The Smith Files: 10 Months!

Monday, July 28, 2014

10 Months!

Ten months seemed to come out of nowhere! I think it's the craziness of summer (or the fact that I didn't do a nine month post until she was already 9 1/2 months!) but every day I'm in denial that we are that much closer to ONE. :( My baby is growing up way too fast.

Emme just keeps growing and growing. Yes, I know that's what babies are supposed to do, but she continues to surprise me with her heft! The past two visits to our pediatrician's office had him tell me that he thought she'd reached her peak as far as weight gain, but then the next time we went in, she was bigger! Right now she is weighing right at 24 pounds of chub and love! I adore the cheeks, the rolls, and everything about her roly poly self. I know it will melt away far too soon.

She is curious as can be and doesn't sit still for very long. Now that she's crawling faster, she just zips around the house from one room to the next. She loves to play with her brothers (as best as she can) and with all of their stuff, and she adores our dog, Elijah. I have caught her pulling up a few times, including in her crib when she was supposed to be napping. :) She also loves chasing balls and playing "fetch."

Emme's personality is definitely developing more and more. She is so happy, calm, and just easy as pie. Thankfully, she doesn't really get mad all that often, except when I have to change her diaper or pull a shirt over her head. Then watch out! She screams and tries to escape! She is also starting to realize when someone takes something away that she wants, and that is getting more of a reaction these days, too, including throwing her head back in a mini fit. She will also laugh and laugh, and we can get her on a roll where we get some all-out belly laughs that are so fun to see.

Going on vacation did a number on her night sleeping, so we've slowly had to get back in the groove. While away, we got into the habit of bringing her into our bed so as not to wake everyone else, and of course she still wanted to do that when we got back. It was fine for a week or so, but then she started waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to play, trying to crawl around in our bed or just sitting there pulling my hair and slapping me over and over. I finally had enough one evening, so I got up and put her in her own bed. Of course, this did not go over well. We had a couple nights of crying, nothing too major, but I am happy to say she is back in her bed full time these days! Phew! As much as I love to cuddle her sweetness, I do not like getting head butted or slapped while I am trying to sleep. :)

The best thing about this month was receiving the news that a questionable mark on Emme's back is nothing to worry about and will just need to be monitored once a year. We first noticed this mark in October when she was only ten days old, and we have fretted over it ever since. After visits to her pediatrician as well as a dermatologist, we were given multiple diagnoses, including mastocytoma and leiomyoma. None of these are particularly bad but not something we were happy to hear. Finally, after a biopsy and a visit with a pediatric dermatologist at the U, the final diagnosis came back as a smooth muscle hamartoma. This is by far the best of the three, and we are tremendously thankful! As I mentioned, we will not need to remove it and will just continue to watch it over the years. Such a blessing to our family and our sweet baby girl!