Wednesday, February 20, 2013

India: Month tippy-toesy ten

Dear India,
You are now TEN months old.  I know you were nine months old last month, but somehow I still feel like ten snuck up on me.

You've started standing and cruising and boy howdy are you itching to walk. If we hold your hands you stagger along, doing what Nana calls the "whiskey walk." We showed Australian Builder and he called it something like toodleyboots, which is an adorable term for drunken walking.

The thing about you being so mobile now is that, well, you're so damn mobile. Nothing is safe or sacred, least of all your brother's toys. You adore him and want to be right where he is.

We've impressed upon him the importance of keeping the little things - tires and bits pulled off of cars, pennies, random treasures - up out of your reach, because you might choke.

Now he will say, "Mom! Mo-o-om! India wants to take one of the little things and choke!"

Of course, this morning he dumped a whole truckload of his little things on the floor near you. I don't believe his motives were pure, either, as he has been incredibly crabby lately. Pretty sure he'd have pushed you over if I hadn't been right there.

To be fair, however, he is often very sweet to you. And you beam and giggle when you're near him. You clearly adore him. And he loves being adored.

You squeal and squawk in delight at all kinds of things. Standing on the couch excites you no end. You side-step along, holding the back of it. You and Nana have a game, where you stand up and hold the back, and then flop yourself down onto the cushions. Stand, flop, stand, flop.

If she finds it tedious, she never says so.

You have one tooth that I have tried in vain to document. You're ridiculously good natured, but when you don't want to do something, you do. not. want. to! Such would be the case with wearing shoes, for example. Not happy. Notnotnot happy!

We've taken to sending you to day care barefoot (stuffed inside your puffy winter suit) because you take off your socks immediately anyway. Or you chew on them till they're soggy. And then take them off.

They recently informed us that you don't like it when other kids wear socks either. You do them the favor of removing them. I didn't think to ask if you chew on them first.

Sleep continues to be a struggle. By struggle I mean that dear Lord, after almost two years of not sleeping an entire night, I need, neeeeeeeed eight straight hours of sleep. For nights in a row.

You are down to one wake-up a night, at right around 3:30 am. You don't need to eat at this point - you're just AWAKE. And ENRAGED. And then you go back to sleep, but not before expressing your PROFOUND ENRAGEY ENRAGEMENT, ASSHOLES WHO WANT TO BE ASLEEP!

You're a great eater, love to feed yourself, and up for almost anything. In fact, one of your favorite foods is guacamole. You like it with eggs, you like it with broccoli, you like it on its own. You will shovel in spoonful after spoonful.

I understand - it's good stuff!

It is, however, a little odd to burp a sleepy, freshly-bathed baby, all sweet and smelling of baby lotion, and suddenly get a big whiff of garlic.

You're very much your own person. And I hope you always will be.

Love love love,

Mama

10 comments:

  1. Love to hear the progress. Also, I see she's following in her mom's fashion footsteps. She looks great in animal prints.

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    1. Thank you! She was less happy when I put a polka-dotted fleece and watermelon hat on. I don't think she likes to mix prints the way I do.

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  2. Sibling Extraordinaire tried to shove me down a laundry chute (that was closed up at the bottom, but she claims she didn't know that). Maybe homicidal tendencies are a typical phase for older siblings?

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    1. I think Nick told me they actually did put his little sister down a laundry chute (not closed at the bottom). Will have to get him to verify.

      Betty says she walked into a room and I had a pillow over my brother's face. She never left us alone again.

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  3. Happy 10 months India! So happy you're growing and learning and having fun with Nana, Mom, Dad and big brother - it's wonderful! Also, very cute outfit, you resemble your beautiful Mom and Nana.

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    1. Thank you, sweet Heather! People still say she looks like Nick and like Jordan, but I know in my heart she has my taste in clothes. :)

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  4. 10 months! She's adorable and I love the outfit - especially the red shoes! She looks a lot like her big brother in that picture. Such a fun age. I'll bet Betty is enjoying them both so much as well.

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    1. Thank you, Kate! I love her outfit as well. Betty is definitely enjoying them, although Jordan has been a pretty big jerk lately...

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  5. Happy 10 months, India! Blink and she'll be a year old! And oh, the couch, our babies loved doing the sidestep game and the flop game on the couch too :) Now it's the stand/lay on the back game and the jump off game (when I'm not looking).

    Also I don't know how she could look any more like you. Lovely ladies!

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  6. Oh how this post took me back! The Girl would NOT wear shoes or socks, or any other kind of foot covering one can imagine! I wish I could tell you it gets better... but we've got two feet of snow on the ground outside and the minute she's in the house she tears everything off and puts on flip flops. Flips flops... in the dead cold of winter.

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