Clothing size: All 9-12 month items! I have so many favorite outfits in this size from my older girls, so it’s been extra fun getting her dressed and remembering the summers her sisters wore these things, too. It’s also been nice to just let her wear only a onesie and a diaper when we’re just at home, since warm, wonderful spring weather has finally arrived.

Eye color: Blue as ever!

Hair: Dark brown, straight on top, but with some texture in the back, which still has me thinking that she’s going to have curls eventually.

Teeth: Still just those two down in front! I’m all for keeping her smile as gummy as possible for as long as we can!

Eating: This girl has really taken off with eating solid food! She absolutely loves everything she tries! She eats about 3/4 of a banana for breakfast every day, a pouch or container of baby food at lunch, and then whatever we’re eating for dinner. So, we’re still doing a mixture of purees and baby-led weaning. She has tried and loved pureed pears, sweet potatoes mixed with applesauce, Greek yogurt, shredded chicken, beef stew, cheese, any kind of crackers, grapes, cherry tomatoes, Cheerios, peanut butter, bread, pizza, chicken nuggets, and French fries.

We got some reusable food pouches and she really likes the fresh homemade baby purees.

She’s also still nursing about every 3-3.5 hours, but if we’re out and about, she can go longer because she usually can’t concentrate long enough to nurse well in public.

Sleep: Something magical happened just a couple days before she turned ten months old, and she actually started sleeping about 6 consecutive hours!!! I put her to bed around 7:30 or 8 pm, and then dream-feed her around 11:30 pm before we go to bed. She’ll usually sleep until about 5 am or so, but she goes back to sleep if I give her her pacifier, and then she’ll nurse when I get up around 6:30 am. Having a longer stretch of sleep has been a big positive change for me! Nearly 10 months of 3-hour stretches was wearing all of us down.

She’s still sleeping in our room, but we switched her to the larger pack and play now. She would try to roll over in the “travel size” one and just get stuck up against the mesh sides. I was sad to pack it away, but it was definitely time to do so.

She still naps for 2.5 to 3 hours in the afternoons, usually around 2 or 2:30 pm.

Words: She still says “Mamama” for mommy, and she yells, squeals, and screams all the time to communicate. She for sure knows her name and what the word “milk” means.

Favorite things: Mommy is still her favorite, but she is becoming more independent and just generally loves exploring and playing on her own, too. She thinks her sisters are funny, and she loves hanging out with Daddy. She likes pacifiers, brushing her teeth, dancing, smashing her face up against the side of her pack and play, and playing outside. She’s also obsessed with anything that has buttons or a screen (i.e. the TV remote or my phone). She gets really mad when I take those away!

Dislikes: She absolutely hates baths and starts crying as soon as I put her in the tub. She dislikes the car seat and wearing hair bows. She also doesn’t like being told no!

Nicknames: Evie, Evie Bedeevee, Lovie.

Milestones, etc.: -Her “inchworm crawl” is a thing of the past, because this girl has been full-speed, REAL crawling for a few weeks now.

-She is just into everything and all over the place. She can get anywhere she wants to (except for going up the stairs, but she’s started trying), and she puts absolutely everything in her mouth. I’m always checking her cheeks for fuzz she picked up off the carpet or anything else that might be in there.

-She’s pulling herself up!!! She’s so good at it now, and she loves that she can see and grab anything she wants off the couch.

-She’s clapping and waving, and LOVES grabbing people’s fingers, even if she doesn’t know them very well.

-She’s still obsessed with grabbing her toes!

-She thinks it’s funny if someone leaves my bedroom door open when we’re in there, allowing her to bolt for the exit. She laughs as I run to grab her before she reaches the stairs, so she clearly thinks it’s a game. We’re putting a baby gate at the top of the stairs, because suddenly, she’s just too fast, and it just takes one of her sisters to forget to close the door for her to escape.

-She’s started throwing little tantrums. She flails her body backward, screams, tries to push me away and has even tried to bite. I can’t believe we’re already at this point!Dear Eve,

Beautiful girl, I can’t believe you’ve been ours for ten months already. Watching you grow and learn is such a miracle, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to do so every day. You definitely haven’t been the easiest baby, but the extra work it’s taken to make you happy has made our bond that much stronger.You cuddle up to me, with your head against my chest, just because you feel safe there. I know you’re busy exploring the whole world, but I cherish those few moments you take to be with me.I love you so much.

Love, Mommy