Elsa is Ten Months

Today marks Elsa's ten-month birthday, and she is definitely continuing to grow on a daily basis. She is still not yet totally on the move (though she is capable of moving about on the floor by rolling or somehow slithering), but she is ever closer to crawling (if she could just discover those knees can support and move her lower half!), and you can see in the photos her newfound love -- standing. She enjoys standing in the back room and holding onto the edge of the sleeper sofa, standing in her crib and holding onto the railing (she cried yesterday when I tried to lift her out of the crib), standing and holding onto our hands, and standing on the couch, holding onto the back cushions. She will take a few steps here and there, and can even balance herself some on her legs for a few seconds without holding on, but is still not fully cruising.

We think her second top-front tooth is making its way in, which is causing some angst these past couple of days. We may not be able to call her "Snaggletooth" for much longer. I am trading my baby-baby in for more of a toddler with these incoming teeth, which just seems unfathomable. Was it not just yesterday when we brought our little bundle home from the hospital? And now I am starting to plan her first birthday party. It sounds so cliché, but these little ones really do grow up fast. Everyone always tells you these things, but you kind of just dismiss all the comments until you have your own child and experience it all for yourself.

She is a skinny little thing, still in her nine-month-sized clothes -- long and lean, just like her daddy was as a baby. I was long, but not even close to being lean. We are trying to fatten her up, though. Today she had her first grilled cheese sandwich, sans crust, cut up into little pieces. She loved it, and ate the entire half-sandwich. Avocado is still a definite staple, and is a good fatty fruit. She has also surprised me by taking a good liking to the broccoli/cauliflower purée I made her awhile back (complete with butter, of course), and she of course still loves her sweet potatoes and squash. She has been a little funny about some other foods, though. She is not too keen on scrambled eggs (perhaps again taking after Daddy?), even with shredded cheese on top. I'm not sure if it is a texture thing or a flavor thing, but it's a bummer since they are such a good source of protein. I will keep trying, though! She is also not a big fan of the organic monterey jack cheese I bought at the Farmer's Market, and much prefers cheddar and even sharp cheddar (which was on the grilled cheese today). I think the girl likes flavor, so I'm going to try out some new more complex recipes sometime soon, which are in a new book I'm reading, Hungry Monkey.

All in all, Elsa is a very happy baby, making Jarrett and me very happy parents. We love you, little girl, and so enjoy watching you become such a fun, adventurous, curious little person.