12 months - ONE YEAR!

Yes, Amelia, you are ONE YEAR - aka twelve months old today! Lately, all you want to do is stand. You're an awesome cruiser and scooter. And you can pull yourself up on the couch and play table. You love to dance to music, twisting your hands and waving your arms in a Bollywood-like fashion. You've gestured to Java to come to you. You're working on the "please" baby sign. You've found your nose, ears, head, hair, tummy, hands and feet (and ours, too). You love, love, love to talk (see the long list of all your words and noises so far below) - especially "apple," "all done," "nose" and of course, Mama, Dada and Java. You enjoy dumping out your toy and book baskets, reading a few pages of a book before throwing it behind you and especially are having fun with your lunchbox toy, play table, new blocks, sushi set, gumball machine, farm puzzle, farm noise book, drum, Noah's Ark and cups/bowls of any variety. Sometimes you like to feed me instead of eating yourself. You look up to us for permission/acknowledgement when touching/experiencing something new. You recently mastered the straw sippy cup, which is great because soon you'll be drinking exclusively out of them - and you'll get to start drinking milk - MOO! Also ahead, an amazing first birthday party with family (pictures to come - many of them!) and a visit to Florida. Who knows what else to expect!

In this past year, we've watched you grow from a squishy infant into a super squishy toddler. A TODDLER - WHAT?!? We love playing with you, laughing with you (lots more laughs lately - they're the best!), feeding you, spending time with you, cuddling with you, soothing you, road trips with you, family time with you and just watching you explore the big world around you - from rolling over to sitting up to scooting to standing, and SOON walking.

We are so, so, so excited to watch you grow, learn and change... We hope you know how awesome Year 2 will be! WE LOVE YOU SO. 

29.5 inches, 22.5 pounds... 4 teeth so far (and 2 very close).

A FULL WORD LIST:
(In this last month, you've more than doubled your vocabulary (starting at #17 with "Apple")! ...Favorites: Dada, Mama, APPLE, All Done, Up, Banana ("nana")

1. Dada
2. Mama
3. Bye bye
4. Milk
5. More
6. Ball
7. Hi
8. Hello
9. Java
10. Book
11. Duck
12. Bird (at daycare)
13. Baa (sheep noise)
14. Bottle
15. Two (at daycare)
16. Train (ta)
17. Apple
18. Nose
19. Ear
20. All done
21. Head
22. Hair
23. Up
24. This
25. Oooooh
26. Ohhhhh
27. Woah
28. Bow Wow (imitating)
29. Nnnnnnn (another dog noise, imitating)
30. Woof
31. Vroom (playing with car)
32. Dog
33. Boom boom (not sure what it means!)
34. Yellow
35. Blue
36. Banana (nana)
37. Yum
38. Tummy
39. Moo (a big one in our house!)
40. Down (thanks to your lunchbox)
41. Boos ("Kiss" in Arabic)
42. Cheese
43. Hat
44. Up
45. Neigh
46. Love you
47. Yes
48. No
49. No hands
50. E-F-G (alphabet part 1)
51. H-I-J-K (alphabet part 2)

Baby signs:

1. Bye bye/hello
2. More
3. Milk
4. All done
5. Thirsty
6. Eat
7. Come here
8. Please
9. Up
10. Hear/listen (especially when you hear an airplane or the garage door)
11. I love you
12. Blow kiss

Favorite Foods:

• Cheese
• Peanut butter sandwich
• Chicken
• Apples (your favorite word lately)
• Lentils
• Dried seaweed
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Waffles
• Mum mums
• Cheese puffs
• Cheerios

Favorite Songs:

• Fingers + Toes
• Ba Ba Black Sheep
• Barbara Ann (Beach Boys)
• ABC's
• Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
• Apples and Bananas
• All I Really Need and Thanks a Lot (for bedtime mellow moods)

Favorite Books:

• First Book of Sushi (Mommy's favorite, too!)
• Teeny Weeny Looks for His Mommy
• Are You My Mother?
• Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
• Hooray For Fish
• Where Is Baby's Belly Button?
• Munch
• Moo, Baa, La La La
• Do Cows Meow?
• Doggies

11 months

Yes, Amelia, you are ELEVEN months old today! Just one month away from your first birthday - HOLY COW! You are officially mobile, but in your own scooting, half crawling kind of way. You love standing with your table toy and walking while we hold your hands or using your walker. I mean, WOAH! You also love to tell us where your nose is, and find your own. Same goes for your hair. You find Daddy's ears fascinating. And you think it's hilarious when Daddy says "Vroom." You love your orchestra box toy, new toys in general (puzzles!)... just wait til the holidays and your birthday (we've got some great goodies in store for you) and eating cheese, meat and carbs (we have to work on veggies and fruits), plus making so many amazing new silly noises. Going to work makes me sad to miss additional special moments, but the time we do get to spend with you makes your special moments even more special... LOVE YOU SO.

Changes:

• Um, HELLO... ASSISTED WALKING?!?!? You are blowing our minds!
• Figuring out toys - puzzles, gumball machine, activity table
• PONYTAIL!

Noises:

• Lots of "bye bye's" (ba-ba)
• "Muh" = milk, regularly
• "Mo" = more
• More "Java's"
• "Hello" when you pick up your phone toy
• Imitating "ooh" and "woah"
• "Duh" = duck
• "Buh" = book (constantly, especially when you want to dump them all out of the basket)

Food:

• ...let's just say, we're working on it!

10 months

Yes, Amelia, you are TEN months old today! Two months away from your first birthday - we can't believe it! You are a big girl (20 pounds now) who loves standing (not pulling yourself up quite yet), eating grownup food like roasted squash, zucchini and eggplant, munching on wheat bread with peanut butter, pointing your finger to alert us to a fun toy or new sight, shouting "AH!" to get our attention, giggling at Java, waking up with a huge smile and of course showing off your cute little teeth (3 now!). We can't believe how much you are changing. You made it through Daylight Savings without a fuss and enjoyed being babysat while we traveled. Watching you learn, explore and enjoy yourself makes us so, so, so happy and proud... LOVE YOU SO.

Changes:

• Still learning to sit up from lying down and stand from sitting
• Lots of waving, even to your toys
• Even more noises and talking (see below)

Noises:

• "Bah" = ball
• "Nana" = food
• "Buh" = bye (bye)

Food:

• You love cheese, peanut butter toast, roasted vegetables and soft pears

  

 

Big kid food

Yes Amelia, the doctor ordered adult food to be added to your menu. First up - mushy sweet potatoes. (You had more success - and less mess - with waffles haha).

Sitting and standing

Yes Amelia, you are discovering many new environments around you... both from the floor, and above! It's amazing to watch you learn to stand... we wonder when you'll take a step... (Feel free to wait a few months to give us some time to prepare!)