Ten Month Checkup

At 10 months, Johnnie is all over the place. She crawls, walks, stands up, crawls up stairs (yikes!)... she's a woman on a mission at all times, and always with that dimpled smile. Her hair is growing like crazy too... it's thick, dark and always a complete mess. The little curls developing behind her ears make her dad's heart melt.

Size. At her doctor's appointment this month, she was just shy of 30 inches long and was about 22.5 lbs -- putting her in the 95th percentile for both. She kind of skipped over 12 month clothing altogether and will probably go up another size before her first birthday if she continues growing like this. (It's not like we're feeding her HGH or anything... she's still mostly eating organic fruits, veggies and cheese along with a combination of breast milk and formula.) The doctor was amazed at her walking skills and wondered how a laid-back person like me ended up with such a bearcat for a baby. (Hint: that's her father coming out in her.)

Teeth. Her second bottom tooth came in a few days after the 10 month mark, and I think her two front teeth on the top will come through soon as well. There is much gnawing and chewing going on. Teething biscuits and real fruit popsicles, which she LOVES, are like gold in this house.

Sleep. We're having M-A-J-O-R sleep issues lately, which I attribute to all this teething. (She also had hand, foot and mouth disease this month which I'm sure also contributed for a few nights' worth of misery.) Gone are the days of the quiet, full night's sleep. She's been waking up crying in the middle of the night almost every night, and it's that sad cry of pain I've learned to distinguish. I hate giving her any medicine unless absolutely necessary, but we've been relying on Infant Advil to help take the edge off the pain during the night.

She made friends with my parents' dog Scout last week while we were visiting them. They bonded over Cheerios.

Planning is beginning for her first birthday party in August. I can't believe how quickly this year is flying by, but I'm so thankful my baby is thriving and healthy. Can't ask for much more than that.