Eleven Months

It doesn't seem possible that this baby is already eleven months old, but here we are, closing in on her first birthday!  In my mind she is still about four months old.  But she feels more and more like a toddler curled up in my lap every day.

Here are more videos of her walking efforts.  Because everyone needs more walking baby in their lives.

She still only has six teeth (four on top, two on bottom).  The lack of teeth hasn't impeded her eating.  Ridiculous things she has eaten: stinky cheese, paté, sardines, mussels, liverwurst.  

Mmm, squash

We haven't heard any more words or consistent sounds but she loves it when I name things for her.  She or I point to something and repeat the name over and over again.  Her favorite thing ever is the set of lights above the kitchen window where we eat lunch.  There are two lights on either side of a hole where a fan will someday live, and I point to them and say, "light, hole, light," and she cracks up every single time.

She points with great gusto when she wants something.  If I hand her the wrong thing, she angrily slaps it away and gives me a look like I am a great disappointment to her.  Her current favorite objects include Izzy's leash, Ingrid's toothbrush, her ribbon full of hair bows, a wooden clown that spins on her music box, and the dad from our bathtub boat set.  She also loves hats, but only for playing.  Not, repeat NOT, for warmth in the winter.

She still wants to be carried a lot.  It's taking a toll on my hips but I suppose it's not her fault that she's the size of a normal two-year-old. 

Her schedule is getting really crunched by our school drop-off/pick-up routine.  I think she still needs two naps, but it's tough to fit them both into six hours while the kids are at school.  We drop off at 8:45, I put her down at 9:00, and she wakes up at 10:30 or 11:00.  If she's going to get another decent nap before pickup she has to go down by 1:00, but she isn't always tired after only being awake for two hours.  It would be super awesome if I could put her down at 2:30 (it might also make our evenings less screamy).  I swear DCPS sets the school schedule to f* with younger children.  

She loves her big kids so, so much.  Henry is the most funniest person ever, but Heidi really wants to get into whatever Ingrid is doing.  Sometimes we play in their room when they're at school and she points at Ingrid's bed and makes confused noises.  She believes these wonderful people are supposed to run around her and make merriment at all times.  She's also a big fan of Karl.  He still assumes, thanks to babyIngrid, that the baby does not want to hang out with him.  But Heidi gives him huge grins and points at him with great enthusiasm when he comes in the door.

We're planning a little party for her birthday.  Other than ordering the invitations, I'm staying in denial that she is really turning one in a few weeks.