Ten months young

Sweet baby girl, you seem insistent on growing like a weed. I can't keep up! It is impossible to look at you and not smile. Even when we are having a melt down, I am still so happy that you joined our family. OK, well, maybe I could do without the screaming in my ear and yanking of my hair when you being carried on my back, but really, they are small drops in the ocean of you.

You have changed so much in the last month. You are crawling so fast, and always with a determined look on your face. I love it. I will run around the corner and hide and you will call out for me and start crawling, and find me. I will smile and say "You found me" and you will sit up and clap your hands, laughing. This game never wears you out. You could do it for hours if I didn't have to rescue your siblings from eachother now and then.

At the moment you are crawling after your siblings. I wonder if you have mastered crawling so quickly because you want to follow them and they move much faster than you. You can go so fast, your legs trying to go fast to keep up. You like to crawl on your hands and feet, with your body in the air. It is very cute, and reminds me of when your sister and brothers crawled the same way.

I love watching as you grow, often reminding me about one of the other children. Memories that have faded over the years. Where once crawling was a big deal with them, nowadays we are amongst Lego, Star Wars, Indy, and not to mention all the burping, that while funny to them, drives me crazy.

A couple of times in the last week you have been standing and then let go of what you were holding on to. The longest was about 20 seconds. It is very cute to watch as you let go, then stand there, then you look at your feet, realising and drop to the floor again. I know what this means, and I am torn between being excited as you move towards walking, and wanting you to slow down, no need to grow so fast. You have the rest of your life to walk. But I know in no time at all you will be running off outside with your siblings, yelling back "Bye Mumma" without turning around. *sigh*

I want to remember everything about you. But I know so many snippets of how you are right now will fade over time. I take solace in the fact that you have all of us taking pictures of you, almost every day. Every few nights I check the camera and there is more photos of you taken by your siblings. Half your face, an eye, the back of your head, your feet, some of them blurry, but all taken with love and in a wonderful moment shared between you all.

As I have said every month, they adore you. Sometimes they love you a bit too much, with hugs and kisses, even when you are squealing and pushing them away. They include you as much as possible in their games. Even when they do their conga line. Your oldest brother will hold you, the others behind him, and you go around the house together laughing and saying "Conga, conga, conga"

Even outside they will jump around, make faces and run around, making you laugh. If I could ask for one thing, it would be the bond you all share stays strong as you grow. While you all have your moments, you do get along very well, and look out for eachother, especially the baby.

You, sweet baby only need to cry out once and you have several people all running over to you, seeing if you are ok.

They can hear you when you wake in the morning and love coming in to our ed to say good morning. You smile and laugh at them as you whack their faces and they pretend to squeal. It is one of your favourite games to play, along with dropping things and having someone pick it up for you, and then you dropping it again. You think it is hilarious, and so do I, as thankfully I am not the one doing it with you! Yay for older siblings sharing the fun.

You have discovered, in the last week, where the pots and pans are, and how to get into them. You love making lots of noise with them, and squinting your eyes from the loudness you are making. Of course then your siblings come over to join you and wow, what a racket!

I am yet to buy you a baby book. I did think about not getting one, as I have milestones and funny moments here, but, your siblings all have them, so I will get you one too. I have written less in each baby book. I understand now when others told me before I had children, How their first baby had everything written in. Then each baby that joined the family had less and less.

I remember telling Hub that I would not do that. How horrible for the younger children! I would make sure I wrote in all of them!

Then I had children, and realised time flies by so quickly, it's hard to keep up. I hope you don't mind that your book will have quite a few places with "Mummy and Daddy were busy running after all the kids and can't remember exactly when this happened. But is was Summer, they know that much"

I do hold many memories, and thankfully there are others in our little family who remember many wonderful moments and will share them with you too. That is one part of our large-ish family I love. So many people making and sharing memories together. Holding precious memories about the younger children, to share with them in years to come.

I do hope so much that you will grow up with wonderful memories of our family, the laughter, tenderness of your siblings towards you, and mostly that even in the crazy moments there is so much love in our house.

Now I just need to remember that when I am being yelled at because you are messing up your siblings game/toy/work in a few years. Something tells me though, that they won't be too phased about it.

Last but not least, your smile. It truly melts my heart. I love that I can be so frazzled, tired and just want to explode, and then you put your arms up for me to pick you up. I sigh, pick you up and you whack my face and smile, your tongue curling and sticking out a it in the corner of your mouth. Who could not smile at that! Then you will grab my face at open your mouth and try to chomp on my nose or cheek, I will pretend to be afraid 'Oh no help me' and you laugh and bounce around on my hip, your hands waiving around, trying to whack me or pull my hair.

I love it.