Me and Wink

I love being a mom (probably obvious as you look at my blog and it is just picture after picture of one cute little girl), but I actually have been amazed at how much joy (and sometimes stress, laundry, and laughter) a little baby can bring to your life. I love having my little buddy tag along with me all the time. She makes the most mundane tasks seem like fun whether she is waving to people at the grocery store or pulling everything out of my cupboards as I make dinner. 

11 Months and 1 week

My sweet little baby,

I am feeling a need to hurry and record something of the last few months because in a couple short weeks you will be a year old. I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone and how much has you change and grow each week!!

After you learned how to walk about a week ago, walking was all you wanted to do for a couple of days. Now it is the one thing that you definitely do NOT want to do. If I try to get you to walk you look at me, start to cry, and then sit down. I guess it is pretty scary--you have received at least a few bumps on your head since it all started. I am sure that you will pick it back up before long. In the meantime you are enjoying standing by yourself and you LOVE to push things--anything (your shopping cart, your exersaucer, kitchen chairs, the office chair, our ottoman, doors, and especially our neighbors little yellow truck). You have learned that you can push your shopping cart in any one of four directions (including the ways that the wheels don't roll) to get anywhere in the house that you want to go. You are not afraid to venture off into rooms of the house where I am not--this means that our house is not nearly as baby friendly as it should be. Yesterday you got yourself stuck between a bookshelf and a filing cabinet.

You are now a really good eater. You will eat just about anything as long as you get to feed it to yourself. But, if I am trying to feed you it had better taste good, or you will end up with more on your face and in your hair than in your belly, but it is okay because you LOVE bath time. You would eat frozen blueberries all day it I would let you. You often munch on your food a few times and then spit it out. Not because you don't like it but because you think it is funny or because the pieces are too big. Then sometimes you pick it up and eat it again. Then spit it out again. Then eat it again. Every time I pick food out of your lap (you know all those pieces that never made it to your mouth) and toss it back on your tray you start to laugh. You are a messy eater, and it IS funny.

You love reading books and are still a cuddly little baby. You have started giving hugs (by pulling something close and laying you head on it) to everything. Every time I see you give the remote control a hug it makes me smile, but I love it when you hug me the best. You still love to give kisses. Unfortunately you have not yet learned that your teeth (now you have 7) are not supposed to be involved when you are giving a kiss. We are still working on that one. You cry out "mamamama" whenever you are upset. When you are happy you say "dadadada." I don't know what that really means. I think it means that I help you when you are sad and your daddy makes you laugh. You have also started shaking your head and saying "Na na." Sad. I guess I say "no" too much. Today we were sitting by the ivy that covers the ground around our apartment. You would pick up a leaf and try to put it in your mouth. I would brush your hand away and say "Ew, yuck." You shake your head and say "na na." Then you would pick up another leaf and try to put it in your mouth. I would brush your hand away and say, "Ew, yuck." You would shake your head and say, "na na." Then you would pick up another leaf and try to eat it. This went on for leaf after leaf after leaf. Sometimes you would even be shaking your head and saying "na na" as you were trying to put the leaf in your mouth, so even though you are starting to get it, you really don't get it.

You LOVE playing outside. We try to go play in the courtyard most evenings, and I think this is your favorite part of the day. You squeal with delight whenever you see the neighbor babies outside, and you will not be satisfied until we have gone out to join your little friends. The other day when we stepped outside one of the little neighbor babies said, "Ah, Maggie!" You have a friend who knows your name! If that isn't just the cutest thing! When you are with your daddy he will take you for long walks and help you climb trees. You LOVE going for these adventures with your daddy.

You are my little buddy and my little bundle of sunshine. I love running with you and shopping with you. Everything seems like more fun because you are always at my side.

Thanks for letting me be your mommy.