Month 10

Dear Corbin,

You are ten months old today. You have now been alive longer outside of me than you were inside of me, and wow, am I glad you came out before you were as big as you are now. At your last doctor appointment, you were 27” long and just over 20 pounds.

Your father and I watched you take two steps this month. You have just started to walk along holding on to the front of the couch, and we got you a toy that you push along and walk behind. We watched you step away from the couch to grab on to your walker toy. Your dad said, “Did you see that?” I said, “Yes, I did!” But we haven’t seen you do it since.

What we do see all the time now is your first tooth. It’s your bottom front right incisor. I have not started making you brush your tooth yet, but our dentist recommended that we use the washcloth in the bathtub to clean out your mouth a little bit. I said, “He chews on the washcloth. Does that count?” She said yes, so keep up the good work.

You have also started wanting to go through doors, and I have this hideous vision of you and the dogs and the cat all conspiring to see how many times you can all get me to open the various doors in this house until I go crazy. It also makes it difficult to come back into the house, because as soon as I open the door you are crawling over to go out the door as well. Someday I’ll be trapped on the front porch because you’ll be standing against the front door and I won’t be able to open it without knocking you over.

This month, I have made a list of ways that I am an inadequate mother:

1. I let you eat holes in the first page of your favorite book.

2. I haven’t been able to find winter boots big enough to fit your fat little feet.

3. I make you wear socks on your fat little feet.

4. I call your little feet fat.

5. I won’t let you play inside the dishwasher, even when it’s empty.

6. I don’t let you play in the dog crate while the dog is also in it.

7. I don’t let you eat dog food.

Clearly, childrens rights need a better lobby in DC, because I’m sure with some government mandated parenting classes, I could be doing a much better job.

Tomorrow, we leave for Madison, to spend your first Christmas at the Grandparents Lams’ house. Your Grandparents Thorne are planning on driving up to see us the day after Christmas, but there are winter storm warnings all over the upper Midwest, so we’ll have to see. In other news, your uncle Alex just got engaged to your aunt-to-be Lena, which is wonderful. So, your first trip to California will be next fall. I’m totally going to dress you up in one of those itty-bitty widdle tuxes, too. You’ll love it. Trust me!

Love,

Mom