Lyssabelle - 10 months

It's been a big month around here. We drove to Utah on a whirlwind trip for the funeral of Birch Larsen, Eric's paternal grandpa and smashed in as much family time as we could around the 2 full days of driving, stomach flu, and funeral arrangements. Eric's mom spent a wonderful week with us getting projects done around the house, watching the kids overnight so Eric and I could get away, and just being good company. There are a lot of things going on in our lives right now and it's easy to feel overwhelmed by it all sometimes. I love having a snugglebug to rock myself to sleep at night! Alyssa is hot and cold, either totally sweet or screaming hysterically. She's not an easy baby, but she is so loving and when she smiles, she lights up the room with a huge grin and her ginormous eyes. You can't help but fall in love with her when she gives you that grin!

This past month has been a big one for her, as well, and it's one of my most favorite milestones: baby signs! Suddenly, she can communicate when she is hungry and when she is full. When she is all done and when she wants more. I've been signing to her (mostly "please" and "more") since she was 8 months, and helping her sign. This past week during lunch it finally clicked and she enthusiastically signed "more" between every bite of yogurt. It's just the beginning of lots of things, but I love knowing that my baby understands me and can tell me at least a little bit how to help her.

Which is especially useful during weeks like this, when she's getting her top teeth in.