The Slagh's: An extraordinary 11 months...

There is no other way to describe it! Taylor is 11 months old today, and at this stage, I often think about what we were feeling a year ago when we were getting so close to the end of the pregnancy - excited and anxious to meet the newest member of our family! Sometimes I forget what it was like before we were pregnant with Taylor because she has added so much to our lives, and changed both Ryan and I in ways that I never expected. I LOVE seeing how Ryan interacts with his little girl. She loves him SO much. When Ryan gets home from work, as soon as he opens the door, Taylor gets the biggest grin on her face. It is priceless, and one of my favorite parts of each day. He is so caring with Taylor, and loves to show her off - a proud daddy!! I find myself trying to embrace each of these moments with Taylor, and hope that I can hold onto these memories of how Taylor is right now. At 11 months she definitely recognizes people that are familiar to her, and even though it is hard to deal with the separation anxiety sometimes, there is a part of me that loves that she WANTS to be with Ryan and I. :-)

Taylor - here is a glimpse of you at 11 months... :-)

* Wearing 12-18 month clothing and size 3 diapers

* With the exception of last night, you have been sleeping through the night - 7pm to 7am - every single night for the past month! Yay! (I think a cold is to blame for last nights wakings, and I didn't really mind the snuggle time as you fell asleep pretty quickly with me in the rocking chair with your little hands holding onto mine)

* Your morning naps are around 45 minutes to an hour, and you go down between 9 and 10. Your afternoon naps are longer - up to 2 1/2 hrs - that start between 1:30-2:00. You still love your pacifier at naps and at bedtime, as well as snuggling your face in your little green and brown taggie blanket. You can be heard chattering for almost a half hour before falling asleep at times, and if I peek into your crib later, you will be laying in a contorted position, with a leg or arm through the slats of the crib, in a deep, peaceful sleep

* Waving all the time! You love waving to people, with one hand or both at the same time

* You have become our little imitator - if we laugh, you laugh, if we blow raspberries, you blow raspberries, if we wave, you wave... you will also say "uh oh" just like us!

* You do really well with playing independently - thanks in part to all the fun toys that have lights, sound, music and moving parts that you got for Christmas - but also have plenty of moments where you just want to be by mom and dad

* You still LOVE having stories read to you, and like to be the one to turn the pages. We often will catch you just looking at books by yourself - making little noises and chattering as you turn the pages

* One of my favorite faces you make is when you are excited by something and say "oooohhh", with your little mouth in the shape of an 'o'

* You love to munch on a slice of apple, breaking off little pieces at a time. Also, you still love puffs, any kind of fruit, and one baby food vegetable that you always eat well is carrots. You also really enjoy your sippy cup and will happily sit for a while, sucking on it and chewing the little spout

* You have your second tooth breaking through on the bottom - slowly but surely, they are coming in!

* We are hoping to get you a convertible car seat soon, and hope that maybe helps you enjoy the car a bit more

*You used to be curious about the vacuum when I would clean, but are now scared of it, and I have to hold you WHILE I vacuum, making the chore quite a workout!

* You are going to be ONE YEAR OLD in one short month, and I cannot believe it.

Pictures, pictures, pictures!!

5 month picture (comparing what she looked like just a mere 6 months ago!)