10 Months Already?

Eli Dane, you are 10 months old tomorrow! I can hardly believe it. You are our little miracle, the joy of our lives. Last week I drove past Baylor Hospital. You were in your car seat in the back, flinging your toys around and blowing raspberries. And as we drove by the hospital where you spent the first 42 days of your life, where your Daddy and I drove every single day to just sit with you for hours, where, truly, your life was saved, tears filled my eyes.

They were tears of pain, for there is still a place in my heart that hurts for all that you had to endure, being born so early. They were tears of thanksgiving, because you are alive and here with us today! They were tears of joy, because I could hear you talking away in the back seat, banging your toys around. And, most of all, each and every tear that I cried was a praise to our God, who has been your salvation since the moment He began knitting you together inside me. Your name means "The Lord is my salvation." May you testify to this every day of your life!

At 10 months you are still very small, but the only one that doesn't know that is you. You're strong, tough, energetic, active, and bright. You are also extremely stubborn. :) But this stubborness is tempered with an incredibly sweet spirit that is a joy to see. You are our precious little boy, beloved by God and beloved by your Mommy and Daddy, who are honored that our Heavenly Father allows us to be your parents.

Here are some things that are true of you at 10 months:

-You now eat from a spoon! You won't have anything to do with apples, pears, or carrots; you will tolerate only a few bites of bananas, prunes, and sweet potatoes; avocados make you gag. But you LOVE peas and broccoli. Can't get enough. While your food choices surprise me, I will feed you peas and broccoli until you turn green. I am just so thrilled that you will eat from a spoon at all! You are making huge steps in overcoming your oral aversion. Keep up the good work, Eli!

-You weigh 13 pounds, 12 ounces, and you're 25.5 inches long. When we last saw Dr. Whitney, her comment was, "He's small, but he's so healthy and strong!" How true!

-You love to give kisses. You open your mouth and slobber all over our faces, and it is the cutest thing in the world.

-You are getting really close to crawling! You can push up on your hands and knees and "rock," and you can turn in a complete circle while on your belly. But you are so frustrated that you can't make forward progress! I think it will be soon.

-Your new favorite sound is the "raspberry," some sort of combination of "m," "b," and "p," with a lot of slobber thrown in.

-You love Mommy, Daddy, MomMom, and Aunt Heather, in that order. Your PopPop and your Aunt Kelly are working hard to get on the list. :)

-You are so ticklish!

-You love to be outside, to take long walks, to pet the dogs, and to watch cars drive by.

-Your favorite toys are the remote, chapstick, a rubber duck, a white teddy bear, your nasal aspirator, a tube of lotion, and a red plastic toy spoon. Go figure. :) You are also quite fond of your blanket!

I could go on and on. I am just that in love with you, Boo! Happy, happy 10 month birthday, my sweet Eli. You are our miracle.

I love you with all my heart,
Mommy.