11 Months

(Horribly, horribly belated!  Sorry, Lu!)

This is the last month that I can really call you my baby, Lulu.  Next month you'll be my toddler, and that hasn't quite sunk in for me yet.  A whole year cannot have passed already!  I cherish each and every minute I have with you.  My favorite part of the day is at bedtime, when I rock you before laying you in the crib.  You squeeze my arms lightly and lay your head on my shoulder.  That little hug melts my heart into a puddle of goop.

Today's picture was hard to take, you kept running away!

At 11 Months:

You've said your first real words!  We were leaving Grammy and Grampy's last night, and like always we stood in the doorway waving and saying bye-bye.  You always wave back, but this time you waved AND said Bye-Bye excitedly!  I almost fainted. 

You're babbling has increased tenfold.  Dada is still your favorite word, but you've added Mama to your repitoire (whether you're actually differentiating the two is still a mystery).    

You are proving to have Momma's temperment.  Eep.

You literally took your first crawling "steps" on Saturday.  I left a banana on the play mat and you crawled over to it and started eating!  You have a very interesting, three-legged crawl...

 

You cruise along everything: furniture, walls, people, younameit!  You are not happy unless you are moving.  (Hence, the occasional upright diaper change...)  And you absolutely love when I hold your hands and walk with you all over the place.

You've started pushing your walker around the living room. 

You stand unassisted in 30 second intervals, but you haven't taken any unassisted steps. 

You pull up on everything.  And then you very carefully lower your bum back to the floor.

You can now go from laying down to sitting up.  Each morning I'm greeted by my little beauty, who's sitting up in her crib!

You roll over at the speed of light.  You've been rolling for months, but now you're a quick little thing. 

You are doing wonderfully at daycare.  We've had some difficulty with lunchtime and your afternoon nap, but you adore your teachers and new friends.  You go three days a week; Mommy is home with you on Mondays, and Grammy/Grampy/Uncle Cole/Auntie Fallon juggle Fridays.

You've spent the last month - that's right, over 4 weeks! - battling some kind of illness.  There was the lung infection, then the stomach bug, an ear infection, and intermittent congestion the rest of the time.  I wish I could take all the germs from you, I hate seeing you sick. 

You seem to have regressed with solids.  I think it's a combination of not feeling well and the different textures.  So it's back to purees for the time being!  Also, worth noting, you despise meat.

You have SIX teeth.  Hey now!

You are sleeping through the night (other than last week); but we're in the process of moving your bedtime back.  Hoping to get you to 6:30/7:00-6:00. 

You are a (recent) tummy sleeper! 

You weigh 23 pounds. 

You are ... inches long.  (Will update later!)

You are wearing large diapers and mostly 12 month clothing, but I'm starting to add some 18 month pieces into the rotation.

You are now 100 percent formula fed.  It has been five days since you last nursed - I would say you are weaned, my sweet girl!  This was entirely your choice, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the bedtime nursing session. 

You celebrated your first Valentines Day.

YOU ARE GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you, I love you, I love you.  One thousand times I LOVE YOU.  You embody happiness.  You are the single most beautiful and sweet girl in the world.  You have taught me so much in the past 11 months, and I cannot wait to see what this next month has in store for us.  Bring on the first steps, the first birthday party and the first bite of cake!