10 MONTHS!!

 If I don't get a shot in RIGHT when I set her down with grey bear and the dry erase board, I might as well kiss my plans goodbye.  I'm glad she was looking at me when I set her down because you can see what ensued after that... :)

Our happy girl is 10 months old today.  I have been in denial all week.  Last night someone asked me how old she was and I said "9 1/2 months."  Chet shot me the look that said, "Isn't that a LIE?!", so I stammered, "Oh um. Well.  She will be 10 months tomorrow."  We have also received a lot of, "wow her head has grown!", comments.  I am still a bit unsure about how to take them, but it is definitely because her smart BRAIN needs room! :)

I don't know how it is possible that she is 10 months today.  I found this photo from last year on the 28th of January:

Such a time of trusting God... and if I could've only told myself how worth the wait she was. :)

It's almost impossible for my mind to even remember how difficult that time in my life was.  Joy has really taken over my heart...overflowing...it doesn't have much room for anything else.

Of course, when I found that, I also found this one from the 28th of April:

Oh my stars.

And while we are reminiscing, how about this?  She moved from her infant car seat to her "big girl" seat this week.  I held back the waterworks when she sat in it for the first time:

Taking a family walk when we were wittle bitty Boppy this spring in her infant seat.

First time in her big girl seat.  Sigh.

I am so glad her infant seat now belongs to precious friends of ours, for their upcoming third blessing! :)  That made it a lot easier to part with.  And I have only cried about 5 times.  It could be way worse.

At 10 months old, you, my precious baby princess, are:

• Walking!!  You are still pretty cautious, and prefer to crawl to get to something 'far' away, but you are definitely walking!  
• Weigh nearly 18 pounds!  I do not know how accurate this is, but at next week's doctor appointment we will see if that is so.  You feel heavier lately, so I think it's pretty close.
• Babble all day.  You are putting together "babble sentences" with lots of different sounds.  You also get frustrated when I don't understand what you are trying to tell me.  You are so funny! :)
• Eat 3 solid food meals a day.  You wake up around 5am for a bottle, and sometimes will lay back down until 6:30 or 7:00am.  At 7:00, you have "breakfast".  Usually breakfast includes one or two of the following: bananas, raspberries, oranges, apples, real oatmeal (no instant nasty kind), cheerios, wheat Eggos (I know, I know) :/, scrambled eggs, etc.  At about 9:30 you have another bottle and then take a short nap; key word: short.  At 11:00 you have "lunch".  Lunch usually includes at least one green veggie like broccoli (your favorite), peas, green beans, asparagus, artichokes, spinach, brussels sprouts, etc. and one fruit or "orange/yellow/red" veggie like carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, tomatoes, etc.  At about 1:30 or 2:00 you have a bottle and take the best nap of your day; 'best' may mean one hour, but I take it!  Sometimes you even sleep up to two hours, though that is rare!  At 4:30 or 5:00 you have "dinner".  Dinner usually includes a wide variety of whatever produce we have already steamed or have on hand in the fridge.  Sometimes you get to try what I am cooking for dinner if it's "healthy enough".  We have learned not to feed you a solid food dinner past 5:00, just in case it upsets your little tummy.  You will not sleep until after midnight if you eat solid foods late.  At 5:30 you have a bottle, but usually don't drink all of it.  You have a bath around 7:00 (if your dinner didn't cause you to get messy enough to land in the bath right after) and your last bottle around 7:45-ish.  You are usually asleep halfway through this bottle and sleep through the night, most nights!  :)  It is crazy how "scheduled" you are now.  I remember wasting too many moments stressing over this.  Mommyhood sure does teach us lessons! 
• Surprise us with what you are able to do and get in to!  You love things that have an "effect" (i.e. you love to pull the cords on our fans and lights and watch them turn on).  You can figure out so much!  There is hardly a lock that you haven't figured out yet.  
• Have sass.  I do not need to say more. ;)

We love you so very much Grey Danelle, our Boppy.  You wake up with zest for life, and I have been working on encouraging all your strengths, even if they wear me out.  I never want to quench your little happy spirit.  You are inquisitive, BUSY, strong, naturally excited and loud.  I know God's plans for you are AMAZING!

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11