Dear Levi,
Mama is a slacker and couldn't get her act together, but here is your 9 and 10 month letter. You, my friend, are an awesome little guy. I've been around a lot of babies and kids and you just top the list.
We took you on vacation with grandma Elena and grandpa Stan in March and you were such a good little boy! You loved splashing in the pool, eating the local food (lots of yogurt, fruit, bread and cheese), and made lots of friends with the restaurant staff my yelling 'mamaaaa' with your little baby Spanish accent.
You even started crawling for the first time in the big king size bed we shared on the trip! You are moving more and more now and started pulling yourself up last week and love to stand and bang on the coffee table with papa, or look out at us from your baby jail. You do baby situps whenever we try to change your diaper and you are a man on a mission. You want to go, go, go and don't sit still very much these days.
You love your toys- you have a stuffed monkey and you love your puppy. Their tails are your favorite part and you usually give them a hug as soon as you see them and them proceed to bite their nose and tails for good measure. You also love taking baths, walks, and seeing all your friends and big cousin at Baba and Deda's house.
You and your papa are great friends! Papa loves walking with you in the carrier and reads to you in Russian all the time. He also hangs out with you while I hit the gym and you boys have your man time without me being in the way.
Food has now become one of your favorite things. I keep trying to expand your menu with more greens and fruits and you seem to take after your big brother Chino and love carbs and cheese. Some of your favorite foods are yogurt, cheese, banana, waffles, pancakes, grandma's chicken soup and cottage cheese, applesauce, pears, cucumbers. You will try almost anything, but will often spit it out as soon as it hits your lips. It's a good thing you have your brother Chino to help clean up. I am still providing your milk for you, and while it's a struggle, we are still going strong with nursing and I'm pumping as much as I can.
You are wearing some 9 month and mostly 12 month clothing. At your 9 month appointment, you weighed 22 lb 10 oz (80th percentile) and were 28.25 in tall (50%). Your head circumference is in the 70th percentile (18.5 in). You are now sporting almost 5 teeth, 3 of which started sprouting once you turned 10 months and have been working their way through your gums for a couple of weeks now.
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| 2 month and 10 month comparison |
My favorite thing about you is your smile! We joke around and say that you have a little elephant or dolphin smile because it is so wide and genuine. You will giggle more often now and it is the cutest sound, next to your babbling. You are quite vocal and say 'mama, baba, dada, papa' and other babbling sounds. You are a very happy baby and I get stopped while we are out in public with you so people can look at you and tell me how cute you are :)
You are getting so close to your first birthday, my sweet little bear! I just can't believe it! You are my little sidekick when I am home and I love spending time with you. Sometimes I can't believe you are all mine (OK, I share you with your papa) and that we have this beautiful little family. I cherish every moment with you and nothing makes me happier than seeing you grow and discover things, even though I get a little sad that you are getting so big.
I love you more than I can describe in words and then some more on top of that.
Love,
Mama
