11 months (and a day)

To our little girl


Yesterday was your last month birthday, next month you will be a whole one year old and I really can't believe it.  Your eleven month birthday was your little buddy's proper first birthday, the first baby to arrive out of our NCT group, two weeks early and 24 hours before we were all meeting up for a pre-baby reunion lunch.  Perhaps we should have organised that earlier!

At eleven months you are seriously mobile; you crawl at high speed, usually towards an open door, or the stairs, and you're still trying to thwart your parents seemingly unreasonable intention to prevent you from pushing all the pretty lights and buttons on that little box in the corner.


You love:

• your food -

 

strawberries in particular; and now you have two tiny teeth you're munching away on anything and everything.  We had giant couscous salad for lunch today and you carefully picked up each little grain for the first 10 minutes and then splatted the rest of it and licked it off your fist.  Things that you don't like so much you dangle over the side of your high chair and drop when you think we aren't looking.

• your teddies - Giraffe and Solomon the Elephant are never far away from you and they snuggle up with you at night.

• swinging -

 
you were a little bit scared the first time we took you to the park but now, now we have to tear you away.  You tried the slide today, with Mama holding you so you didn't go too fast, and I think we got a little giggle.  You certainly liked the texture of the slide, it's all bumpy metal and makes a funny noise when you hit it with your hand.

• being outside - you seem to be constantly making a bid for freedom if we've got the doors open.
• listening to your stories and playing with your books.

You're not so keen on:

• Naps
• Sleeping generally
• Being away from Mama. (but Mama isn't that keen on being away from you either). 

You're still pretty tall for your age (no surprises there) and your smile would melt the stoniest of hearts.  When I pick you up you wrap your arms around my neck and dig your fingers into my hair, and your ankles tuck into my sides to cling on as tight as you can.  Some day you won't want to cuddle in so tight but for now my arms are always open.

I love you little girl.

Love Mama