11 months

Today Lila is 11 months old. Which means almost a year. But I want to enjoy each and every day of month 11. Lila is becoming a toddler so fast.

This month Lila started walking. It is amazing to watch her explore the world and find her independence. At the park a couple of days ago she walked up to a boy and was pointing at and touching the buttons in his shirt. She was telling him something too but i was too far away to hear. A few minutes later she followed him about 30 feet and when she caught up with him she took his cup to drink.

Lila loves to say hi! "hi hi hi!" she waves along with her hi. We took a walk one day and she was waving to cars as they passed. At a four way stop we crossed the street and she kept waving to the old man waiting. Sure enough when he drive by he waved right back at her! This made her very happy!

Lila's signing as really blossomed this month. She signs more, eat, dog, duck, milk, potty... She really takes notice in non verbal communication. Making and mimicking all of our facial expressions too.

A routine happens sometimes.. Here it is waking up 8-9 am play time and books then breakfast of berries and cereal or toast maybe yogurt.. A nap at 10:30-12:30 maybe errands or the park or library... Hopefully an afternoon nap 3 or so. More fun then dinner, Lila eats whatever she can have from mommy and daddy's plate. Then a bath with mommy and bedtime stories (Lila gets daddy to read them to her). Bedtime is between7:30-9:30 depending on the afternoon nap situation that day.

Everyday is something new. And a gift. Everyday with Lila is a gift.

v.48

Today Lila is 48 weeks old. This past weekend Nana and Papa came for a visit. Unfortunately Lila and mommy were both sick. We made the most of their trip and enjoyed the time together. Lila showed them how good she is at walking. She can go anywhere she wants and stand up anytime she wants. She climbed the stairs several times to the top at Aunt Brandy's house on Sunday. This week was warm (80 in February! Yes please) mommy and Lila put on shorts and headed to the park.

A cold front blew in Thursday night and Friday Mommy a and Lila had a day trip planned. On Tuesday Conkey, Lila's great great grandmother passed away, Friday was her funeral. Daddy had to work so the Sheltons picked us up and off we went to Arlington. Lila sat between the unkies for the first hour. She kept them entertained and they tried to do the same for her. Mommy moved to the back seat and Lila took a little snooze. We stopped for a quick lunch and arrived at the funeral home at 2. It was nice seeing Gigi's extended family. We don't get to see them too often, and everyone got to meet Lila.

Conkey looked beautiful. She wore the same dress she had worn to most of her grandchildren's weddings. We looked like a giant pretty german doll. Julie, her oldest granddaughter read a letter to Conkey and a poem she had written. It was so beautiful. We service was outside which was nice. Lila walked all over the grounds during the service but of what I heard the service was nice. If Conkey was looking down from above I am sure she was smiling. Her legacy, her family, and her great great granddaughter toddling around.

v.47

Today Lila is 47 weeks old. Walking and talking. She is growing up so fast! This week it seems new things are happening every minute. Lila is communicating more then ever. He signs eat and dog. I think I see the sign for duck sometimes too. Her vocabulary is growing and she is making so many new sounds. She talks in sentences we just can't understand.

And she understands! Mommy has always talked to Lila like she can understand (because she has been able to!) This week she showed us she knows where her toes and feet are. She looks high and low. She also anticipates the next page of a book and she even points to things in response to a question, "where's the duck?"

This week Lila played catch with daddy for the first time. They threw and rolled and bounced a ball back and forth go each other. The family even played a little money (Lila) in the middle.

She loves looking in the mirror in the play room. She smiles and makes faces at herself. She flips trough books by herself and even has a few favorites to flip through in the mornings.

This week Lila helped mommy plant a few things in the garden. Even though it is February the weather has been fairly nice. Lila loves the grass and the leaves. She really loves leaves. She watches them blow in the wind, and sway on the branches.
Lila loves her daddy so much and was so happy they went on a long walk together one evening. This was the favorite part of Lila's week.

v.46

Today Lila is 46 weeks old. Something huge happened this week. The goal since day one has been achieved! Lila is walking! It started on Subday morning when I set her down in the play room. She stood there so perfectly. So I kneeled a few frets away and asked her to walk to me. She took six steps... Laughing in-between each one... And squatting and standing up after the third. Then six steps again a few minutes later .. Then 9... Then 14 and 14 again. She became a walker just like that. The next day she walked a bit at the library circle then at the play ground. It seems like she can crawl even faster too! Daddy and mommy are so proud of our sweet Lila.
She added a couple of words (that we can understand) to her vocabulary... Yuck (she says about dirty diapers) and ball/ ballon ( they sound alike)
She also starting signing "more" one morning at breakfast. She wanted more toast. She loves when mommy signs the alphabet and moves her hand along. She signs "all done" when she is done with lots of things... The swing... Highchair.. Carseat... Food... And anything else she doesn't want anymore. In the car I will look back and she is signing "all done". Luckily we don't go too far and are not in the car too much!

Gigi's birthday brunch

Something that has happened too this week which I have a feeling has a lot to do with the walking is sleeping. Lila has been napping and going to sleeper much easier and sleeping more sound. Sweet baby. I am writing this now as she is sleeping on me. I hope I can always remember how amazing Lila sleeping on me feels. Like the best feeling in the world.

Licking the spoon

Lila helped mommy bake some yummy muffins. Our friends Sarah and Emmett sent us the recipe! It is so great. No sugar and lots of fruit and veggies. Yummy!

Lila is walking!!

This afternoon Lila took 3 step squatted stood back up and took three more steps. Then took six steps a few minute later. Tonight she took 9 steps in a row.

v.45

Today Lila is 45 weeks old. That seems much older then 44 weeks. And Lila does do much more then she did last week. Really it is so amazing all she can do.
I watch her eyes as she takes in each new page of a book. She flips through them with determination sometimes, looking for her favorite page perhaps. She does has favorite pages of books. And favorite books. One of course, is "I went walking". A new favorite is "the hungry caterpillar" she loves this book. She counts the fruit with her little fingers... She likes the page with all the junk food... And the butterfly at the end always gets a big smile. She also loves these black and white "look" books. And peekaboo baby. It is a flip book and she "finds" all the toys hiding. She loves loves books!
Lila also loves to sing. She repeats sounds back with daddy and mommy. She also sings "ooo ooo ooo" to the beginning of "Its a wonderful world". She has been humming along to her night night song for as long as mommy can remember. She sings along "quack quack quack" with a few duck songs she knows. Momal got Lila a piano for Christmas it has a microphone attached too. Mommy showed Lila how to use it and Lila got the hag of it right away. She sings right into it. In the grocery store Lila and mommy hum to each other. Sometimes we get some weird looks...
Lila has taken many steps by herself this week. Wednesday she took three... Thursday again several different times while she was playing she tool a couple of steps here and there. Friday and today she did the same. She will look and reach and judge how far something is when she is standing... If it is too at down to crawling she goes (with a little sigh..) if is one or two steps away she goes for it!! She also started pushing her walker around the house a little this week. She is quick enough so it won't slip out from under her. She prefers holding Mommys hands and walking, I turn and twit where ever she wants to go . It is so fun!
Today will be a fun fun day for Lila. One of her favorite people is coming over! Unkie Andrew... (update.. She said "Andrew" several times)