10 MONTHS

I almost can't even handle that my baby is 10 months old. That means she's almost a year and that is just WEIRD.  She is getting more and more fun every day though, and that I can handle. She is now nodding, giving kisses (to us and her dolls), dancing to music or even just when mom starts singing out of the blue, and standing up to things. Yesterday she stood up to the wall one-handed. She still adores children, especially her cousins. Amber and Andy helped watch Bentlee while we were on our cruise (I will work on that post eventually) and they said their kids got really attached to her. Last night their kids came over to play while Amber and Andy went to the BYU game. Bentlee was more excited to see them after one day than she was to see us after 5 days! It's adorable and a little sad to me at the same time. Amber and Maxyne (the two that tended her while we were gone) keep telling us that we don't know how good we have it. I asked Maxyne if she ever got fussy at all and her answer was, "Let me think about it....no." Even I was surprised that she would go down for naps and to bed without crying at their houses, and later they would find her just playing in the crib/pack n' play. Amber told me she would sit in one place and play with toys for 30 minutes at a time, something she does NOT do at home. I can put 20-30 toys in front of her at one time and approximately 15 seconds later she is wandering under the table and through the kitchen. When she sees an open door, she takes off as if she's suddenly in a baby crawling competition (which, for the record, I'm pretty sure she could win). She still favors the bathroom, particularly the toilet. You know the little caps that go over the screws on either side of the toilet? I've resorted to running those through the dishwasher every week, instead of unsuccessfully keeping her away from them. The second she sees the bathroom door is open, she heads straight towards them. You would think after a few months this would get old, but I'm positive it has become a game. She knows we don't like it when she grabs them, so that is precisely her goal in life.

Bentlee is officially putting things in her mouth, something I'm pretty sure I jinxed while in Michigan, assuring everyone who was worried about my niece's small toys, that she did not. Choking has been a giant fear of mine ever since I started baby-sitting at 11 years old. The good news is, I've become much better at vacuuming and sweeping my house.

I would say 6 times out of 10, you will find Bentlee with a sock in either her hand or mouth. The girl is obsessed. Whether she finds them on her feet or on the floor, they become her favorite toy at that moment. They go straight to her mouth and when she discovers for the billionth time that they really don't have much flavor, she keeps a pretty tight grasp on them while she plays and crawls around, then sticks them in a fun place for mommy and daddy to find later. I rarely have gum when Kyle asks for it, but you can always bet I have a sock or two.

Bentlee surrounded by my Activity Days girls. Admiration all around.

What is it about sleeping babies? I have to fight the urge every day to scoop her up out of her crib

She's getting to be quite the little "helper"

Sock in hand

Lots of random videos for my family in Michigan....

Oh, and she cut her second tooth last week! She cut her first tooth the day she turned 9 months, and her second tooth sometime during the week she turned 10 months, while we were gone. Big girl!

Oh, and she gives high fives! Or high thirty's. She lays a nice solid smack to your hand and then repeats several times.

Watching the Super bowl

My absolute favorite thing about her is still the way she pats my shoulder when I get her out of the crib. I also love when she sees me in her car mirror through the rear view mirror and grins from ear to ear, sometimes giggles, and waves.

I don't know what I used to do without this little monkey in my life. I just know that now I could never live without her!