11 months

Eleven things that we want to remember about what you are like and what you are doing right now at 11 months old!

1. You are very determined! If you want something (usually the phone, remote control , a toy of Tanners or food you can’t eat!) you will do everything in your power to get it. We cannot distract you with one of your toys or hide it. That whole out of sight, out of mind thing doesn’t work with you. You will find it, screech and scream about it or throw a mini tantrum if you can’t get to it. You will also keep trying something (i.e. -getting a toy out of a bin, pulling yourself up, opening a cabinet) until you figure it out or get so frustrated that you scream and cry. I have to keep reminding myself that determination and perseverance is a GOOD trait to have.

Currently you are obsessed with my plant and you are determined to pull out (and eat!) all the dirt. We will take you all way on the other side of the basement where you can’t even see the plant and you immediately start crawling back for it. You definitely keep us on our toes!

2. You are still a super good eater. You do not like to eat baby food from jars much anymore. You like people food and want to eat whatever we are eating. If we are eating something while we are holding you, you try to open our mouths to get the food right out of our mouths. Your favorite foods right now are watermelon, puffs, the round Ritz crackers (LOVE those) and peas! We have started to switch you over to milk, but you still want to nurse and do not really like to take the bottle. I’m afraid that stopping nursing will be quite an ordeal with you in a few weeks. But we managed to make it without buying a SINGLE can of formula for you!! Yippee! I do believe that is a few hundred dollars I have earned for myself to spend on another scrapbooking retreat!!

Yes you LOVE peas – you will seriously eat about half a cup in just minutes. I squish them down so you can pick them up easier and don’t choke!

3. You are still very wary of strangers. We have not been able to leave you in the nursery at church for over two months because you just cry hysterically and make the other babies cry and then we have to come get you. As soon as Daddy or I pick you up from nursery you instantly stop crying. We bring you into service and you are really quite behaved except that you like to sing along and you don’t always stop singing when everyone else does, oh and you like to babble quite loudly during prayer or toss your cheerios into the hair of the person in front of us. Yeah I haven’t been able to enjoy a relaxing service for awhile now. Daddy or I usually end up sitting with you in the hall!

4. In the last 2 months you have learned to wave bye bye, clap your hands, blow kisses (all these you learned in late January and early February) and just in the last week you have started saying “uh-uh” when you drop something and the sweetest sound “ma-ma-ma-ma” You are not an on demand baby so it took forever for us to videotape you doing these things. Here’s the best we could get for now! (stat tuned, video coming soon!)

5. You are really on the go these days. You can now crawl really fast and are just beginning to explore stairs. You also can pull yourself up on just about anything and walk along the couch, coffee table and walls. You take one or two steps from one piece of furniture to another and I would say you are almost walking, but I said that about you crawling and then you didn’t crawl for another 3 months! You definitely would rather be standing and walking along something than sitting or crawling.

6. You love to sit in this wagon and be pushed around the basement by Tanner. You just laugh and laugh – one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

You look terrified in that picture on the right, but really you are laughing hysterically! I promise!

7. You also love to look at books and be read to. It is the sweetest thing when we peek in your bedroom to see what mischief you are up to and you are looking at your books. You love books that have furry or bumpy things on the page that you can touch. It is pretty funny when I am reading you a book you always feel the page for something to touch. Your favorite books are the Usborne peek a boo books.

8. You do not like to sleep in your crib! Yes, you would rather sleep in our bed. This is a battle we are currently fighting and right now, you are winning!

9. You love to listen to music and sing along. It will be very interesting to see if you enjoy music and/or play an instrument when you get older. You already have some rocking rhythm and can bounce or babble/sing to the beat of the music. A couple days ago in the car Tanner and I were talking and the kids music CD was playing in the background. The song “If you are happy and you know it clap your hands” came on and you started to clap your hands. I was amazed that you could hear and understand the song over our talking. You also LOVE to dance with daddy. Melts my heart!

10. You hate to have things in your hair or on your head. So much for all those cute headbands, bows, and hats!

11. You are the most kissable, lovable, cutest baby around and we love you so very much - especially Tanner! He looks for you first thing when he wakes up in the morning and is constantly telling everyone how you are the best sister in the world. I hope it is always this way between you two!

That’s Brynn at eleven months! I can’t believe that you will be one in just a few more weeks!