Eleven Months

Dear Samantha,

Today you are 11 months old. I can't believe that in just one, short, little month, you will have been a part of our lives for ONE WHOLE YEAR. The months seem to go by faster and faster! This month was a big one for you. At just over 10 months, you started WALKING. Every day you walk further and further and you are getting better and better at balancing. Last week you started pushing yourself up to standing without holding onto anything!

Once you figured out how to walk, you suddenly started using hand gestures. You now wave and point as if you've been doing it all along. You're always pointing at things, wanting to know what they are. You wave hello and goodbye, and you also sign "all done" when you are finished eating.

You have definitely been perfecting the high-pitched squeal when you giggle. (Mommy may or may not have encouraged that!) You LOVE to laugh, and you often imitate our laughter, or instigate some fake-sounding laughter of your own. We like to echo each other's laughter back and forth, until we both erupt into giggles. You are such a little goofball! You started wrinkling your nose and making a squinty face when you laugh now, just like Mommy. You also make the funniest squinty faces when you are mad or when you are confused.

You are looking more and more like Mommy now. Your mad or serious faces still look like Daddy, but all your goofy and excited faces are very much like Mommy's. Your hair is getting lighter and lighter, and it's about the same color as Mommy's now.

You are also learning how to express different emotions. Aside from all your funny facial expressions, you are showing your disgust, anger, or indifference. It's fun to see you learning how to show different emotions, but sometimes it can be frustrating when you start acting like a little grump. Most of the time you are happy and full of giggles though.

This month you have had back-to-back colds, and you were sick most of the month of March. Thankfully you're pretty happy when you are sick! You came down with your first ear infection - in both ears. You topped it off by vomiting twice on the morning of your 11-month birthday! We were so sad for you, but you handled it like a trooper. You got your very first prescription and managed to knock out the infection pretty quickly. Since your sickness you haven't been sleeping well (again), so we are having to start back on sleep training so that Mommy and Daddy can get some sleep. After one night, you are already doing better again. Hopefully you'll be sleeping through the night regularly very soon!

Mommy is very busy this month planning your birthday party. In less than a month your grandparents will be here to celebrate with you! I'm sure this month will fly by even faster than the last. You are SO much fun now, and you constantly have us in giggles!
We love you very very much!

Love, Mommy