11 months old today!

Happy 11 months, Sweet Girl!

I can hardly believe this will be the last monthly post I do before your first birthday. Are you really going to turn one next month?!? I know I say this every month, but you have done so much growing up over the past few weeks. Someone at church even said you’re looking so much more like a little girl and less like a baby. Here are some of the ways you are changing:

~You have become quite the drama queen this month. When something happens that you don’t like (e.g. Mommy or Daddy leaving the room), you start to scrunch up your face and stick your little bottom lip out and look pathetic for about 5-10 seconds before the actual tears start coming. And boy do you know how to turn them on! Big tears, let me tell you what! And they can stop just as quickly as they started, too, if we walk back in the room!

~You are starting to use different objects and toys in the right way. Instead of just putting everything straight in your mouth, you have started to pretend to sip out of cups, cuddle your baby doll, put the phone up to your ear, etc.

~Speaking of your baby doll (which was a Christmas gift), it is absolutely precious to watch you love on her. You know just how to pick her up, cuddle her over your shoulder, and pat her on the back.

~Still no walking yet, but you are definitely standing unassisted for longer periods of time (and by that I mean 4-5 seconds instead of 1-2)!

~You have really started to talk up a storm lately. Here are your favorite words (in order of frequency of use): Dada, Mama, Dow (Dog – Think Georgia Bulldawgs pronunciation), Ball, and No no no no (as you shake your head). We’re working on erasing that last one from your vocabulary and replacing it with a sweet “Yes Ma’am”. No luck yet.

~You LOVE to give kisses. Big, slobbery, wet, spit-kisses! You always do it when we ask you to, but you’ve even started to do them unprompted!

~Speaking of kisses, you have just learned how to blow kisses too! It makes you quite the charmer when we’re out.

~We are working on learning the parts of your body and you have your ears down really well. When I ask you where your ears are, you know exactly what to do. You get your toes right about 50% of the time, too.

~You are starting to really get into everything! Especially cabinets. In fact, Daddy just put some childproof latches on some of the cabinets in the kitchen and it really confused you!

~You love to listen to music and clap your hands or dance. Your dance is more like just a bounce, but it’s pretty cute!

Anna Kate, we love you so much and are so excited to celebrate one whole year of life with you soon! You have changed our lives in so many ways and taught us so much over the past eleven months and we just think you're the greatest!

And here are your pictures!

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months!

(She's doing "roll 'em up" from the Pat-a-Cake game in this picture...)

(I know she's not looking at the camera in this second one, but I thought it was cute since she's laughing and showing her teeth! If you click on the picture you can see them up close!)