11 months

We are quickly approaching the much-anticipated first birthday...right around the corner! Can't believe our sweet petunia is almost one year old! She is certainly resembling a true 'toddler' every day. She has definite opinions and likes and dislikes, which she has no problem conveying even though her spoken words are limited to only 'mama', 'dada' and 'nom nom' (food). I know she understands a great deal more than I probably give her credit for...the other day she surprised me when I told her to sit in the bathtub and she did! We've used the sit command several times since then....what a good dog  girl! When I tell her it's time to wash her hair, she leans back and puts her head in the water. When I tell her it's time to get out, she reaches for the bathtub drain. When I tell her it's time for medicine she opens her mouth. And she definitely understands what 'no' means, whether she chooses to obey or not. Most times she will.

She is still gnawing/tasting/mouthing absolutely everything. Whatever the object is, she'll pick it up, study it, turn it over in her hands, and then put it straight in her mouth. I am apalled at the items I've fished out of her mouth...dog food, hairballs, paper. She especially likes to devour a good book....literally and figuratively. One night she really went to town on her custom-made family photos book and gnawed off a good size piece of cardboard. Imagine Bill's surprise when he went to change her diaper the next day and I forgot to mention how she'd devoured her book. If she keeps this up she might poop out an entire novel before she's 2.

I expect she will be walking any day now. She's very comfortable cruising around furniture or with her hands on the wall and will occasionally stop and balance herself hands-free. Bill claims she took a single step the other night while he was playing with her but I remain suspect of that claim....I spend all day every day with her, and she just happens to take her first step when I'm in the other room? A likely story...

We've had a bit of a rough time with a recent hairdo fiasco. I was feeling overly confident one morning and thought, who needs those hairdressers at Walmart? It's just a bang trim...surely I can manage that. WRONG. It was an epic fail. She ended up with bangs receding practically up to her hairline in the front, and a strong resemblance to a mullet in the back. I texted my friend Jackie in a panic and begged for professional help. Luckily she was able to shape it up a bit and now sweet baby looks halfway decent again. Thanks aunt Jackie!

before: the poster child for livingston parish

She sings, talks, and laughs ALL the time...there's a constant stream of narration coming from her mouth, although I have no idea what she's saying. Once she starts talking I'm sure she will be quite the chatterbox. In the meantime her baby babbles are highly entertaining. The other night she was up past her bedtime and as opposed to being deliriously tired and cranky, she was deliriously giggly. So funny.

Her other favorite pastime these days is to systematically and methodically remove any objects from their designated space. Clothes out of drawers. Tupperware out of cabinets. Toys out of baskets. Whatever she can get her hands on, she will be taking every single item out. Unfortunately she has not mastered the art of returning said items to their rightful place. 

My days with a 'baby' are dwindling quickly, and in a few short weeks I'll have a bonafied toddler on my hands. I'm super excited for her first birthday and can't wait to celebrate the big day!