10 months!

As usual these days I'm a couple of weeks late on my monthly update for Daphne. I can hardly believe we've entered double-digit months and that I'll be thinking about 1st birthday shenanigans in a couple of weeks when the holiday dust has cleared. Other than more teeth and Thanksgiving celebrations, not a whole lot happened in month ten.

We got outside. A lot.

And it's a good thing we did considering the cold snap we've been experiencing in the Bay Area, nothing like Elias's first winter in Boston but unusually cold for these parts. For a second-born kid in particular, this stage is a bit frustrating since all Daphne wants to do is crawl around on the floor and she'd be content to do so at home. She's not a fan of being strapped into anything - car seat, stroller, shopping cart, etc. - but staying home for too long doesn't work so well for Elias's combination of crazy energy and limited ability to self-entertain/direct. He has a room full of toys but when we're home all he seems interested in doing is running from room to room, bouncing on our bed and the couch, nearly stampeding Daphne in the process.

So we schlep Daphne to big brother's activities (practicing martial arts above in the background while Daphne considers eating leaves), to the playground, and to other more toddler-appropriate venues way more than we ever did with Elias at this age.

I keep telling myself it'll get slightly better in a few months when she can toddle around and - hopefully - put fewer things in her mouth. Or maybe chasing after her will get harder.

But the outings have made for some fun firsts (first time on the carousel at the zoo, for example) and some awfully adorable family photo ops.

And, actually, speaking of not being terribly interested in toys, when we are home, all Daphne is interested in doing is pulling up on everything and opening various cabinets and cupboards to pull out things we'd rather she not have access to.

This is a particularly fun corner of the house:

Sharp corners, an open outlet, a lamp she can pull down, a bookcase she can climb, etc. On a less challenging note, she does seem - finally - a little bit more interested in books lately.

She still wants to gnaw on them but she's actually letting me read her a couple of books before naps and bedtime, all of which makes me realize how amazing it was that Elias was so into books from such a young age.

Here are some images from her 10-month photo shoot:

Based on when she's done other stuff compared to big brother we have a prediction going that she'll walk by Christmas and she is standing unassisted for several seconds at a time now. But as the holiday approaches, I'm not so sure that prediction will be accurate. I guess time will tell. People keep asking me if I'm ready for a walker. Well, that's irrelevant. I'm not really prepared for any of this craziness. But it's going to happen. With Elias I welcomed walking, especially considering how quickly he at least went from uncertain toddling to confident walking. I'm guessing Daphne may not be as coordinated as he has always been. Less coordinated and less cautious which should be a fun combination. Anyway, ultimately I just loved not having to carry Elias everywhere since he also didn't care for the stroller. We always joked that he was a toddler trapped in an infant's body and lately at least I feel the same way about Daphne. So I think on some level I'll appreciate that part of budding toddlerhood but it'll be interesting to see how she differs from big brother as a toddler.