eleven months

dearest Cecilia,

it sounds like such a cliche, but i honestly cannot fathom where the last year has gone. it seems like just a few months ago that the leaves were starting to fall and we were setting up your co-sleeper and baby swing and organizing all your tiny newborn clothes. and here we are, in October again, and as i write this, you're in your pack'n'play, drinking your last bottle of the day. 

soon you'll begin visiting the Walker Transition room at daycare (for 12- to 18-month-olds). you and the other babies your age in the nursery are starting to play together now. you and Zach especially love to crawl around after each other, or bang on blocks together. and you absolutely love circle time, when the teachers sing songs and read books to you all. 

you certainly have a bit of a daredevil streak. although you're not standing by yourself yet, you love to climb -- up the stairs, on the arm of the couch, onto the bathroom stepstool, on top of the CD player, and anything else you can reach. 

you have four new teeth this month -- all four of your lateral incisors -- making a full set of four across the bottom, and just your two new fangs on top. this round of teething was particularly bothersome. you ran a fever and were pretty miserable, even when i gave you Tylenol or Motrin. i was about to take you into the pediatrician when that first upper lateral incisor erupted, and then three other teeth followed! no wonder you didn't feel like yourself.

those few days of teething were notable because your normal disposition is still so happy. you love to play with Greta and follow her around. you try to pet the cats and Kaiser. you still love your froggy Wub-a-Nub and you hold onto his little arms while you fall asleep. you still take two naps (although sometimes only one at daycare), and you sleep about 11 hours at night.

you definitely have a temper, however. whenever i take something away from you, or put up the baby gate to keep you from climbing the stairs, your face turns bright red, you scream and glower at me, and often throw yourself face first down on the floor. that last move frequently backfires on you as you end up hitting your forehead on the ground, which makes you even more mad. but the storms pass quickly and soon you're back to your usual sunny self!

your hair continues to be an endless source of delight to us. it sticks straight up in the back. whenever you stand in front of the fan, as you love to do, it gets blown in all directions. within the next few months, we'll probably need to trim your bangs! 

you love to eat. i'm still keeping tomatoes away from you, but pretty much everything else is fair game. this month, you've had enchiladas, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, omelettes, grilled chicken, meatballs (without sauce!), and lots more. you've probably eaten your body weight in goldfish crackers, pretzels, and puffs. and you absolutely love applesauce pouches. you figured out that the most efficient way to get snacks out of the "spill-proof" snack cup is to shake it vigorously so goldfish and puffs fly everywhere. 

this month, you've started saying "cap" for clap, which you do with great delight. your daycare teachers tell me that you say "a'duh" for all done, but i have yet to hear that one! you do make the sign for "all done", and while you have mastered the sign for "more", we're still working on "please"! 

highlights of this month included our road trip to Washington DC to see Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Josh. you did well on the drive down, and slept in the carrier through most of our visit to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. the next few days unfortunately happened to be the worst of your teething, but you did get to ride on the red panda on the carousel at the Smithsonian Zoo all by yourself. you and Greta also got to stay overnight at Nana and Pappy's house while Mommy and Daddy went to a wedding. you're such a good traveler! 

we love you so much, baby girl. i'm sure this next month will go just as fast as the previous ones, and before we know it, you'll be an entire year old. but no need to rush ... we'll savor each day as it comes!