Ten Months

Dear Neil,

You are 10 months today. Actually, that is not true. You are 10 months and 5 days today. We were traveling and I did not have computer access, so I am just posting it late. Right now you are playing inside your "prison" fence. You are doing good today. Usually you just cry for me to take you when you are there. Today I am surprised that you are sitting and playing. You are quite a big boy now! What is going on with you?

1. You have four big teeth and I think I can see two more coming. You drool incessantly which tells me that I might be right in my estimation. So far, by God's grace you never had any teething associated problems.

2. You don't like playing with your toys much. You prefer paper, plastic bottles, and stuff like that. What you like best doing when I put you in the fence is to stand there and bite the fence instead of playing with your truck or laptop or anything else. In a way it makes me feel glad we never bought you any toys. It would have just been a waste.

3. You are the funniest baby in the world! Two weeks before we were at Chilis and the music started playing and you started headbanging. It was the funniest thing ever and we took a video also. Also while we were at a bowling alley you started headbanging as well. We all had such a good laugh.

4. You are quite strong and this month you had a fall out of your crib. It made me feel like a horrible mama, but by God's grace you didn't even have a scrape. You go for Gymboree classes and the instructor said you have good upper body strength. I am really happy you are healthy, but that also means you are able to get out of everywhere and I have to watch you like a hawk all the time. There really are not a lot of safe places I can keep you.

5. When you are well rested in the mornings, you wake up and stand in your crib and smile and wave. It is the sweetest sight in the world. You have also returned to your snuggly self and wants to hug when you sleep.

6. You have also started expressing your personality and needs a little bit of disciplining. You understand NO very well and also are quite aware of things you should not be doing but do anyway.

7. You are learning swimming now and it is not going great. You do well in the water. The problem is that you are super attached to me and you will not go to the instructor. And since I don't know swimming, it is a problem and I am hoping that you will get used to sweet Miss Jill soon.

8. You traveled to NYC and DC this month. You are quite the traveler now. You did not do great on the flight there mainly because you were sick. All the travel made you worse and you developed an ear infection. You are doing much better now. I did not enjoy the trip to NY much since you were sick, but we had a blast with your aunt, uncle and cousins. They love you more than any baby should be loved and you were lapping up all the attention. Your cousins had bargaining every day on who gets to sit next to the car seat when we go out and you are a very blessed little boy!

9. Your grandparents also were there for a few days this month and you warmed up fast to them. You loved picking your granddad's glasses, and pulling his whiskers and nibbling his ear. He calls you his second son, the first being your dad.

10. It is a challenge changing your diaper and we are working on it. You and I are going on a very long flight in less than a month and it wouldn't do to have you trying to leap off the changing table and hanging upside down with me holding on to your leg when we are 32,000 feet in the air.

11. Your Appacha and Ammachy and uncle are waiting eagerly to see you. I can't wait to take you there as well. I just hope you don't get sick there. But I know that God is watching over you and takes better care of you than this mama ever could.

12. Mommy is planning your first birthday party. I should have you know that I have not one creative bone in my body, so it should be challenging. I just want to have fun doing it because I want to celebrate you.

Were you not always there with us? I can't imagine a time without you. Now since you are so interactive, it is just boatloads of fun having you around. You are just getting ridiculously cuter everyday. I have no idea how you manage to do that. Your Dada is going to miss you bad while we are in India.

Love,
Mamma