Happy 10-month Birthday, Raleigh!

Raleigh is 10 months old today!

Her personality is starting to show a lot more these past few weeks. She is babbling, laughing, and gesturing a lot more – especially when she can have the spotlight to herself. She was still awake after Rowan had gone to sleep over the weekend and had a grand time playing and talking. It was a lot of fun to see her acting so grown up.

• Likes: bath time; anything Rowan is doing or playing with; stuffed animals; silly singing; being outside; feeding herself; mashed potatoes
• Dislikes: being told no; staying still for diaper changes; having to play by herself for a few minutes while I try to get something done like go to the bathroom
• Skills: She can stand at the coffee table for long periods of time – easily 30 minutes – as long as she has something to play with. Raleigh is an excellent mimic. We can pretend whistle to each other (Rowan started this a while back after hearing my dad whistle for the dog. All you do is say “wee-ooo-weet!” You can hold your fingers in your mouth if you want.) and she will “whistle” back. She will also mimic no-no sounds (“eh-eh-eh”) and the sly fox’s laugh from The Gingerbread Man story. It’s hilarious.
• Communication: She can wave bye-bye and has said “bye-bye” at least once; She claps her hands when you say “Yay!” or whenever she feels like it. She has made the following sounds: buh, duh, esss, muh, dah, dee, and zuh. When she is tired of eating whatever you are feeding her she will spit it back out with a zorbert. (It’s gross. It’s gross.) When she likes something she will kick her legs and/or wave her hands and/or bounce. She will also point her crooked little left index finger at things and people she likes.
• Teeth: Tooth #8 is getting ready for her debut. My guess is that it will be in by Rowan’s birthday. She has been rubbing her gums over the molar area lately, too.
• Food: Raleigh pretty much eats everything now. She’s had a tiny bit of peanut butter; poultry and beef; and all kinds of grains, veggies, and fruits. I call her my country baby because she loves collard greens, soup beans, grits,
• So Big: We’ve packed up the jammies that are smaller than 12 months; they’re just too short. She couldn’t stretch out her legs, poor dear. For her other stuff she is wearing size 9-12mos. I think her shoe size is still a 2.

I can hardly believe that our sweet baby will be 1 year old in just two months. This year has flown by! I can only imagine what interesting and exciting things we will enjoy and learn from this next month.

Happiest mirthday wishes to my baby girl!

Thanks to Jessica, Raleigh's teacher, for the photos.