10 Months

Monday was Elliott's 10 month birthday. He is 2 months away from being a year old, and that seems like such an enormous milestone. Right now my memories of every day with him are so fresh in my mind. It seems like just yesterday that I held him tight in my arms for the first time. But so much has happened and he has changed so much in such a short time. He claps his hands now with a joy that I have never seen in any baby before in my life. He smiles proudly and sweetly with his mouth wide open. He has grown four teeth (two on top and two on the bottom). For a while his tongue hung out the side of his mouth because he was unsure of where it belonged now that his bottom teeth were there. I watch him make adjustments and learn about his new body, his new strength, his new abilities and it truly is a miracle to see how a person grows. He shows understanding now as I watch him point to the bunny rabbit in his book, as he points to the puppy dogs outside the window, or as he turns his head and his attention to objects and people that I talk about. When we sing If You're Happy and You Know It, he claps in anticipation of the words to come. He responds to his name. He knows when he is tired after a bath and playing in the evening and will quietly make his way over to my lap and nurse himself to sleep. He is starting to dance and will wave his little hand in the air, or grab his foot in the car and wiggle it around. He is persistent in his learning and his will is strong. His attention span continues to amaze me. He is starting to communicate more and more. Right now everything is ga-ga ga ga ga gagagaga. But those sounds mean something and he will put his hand out as if to gesture and emphasize his point. His attention span continues to amaze me. He has learned to suck through a straw and can eat almost anything. He enjoys food so much and it is a real pleasure to watch him eat. He loves to pick up tiny pieces of food in his fingers and shove it into his mouth. Tomorrow is my last day of school for the year and I can't wait to spend the summer with Elliott. He is growing before my eyes and I don't want to miss a minute of it.