10 months

Is there anyone out there who knows how to stop time? Ten months ago, as I was holding my minutes old baby girl, I thought about how lucky I was and how challenging my life was about to become. I had never before been so completely fulfilled and yet so utterly terrified in one solitary moment. Having gone through my pregnancy with a deployed husband and knowing that Mom and I were facing a long four months of newborn craziness before he got home, I was sure it was going to be one heck of a long year. I feel like I blinked and suddenly she's ten months old! If her first ten months flew by a the speed of light, what will the next two months feel like? She's going to be one soon.... and then she'll be 18, moving out on her own, and won't need Momma anymore.

Recently, we've had a whole new struggle. One that's entirely new for me. Natalie got her first cold. It wasn't all THAT bad, I guess... she never had a fever, no green snot (sorry TMI), was mildly cranky, and only suffered two sleepless nights (that really only consisted of her waking up once or twice). It was awful for me, though. I hated that she didn't feel well, and blamed myself for not being vigilant enough to keep her healthy. I think the worst part for me was knowing she wasn't feeling well and not being able to give her any medicine to help ease her stuffy nose. Let's just say the saline spray and nasal aspirator are two things in this world that Natalie Blanton loathes. Obviously her cold was no fun for her, but I felt like I was adding unnecessary trauma just by trying to help . I know it was bound to happen, but it happened too soon. She's much better now and we're all relieved.

Here's what's going on now that Natalie is TEN MONTHS OLD:

*Furniture cruising like a mad woman
*Can climb stairs on her own (of course I've got a death grip on her arm and am no further that one centimeter from her)
*Says "Mamma" and "Dada" to correct parent
*Says "Edd" for egg and "Duhduh" for Doggy
*Waves "hello" AND "goodbye" (previously she had only really mastered "hello")
*Weaned herself to three nursings a day
*Drinks from a straw
*Stands alone momentarily and can almost stand up by herself
*Is starting to point to things to get needs met
*Obeys "no" more often and DEFINITELY understands it
*Has eight teeth

I've attached some cute pictures from the past month. Some are with Aunt Chelsea and Aunt Pam, some are with Charlotte (my friend Brooke's daughter) and some are from today (the cranky snotty nose pictures). I love the look on her face in the first picture... it just screams "Mommy puh-lease pick me up!".