Dirt Road Mama: 11!

Our little munchkin face. She is almost one year old. I can barely believe it. But I'm embracing it...the growing up. Pretty much because the circle of life forces me to. But, she is looking and acting like a one year old, and I found out...it's really amazing. She is so so much fun! She is so smart and silly and I love everything I learn about her and her personality. She is a little person, and we find out more about the person she is every day. And we are loving it. I find new fun things that we can do together every single day. She is a complete little bundle of love. Here are some new things this month about our little angel.

[ My 11 month sign didn't last long...she kept trying to grab it...I decided to concentrate on the bunny ears :) ]

1. Well, as I reported early, she is now drinking whole milk once a day instead of mama's milk. It makes her look like such a big girl, holding her own bottle of milk. I mean, she has had bottles of breastmilk before, and water, but something about just pouring the milk right in. She's becoming a little person!

2. She is still eating new things every single day, and it now eating most of what we are eating! She has our dinner, chopped up so she can feed herself. It's so exciting watching her as she tastes all new things. Like ice cream!

3. She is making CRAZY funny sounds! She makes what sounds like conversation, kind of like "Yabba-Dabba-Do". She is clearly trying to communicate, so I talk back and sound like a crazy person.

4. Speaking of communication, we are teacher her more signs, and she has been learning the past few days how to appropriately use the sign for "please". It's pretty much the cutest thing ever, watching her sign.

5. When we read, she turns the page! She loves it and waits for it, and does it so perfectly and deliberately. She'll not only grab it and flip it, but then press the palm of her hand down on top of it to make sure to stays. It still makes me laugh.

6. She is very afraid of characters. We went somewhere where her Auntie V was dressed up like Puss n' Boots from Shrek 2, and she started hysterical crying! I felt so bad, I never thought she would be so scared. I guess no Easter Bunny pictures this year?

7. She is developing a real sense of humor, and we're getting such a kick out of her. The other day, Baby was standing holding on to the ottoman, and I was sitting next to her. Then Hubby sits down, and puts his feet right in our faces (not realizing, as a Red Sox game was on). So I looked at her and she looked at me, and I pretended to smell his feet and said, "P.U. Daddy!", and she starting HYSTERICAL laughing. She couldn't stop laughing, it was hilarious.

Then again yesterday, she picked up my water bottle, which I have with me all the time, and she knows she is not allowed to have it. So she is looking all sneaky as she holds it (it's 32 ounces, so she has a hard time holding it), and then I said, "Reilly, you know that's not yours." and put it on the table. She whined in protest, so I picked up her actual bottle with water in it and pretended to drink it, while saying, "Oh, okay, so it's okay if Mama has your water then?" She immediately stared and me, and then looked at Hubby and started cracking up laughing. It blows my mind how she knows what is funny now. I wasn't even acting overly silly - she just knew that the concept of Mama drinking from a baby bottle was funny. Crazy little girl.

8. She climbs. Occasionally, when she can't read certain things. I obviously got a picture of it, and will be posting about it next week. She has not yet mastered pulling herself up to standing, but she climbs. Awesome.

9. She still loves eating everything, but she's learning. When we go outside and play in the grass or the creeks, she'll pick up the dried little leaves and crunch them in her hand with the biggest smile on her face. I totally get her - because she is me - I loved different sounds and textures when I was little. So I let her explore, until she decides she wants to taste it. But she is stopping without protest now, and hopefully this in-the-mouth phase will end soon.

But it's not likely, as I was eating everything until I was 3 and I swallowed a penny. I have a distinct memory of the whole night - playing with the penny, wondering what it tasted like, putting in my mouth, thinking the metallic taste was strong but interesting, accidentally swallowing it, telling only my 4 year old sister and making her promise not to tell mom and dad, and a night in the ER after she told mom and dad because she was responsible out of the womb. God help me if we have this experience with Rei Rei!

10. She loves other children, and things that they all live to play and talk to her. Literally ANY children - they could be 10, and she will see them and started laughing and kicking and watch everything they do. I'm totally seeing her be a social butterfly like her Dad and running up to children saying, "Hi, wanna be my fwend?"

11. She is obsessed with her Daddy, as always, but is not becoming increasingly more aware of his presence, when he comes home from work, etc. We went to visit him at work the other day and she nearly jumped out of my arms when she saw him. She giggles like there's no tomorrow when he comes home from work. If she is awake when he leaves the house at all, she will crawl over to the door, stand up on her knees tapping the door with her hands saying "Da-da-da-da". Cutest thing ever.

Until yesterday - when THIS became the cutest thing ever. She woke up from her nap right around the time that Hubby came home. She wasn't crying, just kicking around in there, and I know how much he loves going in her room to pick her up, so I waited to get her till he came home. He came home a few minutes later, walked in her room, and said, "HI BUDDY!" Let me tell you - I have never heard her react like this before. I think she was in overload of "oh my gosh Daddy is home" as well as "oh my gosh Daddy is picking me up from nap" because he is not usually home for that. She started squealing and screaming and laughing and flailing SO loud, that we both died laughing. She laughed for so long, it was like she couldn't stop! Just by seeing him.