Month Eleven

Dear Amelia,

Today you are eleven months old. Most mornings you are content to play in your crib with some toys for the few minutes it takes me or Daddy to come and get you. Whenever you wake up, whether it’s in the mornings or after a nap, you are always incredibly happy. In fact, on the rare occasions when I have to wake you up from a nap (or the few times I have accidentally woken you up when I check on you before I go to bed), you pop your head up and say “AH!”; it’s kind of like you’re saying, “Asleep? Me? No, I was wide awake!”

You had four new teeth pop through this month, which brings your total to six. Your newest tooth (lower left lateral incisor) showed up this morning, and I’m 95% sure that your seventh tooth (top right central incisor) will show up tonight or tomorrow. When you are laughing it sometimes takes me by surprise when I catch a glance of your mouthful of teeth! There is something I need you to do for me, Amelia. I need you to stop grinding those teeth. It is driving me crazy! What I’m hoping is that you’re only doing it because they are so new – hopefully you’ll stop soon. You have developed a funny habit/quirk . . . when you are playing on the floor, you like to spin in circles. It’s the funniest thing – you’ll be playing with a toy and will use your feet to spin yourself around and around. I don’t think you are doing it intentionally – just kind of as an afterthought. I’ve told Daddy that since you don’t have any hair to twirl you just twirl your whole body! Oh, speaking of hair, I saw your first curl this month! You are slowly getting more and more hair, and although it still looks red in the sunlight it looks strawberry-blond indoors.

You have started going to bed around 6:30 or 7, so now we are able to have dinner together as a family. It will definitely take some getting used to because you don’t like having to wait between bites. You are very impatient when it comes to your food – you want it RIGHT NOW and if you don’t get it you yell. Daddy and I are trying to teach you to be patient and sometimes we will just eat a few bites of our food and ignore you when you are yelling. Once you get quiet again, we’ll give you a few bites. Hopefully you will catch on quickly!

You are pointing at everything now – you point at things you want and you point at things you would like us to notice. When I see you pointing at something I’ll tell you what it is – I’m sure I look like I am talking to myself when we are out shopping and you are pointing at things on the shelves! This month you have started pulling yourself up to stand, and you even stood on your own for a few seconds. I was on the floor and you crawled over to me, holding a toy – you used one hand to stand up and hold on to me and your other hand kept a firm grip on your toy. Once you were standing you let go of me and grasped the toy in both hands for a few seconds before you realized what you were doing and reached out for me again. I’m wondering how much longer it will be until you are walking!

You and Shelby are becoming better friends – she shoves her toys in your face and gives you puppy kisses. You have learned to pet her gently, and earlier this month she jumped into the bathtub with you! I can tell that you two will be the best of friends. This past month you have started to talk more. You say Mama and “bau” most often. We haven’t figured out what bau means, but it definitely means something because you use it all of the time! Also, this month you started dancing. Most often you dance when there’s music playing, but sometimes you’ll just dance to a tune that’s in your head. You dance while standing and while sitting – when you’re sitting you just bounce up and down, and kind of bob your head.

It is so hard to believe that you have already been here for eleven months! You are growing up so quickly and sometimes it makes me a bit sad . . . not that you are growing up, but that time is passing so quickly. Before I know it, you’re going to be graduating from high school. Amelia, I want so much for you. I want you to live out your dreams and realize that you can do absolutely anything you set your mind to, even when someone tells you otherwise. You’ll always have me and Daddy in your corner, no matter what.

Love, Mama