I give it a 10!

Evie's barely there teeth at 10 months

Cora excited about tummy time!

Cora is ten months old today.  And she is as much fun as one could imagine (or perhaps more).  She has discovered how to clap and wave and does both with absolute excitement.  She's sleeping like a champ, still up once on most nights but the odd occasion she sleeps straight through. And still with no sleep training.  Which makes her either a miracle baby or means we did something right somewhere along the way.  She is completely 'chill' about most things and typically sits still playing with her toys or on someones lap smiling and waving and saying dada, baba, yaya, and sometimes something that somewhat resembles mama. 

We have now been on the Cape for about a week and a half and Cora did wonderfully on the 18 hour drive out.  Afraid of what it would be like in the car with Evie (for whom everything is TOO TIIIIGHTTTTTT!!!!!!), we graciously accepted Nana's invitation to fly out to Chicago and fly back with Evie, leaving us only with Cora for the drive.  I was a bit worried for what that might be like, but Cora was delightful both days.  She only cried in her car seat when she needed a diaper change, and wasn't even fussy despite taking only two 30 minute naps each nine hour day.  We were a bit worried about going out to dinner with her after the first nine hour drive, but without having much of a choice we decided to take the chance.  She surprised us by sitting happily, listening to the music, enjoying the people around us, and munching on bread, salad, and spaghetti and meatballs. 

Cora still has no teeth but appears to be teething.  She's drooling nonstop and always has her hands or a toy in her mouth.  Evie had 1.5 teeth barely erupting at this age, so Cora will likely have some soon.  After a trip to visit Amy and her baby Henry, Cora got the idea that perhaps she should be crawling.  Henry is only 2 days older than her and was off to the races.  Cora watched him intently and since returning from the Vineyard has been a bit more vocal when I sit her on her tush to play with toys.  She seems to be saying "'scuse me mom, but I'll never be able to crawl if you don't get me tummy time".  Uh, yah, that's the idea.  There is of course the guilty mom part of me that wonders if I have selfishly delayed my child's development and thus I gave her some tummy time this morning.  She was thrilled.  She tried so hard to reach various objects around the room, often frustrated, but mostly persevering.  Although she most certainly cannot yet crawl, she was pushing herself backwards and twirling in circles.  Finding her own path, if you will.  Evie was not only crawling by this point, but using her walker to get around the condo and kneeling instead of sitting and pulling up on everything.  I'm just not ready for that yet with Cora, but Cora disagrees, so tummy time she'll receive. 

Cora has also been loving the beach and water.  No surprise.  One of her favorite activities is splashing in the bath.  Which, she receives once a week if she's lucky.  Oops--did I just admit that?  We haven't taken her to the beach much yet because it's just that much more of a production.  And also because her largest awake time is during prime burning hours of 11a-2p.  Otherwise it's time for breakfast or dinner and then off to bed.  On the other hand, Evie goes nearly every day and looks to be an entirely different ethnicity from her sister. 

Evie has been having fun since we've arrived as well, apparently coming out into the kitchen wearing her suit and swimmy and cover up the first few days she was here.  Now, I think she's starting to get bored and is acting out a bit as a result.  I hurt my back a few days ago and haven't been able to do too much.  That seems to have pushed her over the edge with behavior.  I tried to look for a music class or other weekly activity but haven't succeeded.  We've been taking her to the library and puppet shows, etc, and that seems to keep her happy for a few hours.  But, she's just at a tough age right now.  She would definitely benefit from a more regular schedule.  That said, when she's good, she is awesome.  So much fun to be around.  The

The vest Evie picked out during our date

other day we went on an Evie/Mommy date and had a great time together.  We went to the playground, the library, out to brunch, and then shopping.  She was a doll for all of it.  We even stopped by the fire station and Evie got to check out the trucks (though she seemed hesitant of the fireman who was helping us).  I know she is craving more Evie/mom time, and it remains a challenge since Cora is still breastfed and needs me nearby every 3 hours.   And I'm in no hurry to stop nursing her.  If she is in fact our last baby, I am cherishing the baby stage for as long as I can.  Plus there is a considerable amount of time where Evie is everyone's center of attention, so it's nice for Cora to have that special time as well.  There is no way to keep everyone happy all of the time.  And I know it'll become more challenging once Cora is really on the move.  Overall though, I give it a 10.