11 Months Old

Dear Kate, 

Yep, you are 11 months old.  Man alive, where has the time gone?!!!

 

I will tell you that I have no idea what happened to your 10th month post, but here we are at 11 months and it all seems way too fast baby girl!!  If you can't tell, you are everywhere these days.  Not quite walking yet, but a big time cruiser for sure!  Well, let me correct that.  Daddy and Sarah both claim that you took a step, but that was like 5 days ago and there has been nothing since.  And well, I wasn't there to witness it so it for sure doesn't count!  You do like to just stand up, but if you need to move, you just squat and crawl.  You've also decided that you prefer to feed yourself, versus me feeding via spoon.  That's great and all but you've made meals a bit of a challenge for Mommy.  Used to, I could just blend up whatever meal we were eating or even better, open up a jar of food.  Now you vigorously shake your head 'NO!' when a spoon comes at you.  I was sneaking in bites while you would put food in your mouth but I soon decided I would just let you feed yourself.  After talking to a couple expert Mommies, I found a few foods that will work for babies with limit amount of teeth and you seem to partake in most of them.  Fruit is a no brainer.  You love it all.  Peaches, pears, bananas, oranges - oh you love those oranges, grapes, blueberries, strawberries.  All of it - fruit is by far your fave.  You also like peas, but I get tired of giving you peas at every meal so I am really trying to figure out other 'green' veggies.  Cooked carrots and squash are easy and so is a sweet potato, but the protein in your diet is hard to come by.  Not that you need tons of it, but most of the meat we cook is too tough for you.  You like beans okay, but they are not your fave.  Oh, but cheese!! You love cheese!!! And I totally forgot about eggs for you until Aunt Steph reminded me, so you've had an egg or 2!  And avocado - oh you love some avocado.  But only get it on Fridays at Mexican because Mommy forgets to buy them :) Anyway, as you can see, food has become my stress factor these last couple of days/week, but we're working it out.  Soon enough you will be a milk drinking, peanut eating one year old and I cannot believe it!
Also at 11 months you have become quite active on the staircase, as in climbing on the outside.  There is  no doubt in my mind that you are going to be just as monkey like as your sister.  You also are very good at spotting an open gate and climbing all the way up before I can chase you down!! I've discovered though that you can actually climb down the stairs, too, as long as there are no sudden movements or scares, because then you jump and all falls down... Lesson learned, but no one hurt.  Mommy was right there to catch you!  So see, smart as a whip, and still cute as pie.  My kind of gal!
11 months - man, it's so crazy.  It's bittersweet as it gets nothing but better, but at the same time my sweet baby girl is just growing up so fast!!!  One more month, then we'll be celebrating the big one!!! Loves you sweet thing!