Tuesday, March 8, 2011

11 Months

(Somehow the rest of the Florida pictures I uploaded this morning are missing.  Hopefully I can locate them soon and have Part 2 of our vacation posted!  My apologies!)

Sweet Baby Harper,
   While on vacation in Florida you turned 11 months old.  Actually, we had to "celebrate" this new month on March 1st because February didn't have a 29th day (darn non-leap year!).  But either way, we have moved on to yet another wonderful month in your life.  I believe, though you're not walking unasisted yet, you're pretty much a toddler.  You play games, you play with babies and toys and books, you laugh and giggle, you climb and roll, you bounce and jump, you dance.  You are such a little kid that I find myself just watching you wondering when it all started.  When did I miss the transformation?  You need me (or whoever is watching you at the time) to do less and less for you.  You can feed yourself (using your hands), you can drink from a sippy cup, you can get from place to place yourself.  It's really amazing how independent you are becoming.
   You are starting to know the names for EVERYTHING and are even starting to say what they're called.  This includes (but is not limited to):
*birds
*dogs
*bunnies
*toes
*nose
*clapping
*belly button
*momma milk
*drink
*bites
*up
*down
*done
*diaper
*book
*bear
*bye bye
*hi 
(hi/byebye also come with the appropriate waves)
*baby
*cat
*outside
I'm sure there are many more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.  It's truly amazing how many words you recognize.  Some of them (mostly words that start with B, D, or M) are easy for you to say.  For the rest, you make noises (usually a tuh tuh sound and everyone looks at me and says "What does she want?").  You have also started bringing books to us, sitting on our laps, and waiting for us to read to you.  Talk about a girl after my own heart!
   We're still nursing strong since you're still not really interested in food.  You'll eat bites here and there, but jar food is hit and miss with you.  I'm okay with this.  I wanted to make it to at least a year and it looks like we're going to!
   Since we're still in the midst of winter (spring is so close!) our days are spent in the house playing, reading, singing, cleaning, and occasionally watching one of your movies.  Since you've started to notice every little thing, though, I've been trying to branch out.  So we go to the library either to look at books and play for a bit or for story time (though it seems on story time day you like to sleep in and miss it.  Hmm).  We're still going to music class once a week which is really a lot of fun.  And as much as you love kids, you really don't interact much with them.  You really, really love your teacher.  In fact, you held out your arms and let her hold you last class!  That's not something you do to strangers (thankfully).
    You have started going through your "terrible twos" early, I believe.  You tighten up your hold body and kind of growl when you get frustrated.  Or you try to bite something.  Sometimes you flail your arms.  I have to remind myself that you're still so small and young and have no other way to express how you're feeling.  Hopefully we'll get past this stage unscathed and for the better.  If only you knew that when I say no or take things away (or move you or walk into another room, etc etc) it's for a good reason!
    I don't think I can adequately express how much fun I have with you, let alone how much I love you.  Even when you're being difficult or we're having a bad day, I feel like my heart might erupt with all the love I have for you.  You, my darling, are our everything.  We love you with all of our hearts, forever and always,

Momma and Daddy

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