Have ten months passed already? Claire arrived on this day in September, and what a ride it has been!

Claire now pulls up, cruises, and climbs stairs. I’ve less time than ever before to sit and answer email or write much during the day, because I now need to keep her curious little hands off stuff that formerly was out of reach. Not that we haven’t child-proofed, but books, Kleenex boxes, and other benign items I don’t want destroyed remain.

She has six teeth now — four upper and two lower. I think another lower couple are coming in from the looks of her gums. I have found, though, that the term “coming in” signifies a s-l-o-w process that can takes days or weeks.

Claire claps her hands. When I read How A Baby Grows, there is a page that says: These are the things a baby hears: songs, whisper, claps, cheers. Claire claps her hands during that sentence. She also claps her hands for If You’re Happy and You Know It and Patty-cake.

Claire recognizes butterflies, ladybugs, eyes and noses. Sometimes she will point to them when asked. She hugs her baby doll and teddy bear. She has some distinct sounds that I know mean something exclamatory, i.e., This is interesting! She also lately has been saying “Ca” when looking at or chasing Stella. (Poor Stella, who can’t even find safe haven upstairs anymore.) Of course, “Ca” is her sound for other small animals, such as dogs and other babies.

She does not consistently use the “all done” sign, but she definitely will use it when she is in the mood and when she is either: a) done eating or b) done eating a particular food but wants something else. She self-feeds Cheerios and (once) green peas, but has not mastered picking up bits of banana. She distinctly doesn’t like the texture of the 3rd stage foods that have chunks designed for learning to chew.

Music Together started again today, and I was fascinated to watch Claire respond to the music and the teacher. Now that she’s crawling, she happily wanders away from me to explore, and she doesn’t cry if I move away from her. She recognized the teacher and bounced on her bottom when she saw her.

Claire is entering a phase of greater opinion and strength. Sometimes I find it a challenge to change her diaper now, since she is wiry and capable of turning over. My little baby is less a baby now and becoming quite her own little person.

Here’s a peek at what she might see during the day.