Just 1 FAMILY in a big world....: Charlotte: 11 months in this BIG world

(In case you think there is something hanging out of this sweet little girl's nose, you are wrong. It's actually a scab. Yup, our rough and tough little sweetie got her first bloody nose over Labor Day weekend. She was jiving at the windowsill and bumped that little nose just right. A good bit of blood...but she's okay.)

Eleven sounds like such a big number…doesn’t it? And goodness, do I feel so blessed to have enjoyed eleven months (and counting) with Charlotte in this “big world.”

It seems the older Charlotte gets, the busier she becomes. The more curious, the more opinionated, the more rambunctious, and the list goes on. She is certainly a busy bee these days. However, with all of her busyness, it appears my sweet girl is losing her “baby chub.” Remember how chubby she was for the first couple months of her life? She was nearly 9 pounds at birth, after all. I know that was unexpected! But, once my big little baby was in my arms, I simply thought, “looks like we will be buying the next size up in clothes for this sweet baby!” I was soooo wrong! I am still able to squeeze my sweet girl into 9 month size clothing these days. She does wear a lot of 6-12 month stuff as well, but I am noticing a lot of the fall/winter clothes we have for her are more than a little big…at either 12 month or 18 month sizes. Oh goodness me. I should have known! Neither Ben nor I are big people….and it looks like our little girly is following in our footsteps now that she is out and moving about in this big world!

Which by the way, she is not yet walking. But I anticipate her first steps to come very soon. She is quite sturdy as she cruises and/or holds onto our hands to walk. She also likes to push her toys around the house while walking behind them. (SOOOOO fun to watch her do this! I love it!) Not to mention the fact we can’t go ANYWHERE without Charlotte wanting to get down and walk. Ben is anxious for her to get walking on her own. I’m thinking I can wait a little longer. Why? I fear I will be even more exhausted! She’s a fast one, my little lady! (Takes after her Grandpa Larry, he’s a runner!)

And she has great eyes. You think your floors are clean? WRONG! Charlotte will find the tiniest little speck of dust and promptly stick it into her mouth. Yes, EVERYTHING goes in Charlotte’s mouth. The other day I was sitting outside with a friend at Starbucks. Charlotte pulled her usual, “MOMMYLETMEDOWNNOW” act and so I set her on the ground. Charlotte’s hand went straight for this large clump of dog hair and I barely stopped her from sticking that yucky mess into her mouth. We had quite the battle after that trying to keep her entertained with ANYthing else. Yet another reason why I am okay if she waits a little while longer to walk…(once she is walking she will have even more access to stuff to sample in her mouth!).

I can tell Charlotte is quite particular. She is a pretty good eater- for mommy. And sometimes Daddy if he gets her at the right moment and with the right food. But for most anyone else, Charlotte refuses her food. (I can’t help but wonder sometimes if Ben and I will ever be able to get away for a night while Charlotte is under the age of one?) Charlotte loves squeeze pouch foods, cheese, bread, pancakes, yogurt, fruits and cheerios. She is NOT a fan of meat.

Charlotte is still holding tight to her thumb sucking. Just her right thumb; however. Her left hand is for holding hands. Which, by the way, is probably at the top of Charlotte’s favorite things to do list. She loves to hold hands with most anyone who will take her sweet little extended fingers into their own. It’s quite sweet.

Sleep is much better these days, though sometimes still a battle. Charlotte still wakes every morning between 3:30-5am and wants to nurse. So far I have kept up with going in. Mainly because I am exhausted and I know I won’t sleep if she is crying…and I know she will stop crying if I go nurse her. We keep saying we will cut this, but it has yet to happen. Maybe this month.

Nap times are pretty solid. She takes two good naps a day…but sometimes gives mommy a fight when mommy won’t stand by her bed and hold her hand until she grunts herself to sleep.

Charlotte is not using many words yet. She babbles like mad and really lets mommy have it in babbling language when she doesn’t get her way. But as for words? Not so much. I believe she knows “mommy” and “daddy,” “hi” and “bye,” but she isn’t actually saying these words on a regular basis. I’ve been working with her and pointing things out, saying names, etc. So hopefully her language will pick up. I am sure it will be like a light switch for her one day and she will be talking in no time.

Charlotte loves other babies. We have a few friends with smaller babies than Charlotte and Charlotte becomes VERY animated at the site of them. It is hilarious. BUT…in keeping with Charlotte style, she has me on the alert when babies are around. I have to hold Charlotte back from mauling the precious babes!

I am sure this next month will be filled with many more exciting milestones as Charlotte nears her one year birthday. There are times when I can hardly believe it’s already been a year…and other times when I can’t imagine what life was like pre-Charlotte. I love my days at home with Charlotte. They are beautiful and precious and I hold them close to my heart. I am so thankful God has chosen me as Charlotte’s mommy. I look forward to this awesome role as I shepherd her heart and see who God has designed her to be…

PS) Here are the photos from the 11 month "photo shoot" I did with Charlotte. Man, it was like pulling teeth to get these! She was not a fan of sitting still. So we propped her up at that mean ol' window sill to get a few. It did the trick. Apparently she holds no grudge to the sill that bloodied her nose.