11 months!

My Ellianna,

I know I say this every month but these months seem to go by faster and faster.  You continue to grow and develop by leaps and bounds and you are learning so much!  This past month there is no denying, you are so close to turning one and the early newborn days are long behind us.  Long gone are the days of quiet cuddling as you are a mover.  When you are awake, your body is in motion.  Standing, dancing, cruising along the furniture, and crawling...as long as you are moving, you are happy.

You spent most of this past month on vacation.  We took a family road trip to Colorado at the end of May for 12 days.  We drove straight through the 18-hours, leaving our house at night after your bath and even though you got a little restless the next day, you hung in there for the drive.  Our first cabin was at 9000 ft. elevation and between the elevation and winding road to get there, you got sick. You were fussy and beyond tired of your car seat, so you were sitting on my lap which means you threw up all over me and the car.  Other than that, you didn't have any problems with the elevation.  You went on your first train ride at the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, saw your first moose at Rocky Mountain National Park, first concert (Darius Rucker and Rodney Adkins) at Red Rock Amphitheater, and first MLB game in Denver.

This past month you have began clapping!  In my opinion, this is probably one of the cutest things you have learned.  You said 'ma' on June 8 and 'da' on June 15.  'Ba ba ba' continues to be your most consistent sound.  You are now swimming in the pool with us, trying to stick your face in the water, and kicking your legs when we practice swimming.  You love your new swing outside.  While on vacation, we placed at you the base of the stairs and you climbed the flight of stairs like a pro.  We have stairs at home but we just hadn't tried them yet.  You are also now crawling on your hands and knees (finally!) and you have become quite efficient and fast.  You and your daddy like to play chase and you squeal with delight as he comes after you.  You are learning the meaning of the word 'NO' but usually pause, look at us with a smile on your face and continue heading towards your destination.  Your favorite destination that gets the most 'no'?  The dogs water bowl.  You love to play in the water and splash until there is more water on the floor than in the bowl.  No new teeth arrived this past month but it looks like we are waiting on a top left tooth.  You are a chewer, edge of the window sill, your highchair tray, the edge of the tub, and your crib.  You are leaving teeth marks everywhere but we now have fleece lining the top rail of your crib so that is protecting your crib.  We have seen you try standing by yourself  but it usually results in a fall but you are getting braver.  We are brushing your teeth every night after your bath and this has become one of your favorite activities.  It seems you had a growth spurt overnight.  From one day to the next, I had to switch your wardrobe from 6 month onesies to size 9 months!  You wear size 3 diapers during the day but I have started with size 4 for nights for more coverage.

Sleep continues to be our biggest struggle. You continue to resist falling asleep and most nights this past month, sleep happens a good 2 hours after your bath.  Once you have fallen asleep, we are good for the night and most nights continue with waking every 2 hours but you and I quickly fall back to sleep without fully waking up.  I have heard you giggle softly in your sleep so I trust you are having good dreams.  You are enjoying Goodnight Moon and that has become our bedtime story.  Naps have made good progress this past month.  You are now staying at home all day with your daddy while he tries to get his studying done.  Most days you are taking 3 one-hour naps although there are still plenty of naps that only last 20 minutes.  Naps for your daddy are occurring in your crib! This was a huge milestone for us and we continue to increase the use of your crib.

You  continue to enjoy your solid foods.  We didn't introduce too much this past month due to traveling but you have added watermelon, old-fashioned oatmeal, nectarines and tomato.  You liked them all but developed a rash with the tomato.  We have been trying to introduce some sign language the past couple of months but it is during eating that you have been seen to bring your hands together for 'more.'

We are busy planning for your first birthday party. We were undecided about whether or not to have a party but we decided this is a day to celebrate you. You have added so much to our lives.  Your smiles light up the room and your giggle is music to our ears.  You continue to amaze us.  We look forward to experiencing so much more with you and hope that we can teach you to be true.  True to yourself and true to others.  We love you baby girl!