Dear Mary Katey,

If I’d have known how well you would sleep in the crib with bumper pads, I’d have bought a toddler bed for your sister long ago.  The adorable crib you were using had solid ends, and so we couldn’t tie our bumper pads in it.  Consequently, since you like to sleep horizontally in the crib, you were always waking yourself up by bumping your head on the slats.  We knew it wouldn’t work for you when you got older, anyway, being too antique to stand up to the kind of bouncing your sister does.

So when cousin Hannah passed on her toddler bed to your big sister Ruth, you got Ruth’s crib—complete with the bumper pads she hadn’t been using in ages.  Suddenly, you were sleeping 5, 6, even 7 hours at a stretch.  I had forgotten one could feel that rested.  Like I said, I’d have bought your sister a toddler bed—all that sleep I didn’t know I was missing!

When you’re well-rested, Mommy’s well-rested, and Daddy’s well-rested (your sister sleeps through almost anything).  But when you’re well-rested, you’re the happiest little pumpkin ever.  And so smiley.  Even if it is a crooked smile.

We laugh at you, because your teeth are never in the middle of your smile.  You move your jaw cock-eyed when you smile.  But it’s cute.  And so you.

You have a personality now. And some attitude to go with it.  You seem to be a bit more redheaded and stubborn than your big sister.  You wouldn’t get either trait from either of your parents, obviously. (Okay, Daddy isn’t a redhead, but his new goatee—which you love to feel—has hints of red!)

You’ve taken to waving within the last few weeks.  Especially at your daddy (your favorite person).  When he gets home and says hi, you wave.  When he leaves, you wave.  Now if you could learn to wave a bit differently for all done and please in sign language!

You’re even putting voice to some words—at least, Daddy and Mommy like to think so!  Not only do you wave at your daddy, but you say “Dah-dah.”  It’s pretty obvious that you’re talking about him—sometimes, at least.

I tried to tell him that you had said “mah-mah.”  But he didn’t believe it until I walked into our room to get you out of bed after a nap, when he was home for lunch.  He heard you say “Mah-mah” clear in the kitchen.

You still love Mama and the nummers she makes for you.  I think you’re nursing more of late, rather than less.  But you adore big people food—as in, something other than mushy cereal mixed with mushy fruits and vegetables.  You prefer it to have some texture.  You loved it when I mixed real rice into your rice cereal.  Your current favorites are pasta noodles, fishy crackers (they win over Cheerios every time), graham crackers, teething cookies (you don’t understand they are for gnawing on—you gobble them down in their entirety) and pieces of Daddy’s oatmeal cookies.  And, as of last night, pizza: the bread part, at least.  You gobbled up every piece I gave you.  When I checked your bib and found no pizza, we decided you better stop eating pizza for the night.  Usually lots of extra pieces end up in your bib, but not with Mommy’s homemade pizza crust.  You loved every bit of it!  [Herein Mommy inserts a query to other mothers: any suggestions for snacks my 10-month-old can feed herself?]

And oh yes, your teeth.  (How could I forget?  One of them kept me up all night last night!  You momentarily forgot how well you slept in your new crib.  The new tooth clouded your memory, I s’pose.)  You’ve had two bottom teeth for a while now, but we weren’t seeing any signs of progress with the top two.  Until your great aunt Dixie was sitting in the grass with you three weeks ago, and commented on your tooth.  I’d given up looking for it, but sure enough, there was a top tooth!  And as of this last week, your right top tooth is through as well.  Now you can really chow down on that big people food.

Your mobility has also greatly increased.  We set you down in one spot, and you are immediately in another.  Your more than 16 pounds of pudginess makes it easy for you to roll everywhere! And roll you do.  Even onto our concrete floor.  You close your eyes right before you set your head down gently.  You know you’re not on carpet any more and it’s going to hurt!

You’re a bundle of delight, noise, and snuggles.  You adore your big sister.  And you think the world of your daddy.  But you are still your mommy’s girl through and through.  (Not to mention having my red hair, blue eyes, and temperament!)

I love you, my baby-girl-who’s-not-a-baby-anymore!

Happy 10 month day!

Love,
Mommy