ELEVEN

1-1...Eleven....ONE more month before by baby is ONE...Woah, how is this possible!?

Styling in your Valentine's Day shirt from Grandma D that came in your special gift bag!

Oh my sweet girl, time is moving way too fast!  As much as we want you to stay our baby forever, we can't wait to see who you grow up to be.  I was browsing through little girl clothes the other day with Kimmy, and she held up a pair of 4T pants and said, "Can you believe she will be this big someday!?"  I was both sad by that thought and a little anxious to know you at that age, to be able to see a glimpse of who you will become.  If the way you are right now is any resemblance of the little girl you will grow to be, I have no doubt you will be kind, an introvert with people until you really know them, a lover of music and dancing, wise beyond your years, gentle and loving, full of joy and laughter, strong but sensitive, compassionate, a little spunky at times with a little attitude when your tired, and just over all a sweet little girl with a whole lot of love for all those around you.  No matter what, we will love every bit of the person God has created you to be, through all the ups and downs, the hard days of the toddler years, and the moments you steal our hearts again and again.  We are so thankful to have YOU as our daughter, and praise God daily for the blessing He has given to us in putting you into our lives and entrusting you to us.

So what's new now that you are 11 months?

• According to our scale here at home, you are now officially 17lbs. WooHoo! 
• You say the word hot, and truly understand what it means.  It is highly entertaining to see your mind at work when you are looking around and find something that is indeed hot and then hear you say, "Ot" with so much pride and confidence.  Last night at Trader Joe's we were going down an aisle when you spotted the "flame" on the top of the Sample Hut (made that name up!), pointed and said proudly, "Ot! Ot. Ot" until I realized what you were looking at and confirmed that yes, indeed, that is hot!  It is the cutest thing really, but we are ready for a new word! :) 
• You blow kisses, and often when I say, "I love you" you respond with an air blown kiss!  It is so sweet, and just melts my heart.  We had been working on it and then about two weeks ago, your Papi was blowing them to you over Skype and all of the sudden you responded by putting your hand to your mouth over and over.  He was in awe, and was so honored to get your kisses!!  
• The words hi, bye, Mama and Dada are being said more frequently and intentionally!  
• When we sing the French song, "Les petites marionettes" you do the hand motions immediately and throughout the whole song.  Actually, any song that comes on causes you to react with your arms held high bouncing to the beat.  You love music, and have even begun to "sing" with me with your sweet little voice.  
• Walking is something you REALLY want to be able to do, but aren't quite there yet.  You walk nonstop if we are holding your hands, or using anything that can be pushed across the floor, but have only taken one, sometimes, two real steps before catapulting yourself head first into our arms! Dad thinks you are waiting for your Mamie and Papi to get here on Friday, so we will see what the next two weeks bring.  
• You currently have your very first cold, and it is the most heartbreaking thing to hear you cough and grimace in discomfort.  Hoping it passes soon, but the up side is you are mostly yourself with a moment here and there of extra snuggles and fussiness, and a few early morning feeds.  You are a trooper little Zay!  (you are on your third hour of sleep as I type this...hopefully you are sleeping it off right now!)
• You say, "hi" as you hold your toy cell phone up to your ear.  Cutest thing ever!  
• The past two weeks you have learned that you can throw your food off your tray, but have also learned that we don't tolerate it and are learning that you are to keep your food on your tray.  We will see how this one pans out....goofy girl! :) 
• Playing catch with your ball is one of your favorite things right now, and you are getting to be very skilled with the rolling of the ball directly to me!!  It is so fun to watch you clap your hands after you stop the ball between your two little hands.  You also know the word ball, but are still working on saying it.  If I ask you to get your ball, you go straight to it and then roll it my way.  It is crazy how much you really understand!  
• You have two more teeth than last month, your front two teeth are finally here :) They were much harder on you then the first two, and with each top two you spiked a fever and were miserable!  
• You love putting your toys away, and taking them back out, then putting them back.  It keeps you busy and is so sweet to watch you work! 
• Peek-a-boo is one of your favorite games to play with pretty much anything you can put over your eyes and then quickly move it while we say, Where is Zaylee?  Oh! There she is!! :) You especially love this game in the tub while using the shower curtain to hide behind.  

Other than those few things, life is about the same as last month.  I am trying to figure out my plan of action for weaning you, but honestly haven't thought too hard about how I will go about that task.  I truly love nursing you, and feel sad with the thought of parting with it, but know that soon the time will be right and we will figure it out!  You are becoming so distracted lately, and secretly I am hoping you will wean yourself, so I guess we will see what happens when the time comes.  You are enjoying your sippy cup more and more these days and I am thankful for that and hope it will make the transition a bit easier for us both.

Making a MESS to show how much she does not like photo shoots :)

We are starting to think about small details for your party, and can't wait to celebrate you, our little love!  It won't be anything to extravagant, but will be perfect and a day spent with family.  Who could ask for anything more?

One more month with our little infant baby girl, and then on to the fun times that come along with toddlerville! :)