Emoly, the Chicago edition.: Ten months going on two years

This little boy has very little in common with the one we brought home 10 months ago. He's become crazy, danger-seeking, crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything baby. He's mastering the temper tantrum--when upset will arch his back and flail like a madman while screaming. If he had an online profile, it would read something like this:

Hobbies: playing in dirt if he can find it, putting anything related to the dogs in his mouth, playing tug of war with Leroy, sneaking up on Jack, banging on things, giving toothy grins when you tell him "un uh", making door stops make the boing noise, biting/sucking/pulling electrical cords, tipping over the dogs' water bowl, latching onto any and all plastic bags

Food: mashed potatoes, beef, turkey, cheese, whatever it is that you're eating (particularly if there is a limited quantity and you are really hungry and really want to eat it)

Literature: anything by Dr. Seus, Brown Bear, the first half of most books but not usually the second half

Film: Baby Einstein (only when nothing else will work ;-)

Heroes: Leroy (seriously, if Leroy is doing something interesting--he will totally take Leroy over Mommy)

Hates: the car (with a furious passion, still)

His sleep has changed a lot this month. He's dropped the 3rd nap and in Kansas City, for some reason, he only thinks he needs one. Hopefully that's a fluke.

He tolerates the high chair pretty well and is a pretty good eater. He eats comically large portions of food and will grunt and reach for more--particularly if we're talking about mashed potatoes or meat. The boy loves steak.

Overall, he's become a much more independent boy. A few months ago, you couldn't really put him down. Now, he goes on little journeys around the house by himself for 20-30 minutes at a time. Of course, he still often crawls to our legs where he pulls himself up and reaches to be picked up--but that's just adorable. And of course, he spends most of his independent time seeking danger. We have taken to putting him in a cardboard box every now and then. What? He likes it.