Ten Months Old!!!

Campbell couldn't even face the camera. Mommy, we need to tell the truth! We are taking these pictures a day late, on the 12th!

I'm actually 10 months old...and 1 day!!

Yeah!!!! Much better. Now we can celebrate.

I will definitely clap for double digits!

Where has time gone? We're only two months away from the big one year celebration!!!!! Campbell is changing at the speed of light. She babbles constantly now. Mostly ba-ba-ba-ba, but now we're getting a lot of da-da-da-da's, and they are sometimes directed at Travis. He loves it! She can also say daddy, sometimes for Travis, and sometimes just to hear herself talk. (She IS like me!!!) I'm still working on Mommy.

She is crawling EVERYWHERE. We bought a little baby fence this month to keep her in one spot while I cook dinner, answer the phone, or even just go to the bathroom! I'm telling you, this little monkey takes off and there's no stopping her. We spend a ton of time in the playroom and Campbell loves her toys, especially anything she can bang together. I bought her a little drum set before our trip this weekend (I know her grandparents appreciated that - ha!). She pulls up on EVERYTHING and cruises. She is getting really strong at walking while holding onto the furniture, the wall, her toys, our hands...just about anything she can use. Campbell also lets go and is able to stand on her own for quite a long time. She is perfecting going from standing to sitting without just crashing to the floor. Slowly but surely she's learning how to ease herself down. On a few occasions, she's been standing and taken one unassisted step. We think it may take some time before she's able to follow with a second step...but then again, we also thought she'd never crawl! With this new independence comes bruises, bruises, bruises! Poor thing falls down all the time. I struggle with this because I can't stand to let her fall. But I know she has to learn how to pull up and walk, and in doing that, is bound to bonk her head more than a time or two. Luckily, so far all the falls have been minor and a good kiss from Mom or Dad makes it all better.

Campbell definitely understands things we tell her now. She knows what is coming when we say it's time to change your diaper, take a bath, take a nap, get some good foodies, Daddy's home, etc. It's truly amazing to watch her learn and soak up the world. This past weekend while we were out of town for the wedding, her Gangy taught her how to clap! I've been working on this for WEEKS to no avail. I leave her alone with her grandparents for a day, and next thing I know, she's clapping!! It's adorable and the past few days have been filled with clapping and giggling.

As usual, Campbell is eating like a champ. She's getting much better at a sippy cup now that we've switched to a straw cup. Her little fingers are very nimble and she feeds herself pretty easily now. Next step - to master the spoon...but I think that will be quite a while from now. She's wearing all 18 month clothing and getting taller and taller. She's still got a nice bit of extra padding, but is definitely starting to thin out now that she's mobile.

This past month Campbell really tested us when it came to sleeping. She went from sleeping 11-12 hours at night, uninterrupted...to keeping us up all night. I caved under the pressure at first and spent a good week or two in her room most of the night, rocking her, rubbing her back, etc. With Travis' encouragement, we toughed it out a night or two and let her cry it out. It worked!! She's sleeping again and doing well. If she wakes up, we check on her, lay her back down and leave...and she puts herself back to sleep. Sweet!! She also goes down for her naps now while she's still awake, as opposed to me rocking her to sleep. Much better. I was afraid we were starting some VERY bad habits, so I am proud of Travis and I for taking charge and getting nighttime and naptime back in check!

Shew! A lot has gone on this month! Every day with Campbell is so special and so precious. Happy ten months, Campbell!