Our Mini Winnie: 10 1/2 Months Old

Keeping up with the blog posts isn't easy these days, and I realize it's just going to become more difficult. My prime opportunity to write an update is during Laney's nap, but sometimes I just have too much to do while she's sleeping. Now that I have to keep an eye on her at all times, her nap time is my only chance to hand wash and sanitize bottles (which I have to do once or twice every day), vacuum Cash's fur balls off the carpet and hardwood (which Laney loves to stuff in her mouth anytime she comes across a little tuft of fur…gross), dust (how does dust collect so quickly?!), do laundry (how do those laundry piles grow so quickly?!), or (if I feel like really spoiling myself) I take a shower. There are always a variety of other random household chores to keep up with in addition to the ones I need to do on a regular basis, plus I've been trying to spend some free time figuring out what to get for baby boy's nursery. With just 2 months to go before his arrival, I guess I should probably get that in order. Updating the blog at the end of the day, after Laney has gone to bed, isn't really an option because I'm too exhausted and my brain can't handle much activity. So... sitting down and typing a blog update tends to get put on the back burner, but it's important to me to keep up with it for Laney and baby boy. The whole reason I keep this going is for our kids to read when they're older. My parents aren't exactly the best historians, and anytime I ask them something like "When did I get my first tooth?" or "When did I start to walk?" the answer is always "Ohhh…you were the average age." I had a broken leg when I was a baby, and my entire leg was in a hard cast…my mom says it happened when I was 10 months old, and my dad says it happened when I was 17 months old. Both of them are guessing when they respond. While I don't blame my parents for not remembering major events or keeping track of milestones (they were both very busy), I want to be able to provide accurate details for our kids. That said, I'll continue trying my best to keep up!

Now that Laney has mastered the ability to crawl around, she loves to crawl under things (under the dining room table and chairs, under her jumper and exersaucer, under Cash's belly while he's eating a meal) and she loves to crawl over things (over Cash while he's lying on the floor, over my legs or belly while I'm lying on the floor, over pillows that are meant to be obstacles to block her path). Nothing stands in her way!

Another new skill she has been working on is crawling up the stairs. The first time she tried it, I was in the kitchen, not paying close attention to what she was doing. I heard her hands slapping the floor as she crawled towards the stairs, and then all of the sudden there was silence. I peered over toward the staircase but couldn't see her. I walked around the kitchen island, looking around for her, but couldn't find her. Then I walked over to the stairs, looked up, and nearly had a heart attack - she was standing on the 3rd step and quickly working her way up! I have no idea how she figured it out so quickly, but she made it all the way up the first 8 steps with a huge grin on her face. She was a little wobbly going up, and there were a few times her little legs gave out from fatigue, but she has done it so many times now that she is able to quickly make her way to the 2nd floor without any help. I never let her go up the stairs without following two inches behind her, and I definitely don't let her try to go down the stairs. She's fearless, and she has no concept of how to get down safely yet. I'm worried she'll nose dive off the top step if she gets the chance.

Laney is constantly looking for new and exciting challenges. She quickly becomes bored with her toys and likes to look for new things to explore. She enjoys putting her hands in Cash's water bowl and tipping it over. She pulls herself onto her feet and grabs things off higher surfaces. She's very determined, too…if she sees something that interests her but I pull her away from it before she has a chance to grab it, then it becomes her sole focus to get her hands on it. It doesn't bother me one bit when I have to pull her away over and over again - I love her determination!

Great-nona and Great-bumpa are back from FL for the summer.