Happy 11-Month Birthday!

Belle turned 11 months old on Monday. Unfortunately she has been under the weather for the last week or so, and getting a picture of her happy has been a little challenging. Today we finally got a picture with the help of a shiny patent leather shoe. I mean what girl doesn't feel better when holding a pretty shoe?

We cannot believe that Belle will be a year old next month. Time has flown by and she is changing before our eyes every day. This month she has become very verbal. She is like our little parrot that tries to repeat everything. The minute the garage door opens with Mark getting home from work she says "dada". She can say "Hi" but only does so if she holds her hand or an object up to her ear. She says "mama" when she is upset or frustrated about something. Her favorite things to repeat are "ooooo ahhhhh", "ho ho ho", and "woof". Of course none of these sound like the way we say them!

During playtime you can catch her singing to herself and dancing to the songs her toys make. Her favorite foods are cheese and any fruit. She is pretty much on all finger foods. She still only has two teeth, but there are four on their way. She wears mostly 3-6 month clothes and a couple of 6-12 month sizes. We are still in a size 3 diaper and will probably be here for awhile. She cruises now with one hand, and every now and then lets go and stands for a few seconds. I am sure I will think of 10 more things when I finish this post, but I will spare you all.

We took Belle to see Santa and she went from happy to scared in about 2 seconds. I love that we have the classic screaming with Santa picture!


We are looking forward to this month with Belle's first Christmas and preparing for her birthday party. I have been planning for quite some time and I look forward to seeing the finished product. Please be praying that Belle can kick this nasty cold in time for Christmas. At this point that is all I want for Christmas!