TEN MONTHS !!
I am so devastated that Zara is in the double digit months and will soon be a whole year old :( I love being her Mama and it is going by way too fast!
NEW
- One night, Jonas came home from work and when Z saw him, she got so excited(like she always does) but exclaimed "Papa!". The same night, Jonas was holding her and she wanted to come to me and she said "Mama!". She is trying to talk, mostly it is baby babble. She has started to regularly say Mama when she sees me :)
- Zara loves to wave (hello & goodbye), she loves to clap and give high fives! She even waves at animals, especially dogs.
- Zara continues to explore anything and everything. She is constantly grabbing/ climbing/ reaching. It is very exhausting but I love that she is learning about the world.
- She does this spinning thing while she sits on the floor. So adorable!
- She wears 6- 12 month clothing & size 4 diapers.
- I give her a bath every afternoon and she loves it. Sometimes we use the kitchen sink, but most of the time we listen to music and laugh while she plays in the bath tub.
-We found a Boo the dog that walks and dances. I try not to go overboard on toys, but we had to get it. She also loves the microphone her babysitter has. Jonas got a tiny soccer ball for her and we hold her and help her walk and kick the ball. This is her favorite game but I can feel it destroying my back. We play with our neighbor sometimes too. She is 5 so the best game we can play is tag or soccer in the yard. Zara likes to be held while we run.
- Her favorite thing to do is climb the stairs. It never stops.
- She loves to crawl on our bed. She jumps for it.
- Everyone thinks she is a boy. I try to keep bows on her to keep this from happening. She does have hair, it is just very light right now. I adore her bald looking head though :)
- She is obsessed with the cat's tail and even laughs if Katze hisses. This is not good.
- No steps yet, but I know the day is coming. She cruises around furniture constantly and is starting to try and stand up without holding on and she can stand by herself but will only do it for a few seconds.
- She will let me hold her sometimes and she gets very quiet and observant when I do, but most of the time she wants to be on the floor playing or crawling around. She will not tolerate the stroller/ ergobaby/ carts/ carseat for very long anymore.
- Z REALLY enjoys the park now! She has enough control that I let her climb and crawl around (with mama close). She adores the swing. She laughs so hard.
- This girl could drink water from a glass all day. I like to give her water in a sippy cup or with a straw, but no. She needs a glass of water to bite on and hear her teeth clinking and to contaminate it with the crumbs from her mouth. haha.
- The most hilarious thing I have seen her do is dance while moving one of her chins into the second chin. It is amazing.
- Jonas does that babble thing and she repeats but uses her entire arm to make a babble sound.
- Z pushes chairs around all around the house.
- She is my favorite in the mornings. She is usually happy and cuddly. If she is cranky, she still wants to be held. I will take all the baby cuddles I can get :)
- She moves all over her crib while she sleeps. We always find her above her blanket too.
- Z has 6 teeth now. One next to each row on the top and bottom.
- Sometimes I brush her hair and she smiles and closes her eyes. I love that too, hopefully someday she will brush my hair.
- We started taking sign language classes together. I feel a little overwhelmed to teach her (even though it is basic). Hopefully she will learn a few helpful signs to communicate with us before she talks.
- She tries to copy some things we do, especially dancing. Z loves to dance to upbeat music.
SLEEP
Not much has changed in the sleep department since last month. She wakes up a few times a night, sometimes she is cold or needs her paci. We take care of that and she goes right back to sleep. I can always count on a wake up between 4am and 6am for some milk. It is usually impossible for me to go back to sleep if this is after 5am :(
Her naps are determined by what is going on in our lives. At daycare she takes one nap at noon and another on the way home at 4. On days with her babysitter, she takes one long nap for the day usually around 11. When she is home with us she naps earlier- around 10 or 11 and may or may not take an evening nap. She usually doesn't want to miss out.
We let her play and be with us until she is ready to go to bed. It may be 8:30, but most of the time it is 10. She wakes up for the day around 7..but lately she has woken up with me and it takes an eternity to get ready with a baby!
EAT
Feeding Zara takes up so much of my time..especially cleaning it off of the floor (70% of what I give her ends up on the floor), the high chair and her little hands and feet. Z eats breakfast, lunch and dinner which happened so fast. It wasn't really so long ago that she had no interest in food. Sometimes we are out and I forget she needs an entire meal! She lets me know :) Breakfast is usually oatmeal mixed with a banana, blueberry organic waffles or toast. Lunch is usually lighter...like a banana, a couple of organic fruit pouches, crackers, cheese, or yogurt bites, etc. At daycare (3 days per week) they usually give her a small meal and she eats a little of that. For dinner, Z eats whatever I have made unless it is too spicy. We let her try many different foods but she has her boring favorites. She likes PB&J, rice, beans and cheese a lot. She has yogurt throughout the day..yogurt is probably her favorite food. & baby cereal mixed with fruit is a great go-to. She LOVES fruit and likes veggies (they have to be fresh, not pureed). Occasionally she gets something sweet (we may share a Popsicle or a cookie). I don't mind sweets in moderation.
Of course she still needs milk. She wakes up for 5 oz. of milk at either 4am or 6am. I guess it depends on when she eats last/ goes to bed/ feels like getting up. She has another 5-6 oz. of breast milk at noon or 1. Her last bottle is given around 8pm and is half breast milk, half formula. I have to supplement 3-4 oz. everyday. I just cannot stop my supply from going down :( I had to accept defeat. This breastfeeding thing is the only reason I am excited for Z to turn one. I really don't have much time left!
Zara is the best little person. She is so full of life. She has a smile that melt even the coldest heart. She hardly ever stops moving and I am glad she loves to explore. She shows us more of her personality every month and still seems very calm to me...and independent and adventurous. She is also a very messy girl who keeps us in constant clean up mode.
I could kiss that little face all day.
Happy ten months to my sweet baby!
The Jack O Lantern Spectacular::: 
