Emmeline is 10 months old!

With only two months to go before her sisters stop declaring her age to be "Zero!",I think that Emmeline is going to survive her first year.  She has made some important progress this last month.  The most important change is that Emmeline no longer wants to choke to death. Yes, I actually typed that- IT'S A MIRACLE!!!!  She has started to look at me when she puts things in her mouth.  And if I say,"Emmeline, give it to Mommy" SHE GIVES IT TO ME! AND SHE DOESN'T CRY IF I TAKE IT AWAY. So you can see how this is truly a miracle, considering all the things this kid has attempted to swallow, or actually swallowed.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, refer to my post about Emmeline being 9 months old. 

We have been getting good use out of the "cage" aka really big play yard that Grandma Dellory bought for us.  Emmeline tolerates it very well if a friend comes in to play with her.  Yes, it dominates my entire living room, but I don't care because Emmeline's newest goal in life is to fall down the stairs.  Yep, she fell down the stairs this last month.  We have a permanent baby gate at the top of the stairs in our family room, but we struggle with keeping it closed all the way- thank you older children.  It was not properly latched one day and the baby took a tumble down a long steep staircase and landed in a basket of clean laundry.  She was fine.  We are working really hard to teach her to go down the stairs safely.  She has mastered climbing up the stairs, yet another reason we are grateful for the play pen. 

Feed me Mommy! This is the happy face of a baby at an all you can eat buffet.

More food, less photos

Emmeline has been busy improving her other skills as well.  She loves to wave hello and goodbye, cruise around the furniture, babble with an array of wonderful consonants, point to her teeth and tongue, and blow kisses.  After having strange looking blisters on her top gums for what seemed like FOREVER, her top teeth have broken through . She is pretty excited about what this means for her eating future.  Emmeline has tried a lot of new food and nearly reached Baby Nirvana at Souper Salad last week.  She ate garbanzo beans, turkey, peas, corn, cottage cheese, peaches, strawberries, garlic bread, mushrooms, and pudding.  I think that's all, but there could have been more.  She was one happy baby!  She loves everything she eats, whether it is oatmeal, asparagus, avocado, corn, pork roast, bread, potatoes, cereal, bananas, yogurt, cheese, crackers, green beans. . .  .you get the picture. 

She has also become better friends with her crib the last few days.  She's taking naps again.  I doubt I have to elaborate on how much of a relief that is for me.  And last night, she went to bed without crying! That was normal before she learned to pull up and stand, but seemed to get put on hold for a month of teething  So, I'm hoping it sticks because Judd is getting kind of tired of the late night movie marathons to get her to fall asleep.

Other than those minor sleeping woes, Emmeline has been a pure delight to us.  She is happy.  Amy describes her as "jolly".  She is fun to snuggle, fun to tickle, fun to hold, fun to feed, and fun to love.  And when, at times, I start to feel overwhelmed with the persistent pain in my mouth/teeth/jaw muscles, nothing lowers my anxiety better than cuddling or nursing my sweet baby.  She never "asks" to nurse, but when I offer she gets so excited and crawls over at super baby speed and either says" baba", which is our word for nursing, or clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth.  She's just so dang cute!  Happy 10 months Emmeline!

The "cage"