11 Months

I know I've said it before, and I know I'll say it a million times more, but I can't believe how time flies. Only one short month until my little girl turns one! She is changing every day lately, it seems, learning so much, and I can't believe how much more I love her every day!

At 11 months, Abbi:

• LOVES books. She will seriously sit and play with them for hours every day. And she definitely has her favorites. I love it when she grabs her book and crawls over to me, handing me the book, which means she wants to sit in my lap while I read it to her. (And yes, this bookshelf is supposed to hang on the wall. But we haven't gotten around to it yet. Which actually is ok, because I decided that her books need to be on the floor where she can get them since she loves them so much!)
• Is saying "mama" and "dada" regularly, but no other words. She makes all kinds of babbling noises, and I can tell she is trying to talk to us. She also knows what Santa says - it's some form of "ho, ho, ho" and although no one else would be able to tell that's what she is doing, she does it every time she sees a Santa!
• Speaking of Santa, she loves all things Christmas related. Loves to look at snowmen, santa, and has been very good around the Christmas tree!
• Celebrated her first Christmas. Although I'm sure she didn't quite understand all that was going on, it sure was fun. And she really loves all her new toys!

• Still sucks her thumb (but only when she is tired) and has a new fascination with sticking her finger in her mouth. She always puts everything in her mouth anyway, but she really loves this finger for some reason!
• No walking still. But she is able to stand on her own forever, and loves walking with her walker. I think it will be any day now.
• Loves to eat. She's not picky at all, and will pretty much eat anything I give her. Favorites are Cheerios and graham crackers. She does like to share her food with Max, though, so I think half of what I give her for finger foods, Max ends up eating. And since Max loves cheese so much, Abbi will never eat it - she just hands it over to Max and laughs!
• Drinks tons of water. It seriously surprises me. Sippy cup must always be present!

• Is up to 6 teeth. The two very front aren't all the way in yet, but they are close. I love this picture because you can kind of see her scraggly teeth!
• Is full of laughter. She really is a happy baby, and doesn't cry too much.
• Loves babies and little kids. We bought her her first baby doll, and she cuddled that thing like crazy! (Until Alvin the Chipmunk came along...) Whenever she sees another baby or a picture of a baby, she squeals with happiness.
• New favorite game - pulling everything out of something then putting it back in. It doesn't always end up back in where it's supposed to go, but she loves pulling it out, putting it back in, then usually pulling it out again!

• Loves bath time. She didn't love taking baths when she was littler, but now that she has discovered splashing, baths are a favorite time of hers. I no longer think I can get away with staying dry while bathing her!
• Does not like to sit still. Feeding her is next to impossible because she always wants to stand up in her highchair.
• Loves peek-a-boo. Especially if she is the one hiding. Give her a blanket, and she'll want to play peek-a-boo with you forever!

• Sleeps decent at night, but is an early riser. She'll usually be up around 5am every morning. Sometimes I can get her to go back to sleep for an hour or two if I put her in bed with me, but a lot of the time, she is up. Too bad I can't get myself into bed earlier at night!
• Is learning to show us what she wants. She knows that when she wants Cheerios, she just drags one of us to the cabinet. Or if she wants to nurse, she points at the Boppy pillow. Such a smart girl!
• Loves to look out the window, and always gets excited if I am holding her when I let Max out in the backyard and she gets a glimpse outside. I know that she is going to love it when Spring comes!

I love watching her grow and learn, but I'm kind of sad thinking that she will be turning 1 so soon. Where did my baby go? But I sure do love her and I can't imagine my life without her in it!