Leighton :: Eleven Months Old

You guys. My baby's birthday is NEXT MONTH. Not possible, I tell you.

This little miss is such a joy to be around. She is so, so happy all of the time. She gets a tad fussy when it's time for a nap or when she's hangry, but other than that, she's a peach.

EAT | Girlfriend can pound some food. Still the best eater in the house, I swear. She eats anything and everything and has taken after Rufus in that she will still put everything into her mouth. She can't sit still long enough to finish a bottle so I don't think we'll have any issues transitioning to whole milk in a sippy cup in a few weeks. She shoves food into her mouth by the fistful at mealtimes and won't stop eating until we physically remove her from the highchair. You can tell she's an eater because the girl is solid. My back hurts by the end of the day but I love her so.

PLAY | The death trap that is the fireplace is her new favorite hang out. We repeatedly remove her from said death trap 107 times per day but she immediately returns to her perch looking pleased as punch. My favorite was when I had to literally dive headfirst across the room to stop her from diving headfirst onto the hard floor. She's not afraid and she does not care. She will climb and stand and scare mama half to death, smiling the whole time. Same with the stairs - she'll silently walk over and climb the stairs at warp speed. She'll get halfway to the top before we realize she's not in the room.

And yes, she started WALKING! She picked up on it so quickly and is basically a pro these days. She's so proud of herself, too. It's so fun to watch her run after Gracyn as she tries to keep up. We're in for it with these girls, I just know it.

SLEEP | Why it took me so long to realize this, I have no clue, but I know absolutely nothing about babies and sleep. Or toddlers and sleep for that matter, because BOTH of my children refuse to sleep through the night these days. I think I mentioned this last month but ever since we got home from vacation, LL has been waking up a couple of times throughout the night. Usually around midnight and then again at 3 or 4am. She usually needs her pacifier and her lovie and to be rocked for a bit and then it's back to sleep. We might have to try some sleep training tactics again to get her back on track. I think some days she's teething, others maybe she's just waking out of habit. Throw in a crying toddler who wakes up in between needing to go potty or because she wants to sleep in our bed and you've got yo'self a party. Or something. Who knows. Not me, because I know nothing. ;)

This picture of my girls gets me every time. I cannot handle how much they look alike. I've always thought they looked very different. Related, but different. I can see all of their similarities in this picture, though. Same eye shape, nose crinkle, smile. Ugh. I can't even.

Miss Leighton, you are the best. We love you so much. These last 11 months have gone by so quickly. You light up our world ever day and I couldn't imagine life without you.