11 months.

Who knows what comes after 11? Well I do, and it's 12. Is she seriously four weeks away from ONE? Stop it, I can't even think about it right now. Instead I will focus on how incredibly amazing this 11 month old girl is.

Ellie is continuing to develop quite the personality, and is working on having some serious opinions. I'm really going to kick the signing back up because now that she's comfortable with pointing, she does it to indicate EVERYTHING. Don't get my wrong, this is pretty awesome (especially considering she's been at the pointing for well over a month and it's a 12 month fine motor skills milestone - clearly, she's a genius), but I can foresee how this could turn into some majorly frustrating moments for both mom and baby down the road. 

I feel like a broken record, but truly, this girl is a delight. She makes people smile. She engages with them. And oh, my heavens is she CUTE. I have so many moments where I realize I've been sitting just staring at her with a big goofy grin on my face while she's been playing contentedly. We MADE her. Like, for real. She grew in my belly. And just LOOK at her! Sigh. 

Some stats and more of what's making her special these days below:

As of 11/9/15:
Weight: approx. 19 pounds
Height: guessing around 29"
Loves: cheese, music class (and really all music), mom and dad, animals (especially dogs), her bunny and lamb stuffed animals, swinging, swimming/baths
Hates: when mom leaves her line of sight. still.
Size: still working most of the 9 month/6-12 month clothes, but a few size 12 things fit, size 3 diapers
-E went on her first hike this month! Mom and E did Pinnacle Peak (about 3.5 miles/1.5 hours, and she did great other than a little bit of fussing near the end)
-We've started weaning her nursing (see previous post).
-Nugget's fine motor skills are amazing. She can point, clap, wave, play peek-a-boo, give kisses, blow kisses, and do "so big" and/or "touchdown".
-She's figured out what her comb is for, and now when she gets a hold of it, she immediately holds it up to her head.
-Along the same lines, she has figured out what her play phone and camera are for. She holds her phone up to her head, and when I point a camera at her and say "say cheese!" she smiles. Melt.
-She also figured out how to blow. I was blowing on her food and she started mimicking. Didn't come out perfect, but you could definitely tell what she was doing.
-She talks! Ellie now confidently and clearly says mama, dada, and the best one, bye-bye accompanied by the cutest little wave you ever did see.
-And the big one...she CRAWLED! Finally! The day before she turned 11 months, little girl finally figured out how to really crawl. She only does it until she is close enough to whatever she wants to then throw herself towards it on her belly, but we'll take it!
-A few days before that, she figured out how to go from tummy to sitting without any help. (Should have realized that one would need to proceed the other :)

Dad's favorite things about Ellie:
1. Her giggle
2, Her curiosity
3. Her happy nature
4. How she waves to her animals when she gets up in the morning of after a nap
5. Snuggling
6. Her smooches
7. How sweet she looks when she's sleeping
8. Her crazy hair in the morning
9. Watching her splash in the bath

Mom's favorite things about Ellie:
1. How she wakes up: she never cries or fusses. I'll look at the monitor and realize she's been awake just playing with her stuffed animals and most recently I'll know she's up because I hear the music from the hanging toy she can reach in her crib.
2. When we're sitting and she just leans back into me, looks up and opens her mouth for a smooch.
3. How when I'm holding her and she gets a little shy with people, she'll nuzzle deep into my neck and hold on tight to me.
4. Seeing how excited she gets over things she loves: when we walk into music class, when we walk into the pool area for swimming, when I start to lower her into her tub, when Penny walks by her close enough for her to reach out and feel, when she sees the swings. The pure JOY this tiny person can exhibit is enough to remind me that I'm doing an okay job as her mommy. And little makes me feel better than when I feel like I got it right by taking her somewhere, or doing something with her that she loves.