10 Months Old...Wow!

Elise is definitely making the transition from baby to toddler as each day seems to bring new adventures, new skills, and new DANGERS!! She has now started to crawl on her knees with her tummy up and she's getting faster and faster every day. Elise can pull up on just about everything and enjoys cruising along from one side of the couch to the other.

I found out she could climb stairs when I found her on the 4th step of our very steep and foreboding staircase. I had just seen her crawling towards me a moment earlier and then I got into my kitchen project and the next thing I knew the house was way too quiet; I knew she was up to no good! Now she only climbs on the stairs when accompanied by an adult!
Elise's personality is very sweet and she loves to throw herself backwards in a giggle fit when you play peek-a-boo or even say hello to her. She spends most days pointing one finger in the air and shouting "ha" - over and over again, I guess it's the best way she knows for getting attention! (and she sure likes that!)

We've got "da-da-da" down and she's also added "wa-wa-wa", "ya-ya-ya", "na-na-na" and even "ffffff" and "ssssss", but still no "ma-ma-ma"...a lesson in patience for me for sure!

Several times a day I find myself fishing around in her toothless mouth for some kind of dangerous foreign object that she has picked up in her travels. I guess it will be more dangerous for me once she has teeth, but I'm always glad when I recover the stale crumb, piece of paper, or rock that she is happily munching away on. Oh, the joys!

Time is going so fast and before we know it, her first year will have passed and Japan will be just a wonderful memory for all of us.