11 Months!

Dear Baby Girl,

How did this happen??  How did it get to be January and how did you get to be only 1 short month away from your 1st birthday SO quickly?!  I can't believe that you are about to not technically be a baby anymore (although you will always be my baby)!

As you have gotten older and more active, it has become progressively more difficult to take your picture.  Exhibit A:

This month you have taken some determined steps towards walking!!  Of course, you still want to be standing at all times, but then a few weeks ago you started standing on your own for 10 seconds or so.  Your daddy and I were so impressed with you. Your favorite spot it still standing by your jumperoo holding on tightly to your beloved tomato.

You are starting to cruise around while holding on to anything you can get your hands on (the jumperoo, the couch, my hair!) and you are getting much better at pulling yourself up on a variety of things.  In fact, you have gotten so good at pulling yourself up that you had a bit of a rough patch with napping.  You figured out how to pull yourself up to a standing position in your crib.  For a few days in a row you would pull yourself up after I put you down for a nap and then you would cry and cry and cry.  I am not sure if you just didn't know how to get yourself down or if you wanted to play instead of sleep, but it was a sad couple of days for the both of us.  Thankfully, I think we are mostly through that phase.

You are still making lots of different sounds.  You say "da da" a lot.  One night you said "da da" and looked right at your daddy.  I can't tell if you are really trying to say any meaningful words or if you are just making sounds, but either way I love hearing your sweet voice.

You love, love, love pat-a-cake.  It is your absolute  favorite right now and you are starting to do more and more of the actions along with me on on your own at any and every time of the day :)

Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake

Baker's man.  Bake me a cake as fast as you can.
Roll it and you roll it and mark it with a b.
And THROOOOOW it on the oven for Amaia and me!

You also starting to really enjoy looking at books with me or on your own.  Our friends, Julie and Oscar gave you a book with flaps to open for a Christmas present and you seem to particularly enjoy this one.

You are a great eater.  You defeintly have your preferences and you are usually a bit skeptical of new things, but you will give most things a try. The only exception was when I tried to put cinnamon on your applesause - you spit that out pronto :)  I will admit that I have been a bit confused lately about what to feed you.  I can tell that you are more hungry, so I have been trying to feed you more of what your daddy and I eat.  You really seem to enjoy lasagna, fish, soup and little pieces of broccoli.  You also still love your old favorites.  For breakfast you eat oatmeal and a banana or some other type of fruit.  For lunch you have a mixture of veggies and rice cereal, plus greek yogurt or part of whatever I am having for lunch.  For dinner you usually have applesauce plus whatever we are having for dinner or an english muffin with peanut butter.  I am really looking forward to the summer.  We are going to try all kinds of new fruits they are in season.

Oh and how could I forget - you have your two front (bottom teeth).  They are coming in slowly, but surely.  You have the cutest squint & grin face!

Actually you have the cutest face in general.

I love you sweet baby girl!

Love, 

Mommy