the edge of the table before you figure out that you need to slither under.

You've become really inquisitive. You will look like you are studying something very intently then you will give it a try. Like the light switch which you pressed tentatively at first, but now you just give it a good wack up and down. You were also really into studying the dancing at the wedding this month from the high view on top of daddy's shoulders. Then you'd bounce around a bit to imitate. We hit a lot of public events this month like the wedding, the heritage potluck at school, and the YMCA eat cheap night. You were such a good boy usually wanting to explore. You were especially good about being held by strangers, which you've always been pretty comfortable doing once you've warmed up. Your new hesitation seems to be masks or funny little characters. You will eventually pet them, but you just aren't sure what to think. You get sorta peeved at your monkey that sings jungle boogie, and as soon as it comes on you are crawling away at hyper speed.

The rainy weather again led us to the Build-a-Bear Workshop to make a new friend for you. This time Gran and Pop were along for the fun! It's amazing how much changes in three months since we had visited the first time. You were so much more active. We pushed our luck a bit because you hadn't really had a full nap. But despite being over stimulated, you seemed thrilled by each animal that we held up. We finally decided on the soft monkey. Daddy came up with the name Pogo and now Boo Bear has a partner in crime to instigate smiles.

You wore two different types of shoes for HOURS at the wedding. Before that day, you hadn't had anything on your feet for more than a minute in months. You would polish your heels until whatever it was fell off. I tried everything and nothing stayed on for long. After a bit of protest, you let us keep the shoes on and you even got used to walking around in them. Yeah just in time for fall!

You are so close to mounting your new horsey on your own, and you sure do like to beebop around on it. I bet that by the end of this month you will be rocking that horsey around the house with those long legs. As you cruise around we will see a trail of cheerios behind you. This was the month of the cheerios - everywhere! They'd get hidden between the folds of your diaper or you'd have them wedged between your fingers. I even found them in your jumper because you like to rub them behind your ears and they must have fallen down the back of your shirt.

You are just getting so big, so fast. I think that little baby smell is gone, now you just smell like cheerios and baby wipes. I miss my little cuddler, but now you are really a true snuggler, which by my definition just means that you can cuddle back.

Love you snugggler, Mommy

Photo credit: Aiden's beach/walk buddy Lara! Thanks again Lara!