Eleven months old

This has been a big month for you!

You've said your first words.

"Up" "Mama" and "Dada"

You've taken your first steps.

You have met lots of new family and friends over the past couple of weeks, and you've handled it marvelously.

You've had a new cousin born and a best friend born, and you have another cousin on the way. You'll have so much fun playing with these three as you grow up. This is good for my Mama heart.

You've really started to imitate us. We get silly with you sometimes and push our faces close to yours, open our eyes real wide, and bobble our heads back and forth. The other day, we were sitting on the couch with Daddy, when out of no where, you stood up, poked your head closer to me, raised your eye brows, and nodded your head around a couple times. Daddy and I laughed so hard that our tummies were hurting. You are so much fun, Sweet Birdie!

Your newest foods are things like mango, broccoli, raw cheese, and blueberries. Occasionally when the fridge door is open, you'll crawl over and open the bottom drawer, pulling out as many handfuls of fresh kale as you can, shoving them into your mouth as your crawl away.

At least once a day, I walk into (or past) a bathroom, and notice an entire roll's worth of toilet paper laying all spun off in a big pile on the floor. I wonder how this always happens?

You wave to any person or animal that you see, and you save your sweetest and most slobbery kisses just for Mama and Daddy.

This month, my prayer for you is that you slow down. I know it's a selfish prayer, but with every day that we get closer to your first Birthday, it becomes easier and easier to see you as a toddler, teenager, and adult. I want so badly to just stop time right where it is and hold you tight for days and weeks and months. You will be a wonderful little girl, sister, friend, wife and Mama, some day, and I rejoice in all of that... It's just so fast.

Watching you grow is both the happiest and saddest that I have ever been.

Happy Eleven Months, my Beauty.

Your Daddy put it perfectly, last week:

"Oh, Sweet Addi girl, you're my world."

We love you, honey.

Mama