Zoe turned 10 months old yesterday. This month has been marked by some big developments and has been dubbed the month of bumps and bruises.
Some developments this month include more waving, more babbling and "talking" including "dada," scooting/crawling across the floor, pulling herself to standing, and getting up on her feet with her hands on the floor and buns in the air. She has become pretty proficient at getting from belly to back to sitting to crawling to standing and back. She can pretty much get herself into any position she wants these days.
Zoe still wants to be with me more than anyone else, especially when she's tired, hungry, or unsure of the situation, but she happily goes to Cole now as well. She also goes to other people, but if Cole or I are around, she wants to be with us. She plays nicely on her own, especially when the boys are playing around her, but when she's done playing by herself, she lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that she is ready to be picked up. On the plus side, she almost always shrieks with joy when we do pick her up.
Our schedule is pretty flexible around here, but, in general, we are on a four hour schedule. She nurses four times a day and then eats three solid meals a day, usually with us. She has started to be pretty dissatisfied with pureed food, so I have been giving her a lot more of the food we're eating, just cut up into small pieces. She's happy to eat strawberries, grapes, apples, mango, melon, waffles, pancakes, toast, and most anything else we will let her try. She still doesn't have any teeth.
Some of Zoe's favorite things to do are wave in a mirror, hang upside down, scoot/crawl around, eat ice cream, bounce with her brothers, drinking or pretending to drink from cups, banging on the piano, and chewing on my keys. She dislikes having her nose wiped, being told "no," being tired or hungry, and being left alone for too long (by her standards).
At 10 months, Zoe weighs 17.4 lbs (7.9 kg, 28%) and is 28 inches long (71.1 cm, 43 %). There has been a lot more babbling this month. I'm starting to feel like she's trying to talk to us or sing along with songs. She's got a little personality and we love to see it develop. One thing that has definitely developed this month is a temper, with a dramatic flair. If you tell her "no" to her, take something away from her that she wants, or don't give her what she wants, she will now start to, very pathetically, sob. If she doesn't sob, she scrunches up her face, sticks out her little lip, and gives us the most pathetic look. Right now, I find it to be pretty funny, but I'm quite certain that will change as we navigate more serious issues in the future.
Although Zoe is still a great sleeper at night (12-13 hours), we have been struggling with naps the last couple weeks. She normally takes a great nap in the morning, but has really been fighting me with her afternoon nap. That translates into an extremely grumpy, wiggly, and tired baby in the evening. She still loves her fuzzy pink blanket and even reaches for it when she's tired or upset. She loves to snuggle with Cole or me when we are holding her and the blanket.
One thing that has surprised me this month is how decisive Zoe can be. For example, I had been trying to put her in a crawling position for a while, but she didn't want anything to do with it...she didn't even act interested. Then, one day, she just did it. Then, she just decided that she was going to stand. I had never seen her try pull up before, she just decided to do it one day. It's amazing to watch her grow and see how strong willed she is already!
Because Zoe is on the move so much now, she has gotten herself in some difficult situations and gotten pretty banged up. She has banged her head trying to get back down from standing, banged her head on the floor while trying to do her strange scoot/crawl (half scooting, half crawling), gotten stuck under things, and she's even gotten stuck, clinging for her life, trying to stand in her crib. I do love going in to get her in the morning and seeing her standing, bouncing up and down, with a big smile on her face. It's a very nice welcome! As a side note, the first thing Zoe does almost every time I pick her up out of her crib is to turn around to the mirror in her room and wave at me. It's very sweet.
Zoe likes bath time, especially when she can be with her brothers. She likes to splash, pretend to drink from a cup, and play with her other bath toys. She still doesn't have very much hair, but she finally has enough to have some crazy nap time hair.
Cameron still loves to feed Zoe when he gets the chance and sings her the sweetest songs. He's also very proud that he can pick her up off the ground, carry her around, then set her back down all by himself. Harrison isn't as interested as Cameron, but he does like to hold her, try to carry her (with supervision), and to try to make her laugh.
We had the opportunity to have a baby dedication at our church in Gent this month. We fully believe that Zoe is an amazing and wonderful gift from God, so we were happy that we could dedicate her to God in the presence of those who have surrounded us during her short life. Though we missed our families very much, we were still thankful to have the dedication in the city where Zoe was born, surrounded by those who have walked with us on this journey in Belgium. Our prayer for her comes from Ephesians 1: 17-19:
Here are some pictures from the last month.
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| A little black eye |
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| Not fast enough... |
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| Crazy hair! |
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| Baby dedication |
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