11 Months... Guess it is time to start planning a PARTY!

Bella,

You are 11 Month! I can't believe you are really almost a year old!

In the last month:

~ You have gained some weight, but according to a doctor's visit a week ago, you have not gained any height.. At that visit, you were 21 lbs 3 oz and 26.5 inches. Not sure what we are going to do with you, short stuff...
~ You have started walking! On your own!! All over the place! It's the big accomplishment of this month! We are so proud! (We would like it more, though, if you just went back to sitting and weren't going 90 to nothing constantly...Kidding! Maybe you will get your lazy parents into shape...)
~ You drink about 24 oz of formula a day, eat 3 meals and atleast 1 snack a day. You are getting better and better at the sippy cup, but still not drinking a whole lot from it. Your favorite foods are anything that has potato or sweet potato in the name. You also like most fruits and veggies including apple sauce, green beans, fried okra, and peaches.
~ You are sleeping from 8 pm to 6 am every night. Most days you take atleast 2-3 naps totaling 2-4 hours. You are sleeping well in your own room at night.
~You are still wearing size 3 diapers...
~You are almost out of all of your 9 month clothes and wearing almost all 12 month clothes (except your smocked dresses which run big...)
~ You travelled with us to visit Fayetteville to spend time with your grandparents on your dad's side this month. We also visited with your great grandma and your great aunt and uncle! You played in their pool an had a blast!
~ You also got to visit with your Aunt Anna! TWICE! Once in Fayettville and once in Little Rock. She and you had a blast!
~ You also spent a lot of time with Gigi and Pops as well as their parents! You also got to hang with your great Aunt Ruth! It was a great month for family time! We enjoyed it as much as the family and you did!
~ You spent quite a bit of time with your dad before he started back with football. You two had a blast! Unfortunately, he is back in football mode, but we have you cute outfits to wear to cheer him on!
~ You had a bout of bronchitis this month that really got you down. You had a high fever and felt terrible. We had to see a different Dr., but he did a great job!

Bella,

You are getting so big on us! Each day you wake up and smile at us and fill us with joy that we have never known.. You are now toddling your way around the house. You are managing to find ways to make trouble - however you are so cute and sweet doing it that we don't mind too much! We have baby-proofed and continue to work to make sure you have fun and can be curious without worrying too much about you. You are such a happy baby! Most mornings you wake up with a smile on your face! You are also a great snuggler. There is nothing better in this world than snuggling with you! We only hope you stay as snuggly as you are these days! We love continuing watching you grow and learn each and every day. Just when we think that you can't be any cuter or we can't love you anymore than we already do, you give us a grin that makes us warm and fuzzy inside! People constantly comment on how pretty and happy you are. We smile knowing that they only see part of how wonderful you are! You have also been told you look like a sweet, baby doll or a china doll. It probably doesn't help that your mom loves to dress you up in frilly, pretty dresses. We love it (or atleast your mom does!)!!! B, as we enter into your last month before you turn 1, we can honestly say we can't wait to see how this month changes you! This has been the best year of our lives! Thank you for all of the wonderful moments and days of your first year. We are so proud to be called your parents. We love you with all of our hearts!

Love Always,
Your Mommy and Daddy

10 Months

Bella,

You have officially been here as long as your were in mommy's tummy. At 10 months:

~You continue to grow. We haven't weighed you lately but my guess would be that you are ~21 lbs. I swear you have also grown taller, but haven't checked that either.
~ You are still wearing some 6-9 month clothes and some 6-12 month clothes. You are about to outgrow the 6-9 month clothes. We have added your 9-12 month clothes to your wardrobe so we should shift here pretty soon!
~ You are eating 24 oz of formula, 3 meals, and a couple snacks. You are eating mostly finger foods and self feeding, which is awesome! You love fruit, pancakes, waffles, potatoes, and squash the best! You are such a great eater!
~ You are an okay sleeper. Typically, you sleep 9-11 hours a night and have a couple of naps. You do great during the night. Naps are much harder... I think it's cause you don't want to miss anything! You still aren't a huge fan of your crib but you will stay asleep once we put you down (most of the time anyways).
~ You are talking up a storm nowadays! You started saying "mama" and it seems like you haven't stopped since you figured it out.. There goes the days of Dada having to go get you since that is what you were saying ;)
~ You are crawling all over the place now. You are so fast! You are pulling up and walking with assistance. You are also standing by yourself. We know it's just a matter of time before you start walking.... Take your time, please... You are fast enough crawling!
~ You have travelled all the way to Boston to visit your aunt and uncle. This included stops both ways in Washington DC. You went to Fenway Park, on the Freedom Trail, and to the Cape! among other places... You played and played with your aunt and uncle. It was so good to spend time with them. We are planning to visit them early next year in their new city of NYC...ohh the fun we will have!!
~As mentioned above, you made it to the beach FINALLY!!! We swam in the Atlantic! You enjoyed the sun, sand, and ocean for a while, but it was hot there!
~ It also wouldn't be right to mention that trip and not mention that you managed to get Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease 5 days before the trip. Luckily you were almost done with it before the trip started...daddy was not so lucky (but this isn't about him, now is it?!?!)
~ While in Boston, we celebrated your first 4th of July (and great-granddad's birthday on the 5th).
~ This month you also celebrated your mommy and daddy's wedding anniversary..but you were busy teething so you might have missed it! ;)
~ Speaking of teeth, your second one popped thru this month!

Bella,
Oh how this first year seems to be flying by. It seems like you are getting bigger each day! You are growing and becoming such a funny little person. Your daddy and I have a hard time telling you "No" when you get mischievous (which you are doing more and more) because you laugh at us. We continue on because it is important you understand us (or try to learn to...). You are such a sweet, cuddly baby. I enjoy your hugs and all your cuddles! I hope this never changes...even when it seems like you have become just an extension of me because you won't let me do anything without you in my arms or touching me. You are starting to only go to certain, familiar faces which provides some entertainment for us. (I'd could call it frustration, but we like to think positively!) However, you love daycare and do such a great job there! In the last month, you have been spending alot of time at home with daddy while he is "off" for the summer. (You will learn soon that daddy doesn't really get much time off..) We had a great first family vacation with you (besides daddy's hand-foot-mouth yuckiness). Even though we have gone on short trips, this was the first extended trip with you. We can't wait to take you to more new and exciting places!! We are loving you at this fun and sweet stage f life where you crawl all over the place and are curious about everything! It is fun to watch you figure things out! You are also having fun watching us make goofballs out of ourselves. We look forward to seeing what each day, week, month, and year with you will look like! We only hope they are filled with the love, joy, and happiness the last 10 months have brought us! We love you so much, even more than yesterday! You are the best!

Love always,
Mama and Dada