Ten months of Avery

Dear Avery,

Today you’re 10 months old.

You are a wild girl. Your dad tried to get you dressed this morning, something you were not at all interested in. The best way to describe your movements is like a bucking bronco, squirming and kicking and repeatedly lunging forward just as he was about to put your shirt over your head. Even when you’re asleep you move quite a bit. I actually like that; I can always hear you wiggling around. Especially if it’s been a particularly stressful day or there’s a lot on my mind, it gives me a lot of peace to just listening to you sleeping, the rhythm of your breathing and the sweet little noises you make. Despite all that moving around, you also have the ability to be quite covert when you are getting into trouble. You can make it from the playroom to the dog’s water bowl in about 3 seconds with hardly a sound at all. That stealth is new to me since your brother has a telltale maniacal laugh when he’s doing something he knows is bad. I guess we just need to make an agreement that you’ll never do anything bad.

In addition to always being on the move, those movements are awfully fast. You crawl with intention and speed. One night when your dad was gone, you were playing nicely in the playroom while I was making dinner with your brother. All of the sudden you took off for the kitchen, crawling over stuffed animals and toys and right under the dining room table, dodging chairs and table legs like you had been training your whole life. You never want to miss out on the action. This speed makes it even more challenging that you’re obsessed with the dog’s water bowl. Your brother was as well, but we were able to flip the food bowl over the water to deter him. You figured that out in about 2 seconds. I looked over and you were grinning so sweetly and the food bowl was in your lap, giving you free access to the water bowl. Fortunately we’re still able to catch you before your hands make it in the water. In addition to speed crawling, you’re also cruising along furniture. In the past few days, you’ve started to stand unsupported. After a few contemplative seconds, you usually just plop down and crawl where you want to go, but I know you’re thinking about taking steps.

You still love food, especially puffs. Every night we give you a handful of rice krispies at dinner, usually after you’ve finished your food and we’re trying to finish ours, and the very second they land on your tray you lunge forward with both arms. We have to spread them out to keep you from shoving entire fistfuls into your mouth at one time. You start yelling predictably as soon as they’re gone. On weekday mornings, there’s a lot of hustle and bustle around our house to get out the door. If all goes well, you and your brother get to watch a few minutes of a show while your dad and I pull things together before we head out the door. While you’re contained in your exersaucer, we give you a few puffs or other snacks to munch on. We always know the second they’re gone when we hear you start yelling. You make the funniest noises! There’s been a lot of really loud growling from you lately. I honestly don’t know where you learned it, but it’s hilarious. We are so grateful for all the noise and joy you bring to our lives.

Love,

Mama