Dear Nicholas,
What an amazing month you’ve had!! I think I say that every month, but this month truly was amazing. You have learned so much, you are mobile now, you added some words to your vocabulary, and you remain the best and happiest little boy. That’s right – you are definitely more of a little boy than a baby now.
You started out the month doing a whole bunch of new things. You learned how to clap (as in, applaud) and you love to cheer yourself on at any opportunity. You had been clapping your hands together for awhile, but not in adulation. Now whenever we say “good job” or “Yay, Nicholas”, you give yourself a big round of applause. It’s adorable! You learned how to do this after you went from tummy to sitting for the first time, and we were so happy that we were clapping for you and taught you how to clap for yourself.
You’ve also started officially saying “mama.” You’ve said it here and there in the past, but it’s now officially part of your vocabulary. You particularly use it when you’re hungry or sad and need a hug, which makes me all the more happy to give you one! And “uh oh” is now part of your vocabulary as well. Sometimes you say it just for fun, but you’re actually using it in context as well, and it’s very cute. Whenever you drop something, you look at Daddy or me and say “uh oh.” Over the past few days, it seems like you’re trying to say “dog.” You drag it out and say it real’ Southern like and say “daa-oohhg.” Tonight you said “doggie” a few times, so I’m thinking this is your new word! You babble all the time, and pretty much spend most of your time either talking or making other noises with your mouth. You’re a big fan of making raspberries, clicking, and sticking your tongue out and moving it from side to side as you hum. As the pictures below will demonstrate, you are big into sticking your tongue out these days.
At the 9 ½ month mark, you started cutting your first tooth. It’s your bottom left tooth (your central incisor, to be more precise). And just a few days ago you started cutting your bottom right tooth. This just adds to the fact that you are more and more of a little boy. And you got your second hair cut, just in time for the summer and your helmet (another story for another day).
You are now MOBILE! And it has been so exciting to watch you learn how to crawl. You started out just figuring out how to get from sitting to tummy, and from tummy to sitting. And then you started crawling your arms out as you would move out of a sitting position, and – voila – you were on your knees. Then came learning how to start moving your little legs and arms once you were on your knees. Physical therapy has definitely helped, but you learn so quickly. A week and a half ago they showed you how to crawl at PT, and that night you started doing it all by yourself. The first few days you would just crawl a few feet, and now you’re all over the place. You like to follow us around, crawl to the dog, and more than anything, you like to crawl to the dog’s toys and play with them (or chew on them). I don’t know why you find them more fascinating than your own toys, but you do.
We also started swimming lessons this month, and to say that you love it might be the biggest understatement of the year. You love the water, you love to splash, you even try to paddle and kick when I put you on your tummy, and you don’t mind going completely under water. We went to the neighborhood pool yesterday for the first time and you had a blast. We figured we’d only be there for about half an hour, thinking you wouldn’t last much longer than that. But we were there for 1.5 hours with you in the water the whole time. My grandmother, Lory, used to say that I was a fish, because I spent so much time in the water every summer, and it looks like you are going to be Mommy’s little fishy!
We love you more than words can say Nicholas. Every month I think, “this was the best month,” and then the next month is even better. You are the love of our lives, and bring us more happiness than we ever could have thought.
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Lots of pics of you sticking out your tongue...even when getting into the dog's bowl
10 Months Old!
