baby bug bliss

It's been quite a while since I've posted an update of my baby girl, so here's one for the books (or blog, I guess...)

• She's 11 months old and planning for her first birthday party is in full swing.  I really don't understand how we're already to this point...
• She's been pulling up for a few months now; however just this month did she start standing on her own without pulling up.  I still haven't gotten used to looking down at her just standing there on her own smiling at me.
• This week she started lifting one leg forward, trying to walk--but she falls over before she can take a step.  It won't be long. 
• She has learned to play peek-a-boo.  She's always giggled when you covered her face and appeared; but now she'll cover her own face and pull the blanket off when you ask "Where's Bella?!"
• She dances.  And it is adorable.  (I just can't imagine dancing being a bad things when even the wee ones know their supposed to wiggle somehow when music is playing!)  She does this bouncy, bendy thing; and I love it!
• She's been waving bye-bye for a while now, and she had decided on the arm flapping style wave.  She'll also make the "buh" sound while doing it, but we haven't achieved any fully understandable words other than daddy (although at times, I would swear she's saying hey, that, and this...  but they're not consistent so I don't count them in her vocabulary).
• Her giggle absolutely mets my heart and I can't help but join her.
• Our nighttime routine may be a little out of the ordinary.  Since she's a bit of a night owl, Hunter goes to bed before us a lot of the time.  If he goes to bed without taking her with him, she will crawl over to the door crying, stand up, and start beating on it.  All she wants is to go play in the bed for a little bit with us--we chase her and bounce her and giggle with her.  After about 5 minutes, I can pick her up, let her give him a kiss, and take her out without a tear.  But if he goes to bed without her, it is not ok with our little missy.
• She'll give you kisses, but get ready for em.  They are full open mouth!
• She absolutely loves to be chased.  I can be standing up to go throw something away, but if I move, she takes off thinking I'm coming to get her.  And let me tell you, she's pretty quick!
• She loves to be outside.  I'm really ready for some cooler weather and no rain so we can hang out in the yard some in the evenings.
• She has six teeth that are all fully in--and if you put your finger in her mouth, she will bite it.  Hard.  Four on the top and two on the bottom.
• If she gets frustrated or just feels like being silly, she'll strain her face and neck and make a sort of grunting noise.  Cracks. Me. Up.
• Splashing--yeah she's got that down pat.
• She definitely knows the word no and responds well to it (hopefully it'll stay that way!).  Sometimes it evokes a few tears because her feelings are hurt, but normally she just moves on to something else.  And the things she knows she can't play with, she'll point at and shake her head no.  Smart cookie.
• Unloading and reloading the dishwasher is her favorite household chore to help with.  She's fascinated with the dishwasher.
• She has figured out how to use those two little bottom teeth to open things.  She is not to be trusted with a wipes container or a bottle of her snacks...
• She eats pieces of our food when we go to restaurants or if she's awake when we eat dinner.  That girl loves some poptarts.  Really, she just loves food.  Thankfully, she has never bawked at anything I've ever fed her.  I'm really hoping that her palette will continue to be open and we won't have a picky eater on our hands.
• She will stand on her tippy toes to try to reach something.  And she's a big time climber.
• She made the move to her big girl car seat a few weeks ago.  Still facing backwards right now, but it transitions to forward facing when she's big enough.
• She screeches.  Loudly.  But they're happy screeches and it's funny :)
• She gets prettier and prettier every day.
• We just love her so bad.

Tippiest of the tippy toes.

I'm telling you--can't be trusted with them.

Playing in the shower spray (she pulls the curtains back, making a slippery mess--but she loves it).

Also discovered the regular curtains and the blinds--she loves outside.

Oh, and let me just give a shout out to this little fact:  I only have to buy formula in bulk TWO more times!  Then we'll start the transition to regular milk, weaning off the formula hopefully very quickly! (Since she had so many tummy troubles at the beginning which resulted in her being on soy formula, the transition may take a little longer.)  I will gladly pay $3.50 for a gallon verses $6.50 for a quart!

love, angie