Ten months already? It's hard to believe my baby is that old. A few months ago, I looked at other babies who were ten months and noticed how "grown up" they were. I guess Paige is now at that point, too. She's close to walking--she will take off if someone is holding her hands for balance, but if she is left on her own, she sits and crawls. She would just rather crawl than try and walk, and honestly, I'm not trying to rush it, though I can feel the change coming closer.
She babbles all the time now. Whether it's to herself as she plays or having a conversation with Stephen or me, she's a chatterer. She stills prefers to say "ah" a lot, as well as "baba," "gaga," and (to my dismay) "dada." She "mmm"s when she wants to eat, and makes a sound very close to an excited "yes" when I pull out food. She would eat constantly if I let her, whether it's nursing or solids. Introducing solids has cut back on nursing--some days, we only have three or four nursing sessions. Other days make up for that low number, but overall, it's good.
Paige likes a variety of foods. I've introduced her to more flavors and textures. She loves pasta with tomato sauce and will gnaw on a cracker until it's putty in her hands. She still thinks peas are more fun to throw than to eat. She loves dropping food off of her tray and watching it fall when she's not interested in eating it. Mostly, she wants whatever I'm having, regardless of what it is. Paige will come and beg at my feet if I'm eating until I give her some. I will feed her right before but she will still want my food, and eating her own food isn't good enough--it has to come from my plate or my fork. But she's cute about it, so most of the time, she gets a taste.
She is very playful. She loves our set of stacking cups. She and Daddy play with them a lot. She loves to tease as well. She will purposefully disobey me with a big smile on her face. Paige has also started mimicking my smile by squinting her eyes a lot and breathing heavily through her nose. I'm not sure if I'm flattered by this or not, but it's cute all the same. She follows me around the house and sits outside the bathroom while I'm busy, calling for me. She's an excellent helper when it comes to cleaning--she knows I do it so much, so I must enjoy it, and thus, she gives me more work to do. She loves to unfold laundry, so we've gotten into a habit of folding it while she's asleep. Paige is really good at playing on her own now, and I love silently watching her.
We've had an eventful few weeks. I attempted National Novel Writing Month in November and made it to 10,000 words (the goal was 50,000). Stephen was very supportive and encouraging and seemed more excited about it than I did most days, but it was fun to try. Maybe one year I'll follow through on that goal.
Our family had a great Thanksgiving vacation. Stephen took the whole week off and we traveled to St. George to visit my parents and then to Page, AZ to visit my Grandma. It was nice to have so much time with them so we wouldn't have to feel rushed. We ate (too much) good food and I practiced hairstyles on my sisters. It was good for Paige to get so much extended family time, too. Grandma spoiled her and made her new clothes while we were there.
Also, while Black Friday shopping, I hurt my back somehow. All I did was get out of a car, but suddenly my back hurt so much. I carried on for a while, and walking helped, but once I got back into the car and sat for a bit, standing up hurt all over again. Once I got home, I literally could not walk from the driveway to the front door. I collapsed on the patio for a while until I could crawl inside. I called my good friend and second mom, Janice, who is also a masseuse, to come help me. She brought some priesthood holders with her who helped Stephen give a blessing and then she taught me some stretches that made moving bearable. I did some icing and heating as well as took a pain killer. After a bit, I was able to walk, and while I was sore for the next few days, it got better. My back has been tender since, and if I push it too hard it hurts at the end of the day, but I'm just grateful to function, and grateful for the help I got.
I also celebrated my birthday since I last wrote. I'm officially 24 now. It feels a lot like being 23. I took the day off from cleaning and just hung out with Paige and watched TV. Stephen took me out for dinner that night. Overall, it was a casual but nice day. He also spoiled me with gifts. I got a new phone, which was the biggest present, as well as flowers, a sentimental card, a micro sd card, money to buy clothes, and some movies.
With the onset of December, we started decorating for Christmas. We had fun setting up the tree as a family and surprisingly Paige hasn't messed with the tree or the presents under it much. She decided it was too pokey, though she does like looking at the plastic balls that are low enough for her to reach. We also went to Salt Lake and walked around Temple Square to look at the lights. Stephen let me do some shopping while we were there too, and for him to clothes shop with me is a big deal. I've been doing a lot of shopping lately for Christmas, and so far, I've gotten some great deals. I also love getting things for Paige. Christmas is way more fun as a parent, even if she won't understand much this year. She especially didn't understand Santa when we took pictures with him, but I'm the crazy kind of person that thinks babies crying at Santa is hilarious and adorable.
In honor of Christmas, Stephen's work had a fancy dinner. He and I went to a tapas restaurant while Paige was babysat. It was a fun experience to try a lot of new foods. It was something we never would have done unless someone else hosted it, so I'm glad we had the opportunity. There was a get-to-know-you game where facts were matched up with the people. Stephen did the best out of everyone and won a giant gift basket of fun foods. I was proud of him.
Besides all our events and outings, I've spent a lot of time at home. Stephen has been taking the car to work since it's been so cold, so that leaves me and Paige to spend time together inside our house. I've spent a lot of time doing family history work. I sent in a request for a feature on the app and was contacted to give more input. I've been invited to go to the Family History Center in Salt Lake for some User Experience evaluations. I haven't done it yet, but I'm excited for the opportunity. I feel very familiar with the system and I have ideas on how it can be improved. It would be neat to help those improvements happen.
Well, I think that's enough of a recap for now. We've been busy, but it's a good kind of busy. I love this time of year and I'm glad to have so many family and friends to share it with. Merry Christmas!
