Another month has come and gone. It’s incredible! Lilly is changing more and more each day and becoming less and less like a baby and more and more like a toddler. I really, truly, honestly, fall more in love with her as each day passes.

I’m so thankful for the gift of her spirit, the gift of her personality, and how much she already imitates us and wants to be a part of what we are doing. I look forward to each day with her. When I put her down for nap or bedtime, I immediately miss her and can’t wait for her to wake up so we can play… except in the middle of the night of course. 🙂

Love this sweet, precious girl of ours!

LILLY’S TEN MONTH UPDATE

Weight: ~19.5 pounds (we don’t have another dr. appointment until August)

Length: ~26.5″

Nicknames: Beebeebeeoo. Putian. Lil. Monkey Moo. Shmunky Shmoo. Shmunks. Lilly boo. Lilly girl.

Sleep: Well, you see, it’s been awful. Straight up awful. She was doing SO well… she had hit the six month mark and figured the whole sleep thing out and was sleeping 10-12 hours a night no question. She was napping well. I was actually getting rest… it was glorious.

Then she learned how to pull up and stand up in her crib. Which honestly scares me half to death. Since she’s been able to do that I have been researching and reading up on articles like https://www.permachildsafety.com/blog/best-baby-gate-stairs/ for an alternative crib grate. I could not live with myself if I found her hurt or worse on the floor of the bedroom.

Then she got a double ear infection.

Then she started getting a bajillion teeth at one time.

And sleep went to heck in a handbasket.

Her naps have been spotty at best. She’s waking up 1-2x a night and refusing to go back to sleep (we’re talking like blood-curdling screams at 3am). We’ve had a couple fluke nights here and there where she will sleep through, but those have been rare.

I am not going to lie, I am a tired momma. I’ve tried everything. Music, sound machines, essential oils, rocking, singing, the works. The ONLY thing that will get her to go back to sleep is to nurse her. I know she’s not hungry. But it’s literally the only thing that will work. And it doesn’t even work 100% of the time.

But, alas, I’m trying to see the positive in all of this (despite the fact that I’m going through under-eye concealer like it’s going out of style)… this too shall pass. This won’t be like this forever. She will only be this small and need her mama like this for so long. So, I’m treasuring these middle-of-the-night scream sessions. I’m hugging her closer. I’m kissing her more. I’m telling her mommy loves her over and over again.

Sleep will come… eventually. I hope.

Eating: She is a GREAT eater and I’m so glad we decided to go the route of baby led weaning. However, she is a picky eater already! Homegirl has a sophisticated palette. And, admittedly, I am probably (definitely) to blame for that. Anything that isn’t seasoned or spiced or anything that doesn’t have a lot of flavor she has absolutely no care for.

She loves blueberries, cantaloupe, chicken, pork, pasta (with sauce), pesto, quesadillas, cajun rice… etc. She does NOT love green beans,  carrots, broccoli (really, she doesn’t like many veggies… unless they’re heavily seasoned haha!). She SOMETIMES like strawberries and watermelon… but other times she will just toss it on the floor.

She definitely let’s you know when she is done and doesn’t want to eat anything more.

Clothing: She is primarily in 9-12 month clothing. She has a few dresses in the 3-6 month and 6+ month range that still fit that she wears as a shirt or top. That’s why I like dresses so much because she can get so much more wear out of them.

Mood: Still a joyful, silly, happy baby. Loves blowing bubbles / raspberries. Loves “talking” and “chattering” so much. Giggles all the time. Laughs at the dogs. Loves to play. Definitely DEFINITELY has her fussy periods – what baby doesn’t? In general, she’s a super easy carefree baby.

Loves:

• Daddy.
• Mommy – she crawls ALL over me every chance she gets.
• Doggies!
• Her pacis.
• “Lilly Land” – her play area
• Bathtime
• Being worn in the Tula
• Playdates with her friends Lorelei and Elle
• Crawling around
• Pulling up
• Eating
• Making faces
• Echoes
• Blowing raspberries.
• Raising her arms in the air

Doesn’t Love:

• Being bored
• Being tired
• Being hungry
• Teething
• Thunder

Hmmm… sounds just like her mama!

What I Want to Remember / Milestones: She has almost SEVEN teeth now. She had just two for a while and now a bunch of teeth have popped up in the last month. She has four on the bottom, her top tooth is fully in, one canine is coming through, and the other top tooth is popping through now as well. I also think I can see the start of a molar! AHHH!

She is a FAST crawler and crawls exclusively on hands and knees now. I miss the army crawl days… We had to install a gate at the top of the stairs to keep her from plummeting to the bottom..

My favorite time of day with her is the 30 minutes after bath in the evening and just before bed. We usually just let her crawl around naked and explore and she’s just so silly and cute and it’s my favorite. I just love, love, love this time of day!

Her BFF Elle turned ONE this month. She had a great time at Elle’s party!

She is really beginning to show that she understands what I’m saying. She comes to me when I call her, she knows that she’s not supposed to be doing something when I say, “No.” She gets excited when I clap or give her encouragement. She’s starting to almost hug. It’s the best.

What I’m Looking Forward To: I am currently away on my first work trip since having her – I’m gone for six days total and it’s SO hard being away from her and John. I just can’t wait to get home. I hope she remembers me! I hope she doesn’t forget who I am. 🙁

I am also looking forward to the Fourth of July and her cousin Kyle turns FOUR in July as well… ahhh!

I’m also in the process of planning her… gulp… FIRST birthday party. This can’t be happening. She isn’t almost ONE, is she? Yeah, she is.

We love you, Lilly girl!

Photos of Lilly through the months: