To our dear Ishu bear,

You are 10 months old today.

In two short months, we are going to have a one-year-old on our hands and I can’t seem to wrap my head around it.

This past month, you have been loving all the extra time with Papa while he is on his anesthesiology rotation. He’s been teaching you all the fun things.

When we say, “Ishu kitna bada hai?” (Ishu, how big are you?), you lift your hands above your head telling us you are “itnaaaaaaa bada!” (thiiiiiiis big!).

You are learning how to clap! Sometimes you clasp your hands together and lift them up and down because you don’t always know how to pull them apart and put them back together. But you try every time and you’ll succeed on occasion.

And then, when we all whoop and holler and cheer because we’re so excited for you, you throw your hands up in the air.

You have become a little “monkey see, monkey do” kid, mimicking everything we do and say. Though you can’t say actual words, you try to copy what we say when they start with consonants you know how to babble (mamamama, babababa, dadadada, nananana, gggggggggg, papapapa).

Speaking of mimicking us, you’ve learned how how to wave goodbye by watching us do it. When you do it, it kinda looks like you’re slicking your hair back because you don’t quite have complete control over your little hand. But it’s the most fun watching you try.

We’re pretty sure you’re going to start walking soon. You can stand on your own for a few seconds and, yup, you guessed it…those little hands are thrown up in the air when you plop down on the ground.

You love climbing anything and everything. Just the other day, you climbed up a whole set of stairs. You can’t quite figure out how to go down them, but you are f-a-s-t going up!

My absolute favorite thing you do lately is when you give us your big, open-mouthed slobbery kisses on the mouth. They’re wet and messy and oh-so-gross but I love them SO MUCH.

You’re really the most entertaining little baby and we can watch you for hours and hours and hours on end.

It will never stop being amazing to me that I am your mama. You are mine. And I am yours. Forever and ever and ever.