Zoe: 11 Months

Standing!

We are just a month shy of the one year milestone and I can't believe how quickly it all flew by.  What's new since last month?

Signing has exploded.  Zoe is signing more, milk/nurse, up, eat, water, play, and potty/diaper. I *think* I've seen efforts for sleep, thank you, and brother.  She supplements these signs with her own brand of creative signing (like pointing at my chest or patting her own chest if I'm not responding to the milk sign quickly enough) and a hilariously emphatic nodding of her head.  Signing is amazing.  The constant shrieking I was complaining about last month?  It's all but gone.  She's happier, I'm happier, we are all happier.

The emphatic head nodding is possibly my favorite thing ever.  It seems like it's her way of encouraging us when we are on the right track of guessing what she wants - but it makes her seem like the most agreeable baby in the world.  It doesn't really matter what we say, as long as we say it with a high question inflection - she will nod her little head furiously - trusting, hoping, that we are understanding what she is trying to convey.  "Zoe, do you want me to pick out all your brothers boogers and sprinkle them in these scrambled eggs I'm making for you?" *yesyesyesyesyes* "Zoe, do you think it would be fun to grab your hat, the diaper bag, the stroller and put on my shoes only to decide against a walk and put them all back?" *yesyesyesyesyes* And so on, and so on.  We can play this game for hours.

If she is very absorbed in an object/activity and I let go of her hand she will stand on her own for a decent chunk of time.  The moment she realizes she is standing, though, she will plop down onto her bum.

Sibling Nap with Diaper Pillow.  Classy.

Zoe LOVES to swing.  It elicits uncontrollable giggles - even when it's just her brother in the swing.  She is sharing - or at least offering whatever she has to whomever approaches her.  She mimics whatever her brother does.  She tries to color by tapping crayons on paper.  She points to the pictures in "I Spy" books when her brother is finding the objects.  She flips through books.  Presses buttons on the remote while holding it high.  She makes everything a phone.

More stroller napping

She gets SO excited by the Skype calling noise and is always so happy (and incredulous) to see family or friends on the screen talking to her.  She bounces and bounces the moment the sound starts and then looks to me as thought to say, "Are you seeing this, too?!?!" when someone appears on screen.

On daddy's shoulders

She's sleeping well and eating even better.  She still only has the two bottom teeth but I think I feel some bumps on her bottom gums.  She LOVES to drink water.  I can't drink water around her unless I'm prepared to share.  I can't really consume anything she's not allowed to have.  Leo has always been (and still is) very cool with the "some things just aren't for babies" rule.  Zoe patently rejects this rule.  In her world, everything is for babies.  The end.

Partners in Crime

She loves music and boogies anytime there's a beat.  She can crawl after you quite quickly, but if it becomes apparent that you are deliberately walking away from her and - heaven forbid - into another room, then she will just sit and cry pathetically until you come to collect her.

Soon Leo will be a spec behind her ear in
these lap pictures

She loves being outside.  She loves going for long walks.  She will often fall asleep in the stroller but it is VERY difficult to get her to lie back.  She will grab onto the tray and fall asleep with her head falling forward.  If I try to gently coax her into a recline after she falls asleep she will awaken and cry until I keep pushing the stroller.  I've mostly given up and started carrying a blanket in the diaper bag to wedge under her head.

Licking my water

This weekend we are going to get a bit ahead of ourselves and celebrate her birthday (along with Leo's) with some family and friends in Pittsburgh.  The days are long, but the years are short.  Just as they say.  One more month in this blink of a year - and on to the next.

Sunshine and Grass

Girl Loves Grass

First visit to the Zoo