Dear Charlotte,
It’s already July! That is crazy! And with it comes your 10-month birthday. It’s that in-between stage — you’re certainly not an infant and starting to feel like less of a baby, but you’re still several months away from really being a toddler. And while being “in between” usually seems like a bad thing, in this case I think it’s actually pretty great. You are getting more fun by the day, and I’m excited to see what comes next.
Your biggest stride in the mobility department this month has been learning to pull up on things. You’re still not great at it, and sometimes you give up, but boy do you give it a solid effort! I’ve had to start putting stools and other small, light items out of your path lest you try to pull up and instead topple over as the item shifts from beneath you. But on the flip side, it’s really fun to walk into your room and watch you excitedly and deliberately pull up to greet me.
You push onto your knees often, but army crawling is still your mainstay. You’re quite fast now, and it always makes me laugh to put you down in the living room, only to turn another a moment later and find you chasing me into the kitchen. You’re starting to explore more of the house, and from a different perspective than you’ve ever seen.
We started expanding your food choice by quite a bit this month, and I’m trying to offer you something non-pureed at every meal if possible. You gobble up any kind of bread — french loaf, tortilla, dinner roll, cornbread muffin — with lightning speed, sometimes even double fisting your bites. You liked swiss cheese and banana, although the latter made quite a mess. Avocado was a hit, as were the noodles I made for dinner a few weeks ago. You basically seem to like everything right now, which makes meal times pretty fun.
You and I started swimming lessons this month, and our first class was also your first time in a swimming pool ever! You’ve been loving the experience so far, especially when you figured out how to splash, and I love having a fun activity we can do together. I have fond memories of spending summer days at the pool when I was a kid, and I look forward to a lot more pool time with you and Emma as you get older.
Your laugh is infectious, and fortunately for us it’s pretty easy to elicit. You’re ticklish, so that’s an obvious one. You also giggle almost without fail for a game of peek-a-boo. Your big sister can get you chuckling with a funny face or some babbling of her own. And sitting on Daddy’s shoulders — or really in any position that lets you rub his head — is always a winner.
We went to a wedding earlier this month and kept you up way past your normal bedtime. I couldn’t help but remember how anxious that would have made me three years ago. We are a fairly schedule-driven family right now, with naptimes and bedtimes and things that tend to go a certain way. But I’m more relaxed now. I realize that special occasions are just that — special — and it’s ok to let the “rules” slide. And most of all, I knew that you’d go with the flow. Keep doing that, Charlotte, and life will be wonderful!
Love,
Mama
Love your letters to your sweet girls, my sweet grandgirls!!
The hidden best supporting actress in this post is Emma in that amazing Wonder Woman outfit!!
Ha! That’s her “superhero dress.” 🙂
Such a sweet picture of her sleeping on you.