10 Months old

Dear Isaac, You attempt to walk more than you try to crawl, but still get tipsy and end up crawling some. You can stand up all by yourself. You don't need to pull up on anything. You figured it out. You like toys and can put blocks in a giraffe toy (for peek-a-blocks).

You can clap, dance, shake your head, and even repeat "mama" all on command. I think you will want to be a drummer or something. You love drumming and dance at even a hint of music. You were dancing before you could walk, and now that you can walk, your dancing is even better. You get low and bounce with your legs and not just your head and neck. Your smile is the cutest.

You play peek-a-boo with anyone who will smile with you.

You are afraid of adult males even if you should know them. So far, it's been Rob Szasz, Uncle Andre, Grandpa Beckman, and Santa (today). You have warmed up to the first three and we have a great picture of the last guy.

You don't eat much baby food still. Your main nutrition is still nursing. It just looks like you eat everything in sight.

You do SO much better at nights. In fact, last night you slept from 8:30-2:30. I checked on you a couple of times because that is not like you at ALL. 6 hours - I think that's a reccord. It was so hard for me to go to sleep (so I stayed up) because I expected you to wake up. I start missing you when it's been a couple of hours.

You and Dylan just got runny noses, maybe from Malia and Noah, but who knows. I found the humidifier and had it on high last night. Maybe you liked that white noise. I also propped up the legs of your pack 'n play with some books because you had a hard time breathing through your nose the night before. (You were crying and uncomfortable and were up most of the night.) You do sleep in that pack 'n play instead of in my bed now. That's your main milestone for this past month. I go in there about every 2 hours to feed you. It's easier for me to have you in our bed, but it was getting out of control. Daddy couldn't sleep and you didn't take naps by yourself well. You finally stopped your tantrums that could last for over an hour with you standing screaming as loud as you could in a big sweaty upset pitiful mess. This has been harder than potty training Dylan, and you're still getting up too much. I do like going in there to hold you. You're so sweet. I love that you need me. I love that I calm you down as soon as I pick you up. I'm doing what I should have done all along. I rock you in our Costa Rica rocking chair with the boppy pillow. I have just a night light. I should put on lullubys, but I left the CD player at our old church b/c we were using it so it's kinda donated to the youth now. So I sing to you. I sing the 3 verses of "Deliver us" from "The Prince of Egypt" DVD. You've been getting Christmas carols too, of course. You fall asleep in my lap before I'm done with our last alone time of the evening. It's so dumb, but I'm now a little sad that you'll go down on your side sleepily and happily. I know you wake up when I let go and are aware that you're going back to sleep without me. I should be jumping for joy that I don't have to trick you and sneak away. You're growing up I guess.

You're so sweet and I want to be able to cuddle and squish you and smooch your kissable cheeks every single day forever.