Caroline is 10 months old

Looking out the window with a sweet profile.

Caroline is looking for trouble with that mischievous face, or is she just looking for crumbs? We don't have a dog anymore, so there isn't any competition for those tasty leftovers!

She does not want to sit still for pictures this month either, and is getting ready to launch herself off the rocking chair.

Caroline turned 10 months old on Thursday and each day with her is new and interesting as her personality keeps developing. As soon as I think I have gotten her figured out, she enters a new phase and reminds me that she is a totally different baby than her brother. She is generally a happy baby, but we have had some really fussy days with teething when the only thing that makes her happy is being held by mama.
Caroline has also been boycotting her pureed baby food except for sweet potatoes. Dinner time lately has been a loud, messy affair with lots of hand waving, spitting, and dramatic crying. I think I may need to try more table foods and see if that eases both of our frustrations. We are still nursing four times a day, but I think I am going to cut one feeding out this month and try to give her milk in a sippy cup. She is a fast nurser, but very wiggly and restless most of the time (and often bites), which isn't very comfortable for me. Thankfully she sems to be spitting up a little less. With finger foods she is a great eater, and loves crackers, cheerios, animal crackers, cheese, and even ate some very small cut-up pieces of grapes today. I am definitely braver about trying table foods with her than I was with Rylan.
Our little princess has also been trying to boycott naps lately, and I am less willing to compromise on that issue, at least at her age. Sometimes she simply refuses to take her morning nap and a couple of times if she naps well in the morning, she won't go down in the afternoon. I am amazed that most days, Rylan sleeps more than she does with just his one nap! She has finally been napping in the nursery at church, albeit in the stroller from what I hear, but that is a great relief to me on our MOPS days or Sundays. I think she must be gradually getting more comfortable and less fussy in the nursery.
I thought maybe Caroline might be walking by 10 months, but we aren't quite there yet. She crawls very fast, pulls up and stands fairly steady on her feet, but hasn't shown the coordination to put one foot in front of the other. Although Caroline moves quickly at home, when she is in a new place, she just sits quietly and observes her surroundings. We pulled out Rylan's old mailbox walking toy, and sometimes she will stand and try to push it, when Rylan will share it with her. Today, she managed to climb up two of the stairs, so I am going to have to bring the baby gate downstairs to keep her safe.
Verbally, Caroline will squeal and babble and laugh, especially when Rylan tickles her! She says "da-da" and "buh-buh" for brother, but no other words that we can recognize. She likes looking at books, but would prefer to tear the pages. Splashing in the bath is one of her favorite parts of the day. She also really likes music and will "dance" to the rhythm. Rylan's toys are much more interesting than her baby toys, especially his soft baseball bat, race cars, tractors, and even the bowl in his plastic potty, which grosses me out! I hope she will like getting some real girl toys for her birthday!
Caroline has some definite dislikes now: sitting still to have her hair fixed, or lying still for getting dressed and having her diaper changed. She also gets a scared look on her face if we hold her up in the air and lift her up and down. Rylan loved that game, but she doesn't think it is quite so fun! Amazingly she does tolerate a lot of roughness from her big brother. Many times I think something should have made her cry and she just laughs. As much as she likes to be near me and be able to climb in my lap at her leisure, Caroline will rarely let me hold her close for cuddling, even before going to sleep. Whenever she is in a relaxed, snuggly mood, I treasure it.
Caroline does have a wonderful laugh and smile and it always melts my heart when I come home from work to see her crawling as fast as she can to greet me. Hearing her giggle as she wraps her arms around my neck makes me think I could just hold her forever.
Thanks for bearing with me on this long entry. I know I won't be able to remember all these things, so I have to write them down for safe-keeping in the kid's baby books. Someday it will be fun to look back on them and reminisce..