Dear Jack (my little vampire),

Today you are 10 months old. The sun is shining. A good rain recently washed away most of the pollen that coated our little world, and our dogwoods bloom brighter and bigger than the past couple of years. You love to be outside and stare out the back door while I wash dishes or make our breakfast. As the grass fills in, we'll spend more time out there. I look forward to the day when you can play out back as much as you like. To mud behind your ears and grass stains on your knees.

This past month was long like the last, but so much has happened. You're fully in that famous separation anxiety phase. You're fine with other people, and you're even content to be in the nursery at church...as long as I'm not in sight. When I am, you're clinging to my legs, begging to be picked up. It's the most tiring phase yet (for your mama). I feel lucky that you are a social butterfly, and you will happily go to friends. If I'm sneaky enough, I can slip away unnoticed and you are fine until you see me again. Some days, when it's just the two of us, we have to leave the house to give me a little break.

You're collecting girlfriends all over the place. Boyfriends, too. No matter where we go, at least a couple of people comment on your bright eyes or your large size, or your overall cuteness. And you are cute. So very cute! You have developed this "cheese" face, where you smile and scrunch your eyes almost completely closed. You also cheese when you're mad. We're starting to have to react to your moods, and that's new. We have to make sure you know it's not funny to angrily squeal and slam down your cup. Even if it means turning our heads so you can't see us grinning.

You're getting pretty good with a cup. You prefer a regular cup to the kind with handles. You stopped eating regular food almost altogether for a few days. But we'll get to that later. You've been eating more, but still not much. You are so very insistent that I not feed you anything. You must feed yourself. You've been eating peaches, pears, apples, bananas, and bread the most. Still no purees, and I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed. You seem to love cooked zucchini and black beans, as much as you love any food (again, not much). Still, every now and then you'll seem really excited about eating. I just don't know when, or why.

The complete food strike of two weeks ago was explained on Easter Sunday, when you presented us with your first tooth! In classic Jack style, you got your incisor or canine (I'm not really sure which it is) on the top right before the typical bottom front teeth. You are my little snaggletoothed vampire. Three days later, you got the bottom left tooth. Which one will be next? All of your gums seem swollen, top and bottom, so it's anyone's guess. I sort of expect (and hope) you to get your teeth quickly now. You have been the longest teether!

I have saved my favorite development for last: the dance. My son, you've never heard a beat you couldn't jive to. When you hear a steady drum, your little knees start bouncing. If you're sitting down, you start to slap your hands on the ground, or look for a place to stand up so you can bounce. It's awesome. Music can cure your moods, too. I love that you love to hear music and I promise to fill your life with as much of it as I can.

Keep on dancing, my love.

Mama