The Big 11!

You are just one month away from being a big 1 year old! SO hard to believe. But believe me when I say I am drinking up every single second of this last month before you are considered a "toddler". Now, you are still and always will be my baby girl and I refuse to think you are going to be a toddler as it feels like I just had you yesterday! And I am not going to lie, I like that you are small as it makes me feel like you are a baby still and not growing up as fast as the months say you are! Here are 11 quick tidbits about you my sunshine!

1. You are less than the first percentile in weight. We took you in to see the Dr. a week before you turned 11 months and you were 14 lb 10oz. You are 27 inches tall, 6th percentile and just a little peanut. You eat a ton, you just have a fast metabolism..which one day you will love! This month however, the Dr.'s wanted to be sure you were getting all of the nutrients from all the food you were eating and run many tests to make sure your weight was no indication of any complications. I of course was a nervous mess. As soon as I heard "we'd like to run some tests" my eyes of course welled up with tears and my motherly "protective" instinct kicked in. I became tough for you. Part of me thought it would be fine as I was only 16lb at birth but my heart just ached for the blood work you were about to face. But you were much more brave and did so much better than I had prepared myself for. In fact, it may have been harder on me...which I will take any day. I had to restrain you and another person had to help hold you down while the Dr. drew blood :(. They were as gentle as could be and they were fast, thank you Children's! And the second I swooped you up and held you, you stopped crying and we were on our way. They tested you for many different things and I am happy to say they all came back clear. As our pediatrician (whom I love so much) stated, just as I expected, she is just a tiny little girl with a fast metabolism that is as healthy as can be! Music to my ears! Our pediatrician did not seem too overly concerned either knowing my weight at a year and the fact that you are hitting all milestones and even ahead on some. And lets face it sister, you never stop moving and are full of energy so you burn a lot of calories!

2. Speaking of eating, you eat around 30oz of formula a day (6 oz every 3 hours) and you eat 3 meals a day. Usually yogurt and fruit for breakfast, veggie and fruit for lunch and a meat and veggie for dinner. And often I have to mix your veggie with a fruit for you to eat it..stinker! You have a big sweet tooth! You LOVE soft serve ice cream, strawberry shortcake and anything sweet. You also love anything your daddy and I are eating. You want whatever we have!

3. You do okay with a sippy but prefer a bottle. You love water though and often want it out of my cup. You also learned how to sip out of a straw!

4. You still love your sleep sleeping 11-12 hours at night and you take 2 long (2 to 3 hour) naps (one in the morning and one in the afternoon).

5. You love to give kisses. You kiss everyone and think its funny. In fact at a friends baby shower you kept pulling a little boy toward you and kissing him. After about the 20th time he got tired of it I think. I wont tell your daddy ;). You are just a sweet, sweet girl. You love to kiss and hug and snuggle. And I just love that about you.

6. You also love to play peek a boo still, clap for yourself and others, brush your hair, bounce (we call it dancing), singing, cruise furniture (you could do that all day), sing, wave and interact with others.

7. You now say "uh oh" and you love to say "shhh, shh".

8. You understand so much of what we are saying and follow many 1 step demands. And you often clap for yourself after. You also got your first top tooth! Your little grin warms our hearts and makes us smile as you smile so big. You love to play with those teeth!

9. You can stand on your own for about a minute but then get scared and fall down and we think you can walk but are scared to let go. People constantly comment on how fast and how much you cruise. You also love to try to climb those stairs!

10. You LOVE us. You prefer us still over anyone. You still get upset sometimes if I put you down or give you to someone in a new place and leave you. You also LOVE your friends. Anytime you see them you smile big, clap and wave your hands. You also love all kids. If you hear a child's voice you find them and try to get to them. Stella is your best friend and so is Layla.

11. You love to be a dare devil and try to roll off the bed, couch, anything. You know we will catch you so you think its a fun game. You and daddy play it most as it makes me too nervous. Your daddy is your best playbuddy and you get so excited when he gets home from work.

We love you so much Morgan Lily-pie. We find ourselves emailing each other when we are away from you wondering what you are doing and smiling just thinking of you. We cant wait to rush home each day to see you and play. You are so much fun and just such a sweet baby. You continue to make life fun, adventurous and more full of life than ever. Thank you. I love you so much baby girl!!