Eleven Months

I am now the proud mama of an 11 month old!

In less than a month I will have the ability to say "Hi, this is my 1-year-old" (although we all know I'll continue to refer to her age in months, as in, "Hi, this is my 216 month old. She's off to university this year.")

She's doing all sorts of things these days -- scooting, some crawling, pulling up, cruising along furniture (resulting in many, many wipeouts), chatting, mimicking our words to some extent, saying "mama", "dada", "cat", "kitty" and "ha ha!", hitting (this is a rough one & I'm not sure how to curb it effectively), biting (my poor nipples, arms, legs), and all sorts of other busy 11 month old things!

I've been letting her feed herself with her little spoon lately and she is getting quite good at it. The dog enjoys sitting under the high chair, waiting for mush to fall from the sky.

She's still nursing quite a bit & I have no desire to stop any time soon. She is biting, but only when frustrated/overtired. I will power through this phase, hoping it's a phase indeed, and keep nursing for as long as possible. (My New Year's resolution last year was actually to breastfeed for a year and it feels so good knowing I will succeed in this goal!)

This time last year I was nearly 37 weeks pregnant. I barely remember what that feels like at all. It feels like a lifetime ago. It's a little crazy to think of my life before Gretchen -- it seems like such a foreign concept now. I can't imagine her not being here.

Especially for moments like these:

There are so many things that make me smile in this video: the fact that she claps when she hears the words "clap, clap" on Yo Gabba Gabba, the smile she gives me as she sits in her high chair, more clapping while eating her lunch & playing with her little pile of potatoes. So many sweet moments that I'm happy to have captured.

Happy 11 months, baby girl!

It's time to start planning your end of January shindig!