The HALLway: Life. Love. Simply Creative: Charli Adele: 11 month Update:

11 months already?? Holy Moly!

Happy 11 months to our sweet little girl. I cannot believe she is almost a year old... This year is going by way too fast, and I'm sure every year from here on out, we will say the same thing. This month was the best and worst month wrapped into one, that's for sure. The worst part was the fact that Daddy left on Charli's 10 month birthday, and didn't get back to us until Tuesday (the day before her 11 month birthday). Him being away from her for an entire month was the hardest thing, and he has already noticed SO many changes with our little girl since he has been home. The best part of this month was that she got to see her Nana and Papa, and Uncle Darren every single day, she got to see her Uncle Amia almost every day, and she has learned SO many new things. We definitely have our rough days (especially since we are in this transition stage of homes, and as much as she is on a schedule, it is not the same routine as being at our own home), but those days are few and far between, and she is pure joy and brings so much laughter and love into our lives!

Some "firsts" this month have been new words, new foods, leaving her overnight last night for the very first time, so mommy and daddy could have a date night, and her first booboo's... She scrapped her toes in the pool, scrapped her pinky finger, and burnt her thumb all within the same week :( poor thing... but none of it seemed to bother her at all and everything healed up very quickly. She also got her very first bruise on her forehead the other day. We were playing and she bonked her head on mommy's knee :(, but by the very next morning it was already gone! (I guess this is just a glimpse of what is to come with our baby girl getting older)! Oh and she will officially be out of her infant car seat as of today :(... Mommy and Daddy bought her a big girl convertible car seat today... (I may or may not have shed a tear as we took our baby girl out of the very car seat we brought her home from the hospital in, for the very last time) :(

I have also been on full First Birthday Party preparation mode this month! It is so bittersweet, because as much as I enjoy crafting, decorating, and getting things together for her party, I don't want her to grow up, and am in complete denial that she will be 1 next month.

Charli's Stats:

*23-24 LBS and 31 1/2 INCHES (just by our own measurements. Next Doctor's visit will be her 1 year checkup)

*Clothes: Still in some 9 months (even some 6 month onesies I noticed the other day... haha), but the majority of her stuff is 12 months, and we have slowly started to purchase 18 months

*Diapers: Still in size 3 (pampers swaddlers)

*Sleep: Still a great sleeper (even though sleeping in the same room with her for the past month has not given mommy a good night sleep since we have been here because I hear her every breath and move!). She is still on 2 naps a day- 9am and 1:30pm (her naps recently have been close to 2 hours). We have pushed bedtime back a bit, we still have dinner at 5:30/6pm, but instead of going straight to nakey crawl time before bath, we let her crawl and play until 7pm, then bath and bed (so she is asleep around 7:30/7:45pm most nights)

*Something new she has done since we have been here, is really taken to one of her "lovey's" that she sleeps with... it's her Bettie the Bunny (bunny thumbie). Ever since Steven left, I noticed she is always holding on to Bettie when she sleeps, she looks for it and grabs it while I am picking her up out of bed in the morning, and she normally wants to hold it while she nurses to sleep. (I love it!!!!)

*Teeth: 8 (4 top, 4 bottom), but I'm pretty sure she is on the verge again to getting more teeth... we'll see!

*Food: This month has been all about new things with food. We have been very slow with introducing new things to her, and have kept her on a very clean diet so far, but I think with having more people in the house she has taken notice to EVERYTHING we are eating... She has never cared up until now, and now she wants everything we are eating and will fuss until we give her some (I will say it is pretty darn adorable when she is eating something new... her eyes get big and she is chomping her mouth, saying "mmmmm....mmmmm....mmmmm" haha!). She still loves her avocados, grapes, watermelon, yams, bananas, puffs, veggie sticks, and crackers, but loves pasta, spaghetti, chili cheese mac, waffles, chicken, hamburger, baked potatoes. She also had her first taste of yummy vanilla ice cream (mommy's favorite), and I'm pretty sure she thought it was the best thing ever!

*She is still sharing everything... especially to all of the dogs... She loves taking a bite of her food and then sharing it with the dogs... (the dogs aren't complaining!)

*Charli is talking so much these days and is full of all sorts of words! I absolutely love hearing her talk! some new words she has learned since we have been back in Florida are, Nana, Up, Bubbles ("Buboo's" is what she says), Bogey ("BoBo"), Butterfly ("BuBu"- which by the way she is fascinated with all of the butterflies in my parents yard!), DJ ("Eee A"- this is one of my parents dogs), she knows what a doggy says... "uuff", and what a cow says... "mmmmmmoo" (more emphasis on the "mmmmm" than the "mooooo"!)

*She is learning where her tummy is, and will rub it!

*She LOVES music and loves dancing to it

*She LOVES being with all of the doggies here! (my parents have 2 dogs too), so we have lots going on with the fur children, and Charli chases them and crawls all over them, (my parents chocolate lab, Koda, in particular)

*So remember how last month I said she didn't have any interest in walking? Yeah, that definitely changed!! She is pulling herself up on to everything and standing, and even tries to stand up all by herself without holding on to anything (can sometimes hold it for a few seconds), and she wants to walk all through the house holding on to our fingers

No chair and no pillow for her 11 month pictures... But I think Nana and Papa's backyard will do! :)