My dear sweet baby girl!
Today you are 11 months old! I think I saw this every month, but I can't believe it! I just can't wrap my head around the fact that you are getting so big and that you are so close to being a whole year old! While I've virtually forgotten what life was like before you, it doesn't seem possible for you to be so old and so big!
As with every month, you have grown so much in your 11th month of life and are making so many discoveries!
You went to your first pumpkin patch this month! You were very serious, and didn't give us one smile until the very last photo I took! But I captured one! You were interested in the pumpkins, but didn't seem to like being placed in the big pile of them for photos. You liked it better when we put you on the ground with the rows of pumpkins. You enjoyed being able to crawl around and you liked the mulch on the ground (though you didn't like that we wouldn't let you eat it!)
You also went to your first Halloween party! Sydney and Amelia (from daycare and Mommy's group) held one at their house! It was so fun to see all the other babies (who are getting so big!) and mommies and to catch up! Since I'm back at work, we don't get to hang out with them very much any more, so it was great to hang out with everyone! You were unsure about being in so much commotion with lots of people you didn't know. You had a melt down when I set you down with all the other babies when we wanted to get a photo, so I sat with you, which made you feel a little better. I'm discovering more and more that you are really a watcher like me. You like to watch what's going on and have to get used to a new environment before you are ready to venture on your own into it. I have to remember this-sometimes I'm excited for you to take part, but I have to remember to let you go at your own pace.
You didn't like your ladybug Halloween costume-it was big and bulky and made it harder for you to more around in...but you sure looked cute! I wish you would have kept the hat on for a few minutes, but you didn't like it.
You attended your 2nd wedding at the end of October. You were great and even let me go off and take photos and stayed with our friend Marie-she and everyone else were of course charmed by you!
Your Grandma Mai came to visit-we hadn't seen her in a few months, so it was nice to get to visit with her. She loved hanging out with you and playing with you. It was just a quick trip and she was only with us on Friday night, but she cooked for us took us out to a really nice dinner (your first time in a fancy restaurant-Pascal's!)
I decided this month that it was time to really try cloth diapers so I did the $10 cloth diaper trial from Jilliansdrawers.com It was fun to try all kinds of cloth diapers-from prefolds to fitteds, pocket to all in ones. In the end, I decided that I really like Fuzzibunz, Thirsties, and BumGenius pocket diapers. I kept one of each of these that we are using, mainly at night, but I want to start working on increasing our stash of "fluff" as it's called in cloth diaper circles. With the new diapers, we've had no blow outs and they are nice and soft on your skin! Didn't still isn't on board, but we'll get him soon! I'm still trying to figure out how to do it with daycare, but I'm working on that too!
You are standing more and more! You like to hold things and stand up, but you are also strong enough go from a squat to standing in the middle of the room or on the bed without holding on to anything! It's pretty impressive and you are really improving your balance! You haven't started taking any steps or really showing an interested in that yet, as you get around fin by crawling-I don't think you've discovered that it could be faster or give you more freedom...yet...
You are also eating more and more solids and you enjoy feeding yourself! Your favorites are cheese and broccoli, and cottage cheese. You are also eating zucchini, carrots, butternut squash, various vegetable and fruit mashes (no more purees), ground beef, pastas (mini rotelle and cheese tortalini), and yogurt. You really like to feed yourself and are getting really good at picking up the small pieces of finger food that I give you. In fact, I'd say that you feed yourself about 75% of your meal! You are eating 3 meals a day of solids-twice at daycare and once at home for dinner!
Today, on your 11 month birthday, your Daddy took you to have Pho for the first time! The camera didn't have the memory card, so he couldn't get a photo, but he said that you liked it! Yeah! It was a great bonging activity for you both!
You had your first fever this month-got sick on Sunday (11/7) and had a fever for 1/2 of the day and then all night. It finally broke on Monday morning. I stayed home with you and you seemed to be getting better, though you did have a really runny nose. You went to daycare on Tuesday and Leticia said you seemed more tired and had a runny nose still, but other than that, you seemed fine. On Wednesday morning, I nursed you in the morning, and then you promptly threw up! (all over the bed and on Daddy's pillow! Yuck!) You weren't very happy! So I stayed home with you again. Poor baby, though you didn't throw up again, you weren't so happy and still had a very runny nose! You are just now getting back to normal and your runny nose is gone, but you still have a lingering cough that disrupts your nursing sometimes! Poor baby! I took this shot of you when you were upset and wanted to nurse!
Just a few more fun facts. You wave regularly now-at people who wave to you, sometimes just at the air, in the morning at the cats as we walk by them! You've started saying "Hi" while waving, though I'm still not sure you know what you are saying but it's pretty cute! You are starting to imitate other actions like clapping! Also, we played peek a boo yesterday for the first time-you hid behind a blanket that you held up, unassisted, in front of your face multiple times them would lower it and laugh while I said peek a boo! It's very cute!
We bought you some "birthday" presents-a play phone, some balls with different textures and moving parts, and some animal cars since you love the Tonka MINI that you like to hold in the car while in your car seat! You've already played with them a little bit and seem to like them!
I can't wait to see what your 12th month will bring-We are all on this amazing journey together and it's so much fun to watch you learn and grow!
Thank you, Alexandra, for being such a joy! Your Daddy and I are cherishing each and every wonderful moment with you and we love you so much!
Happy Birthday Baby Girl!
We love you!
Mommy
A few more fun photos!
