11 months old

Dear Veda,

Today your are 11 months old! I truly don't know where the last couple of months have gone.. it's been a whirlwind! You've been taking it all in stride though. Lately you seem a bit less like a baby and more and more like a toddler. You have a happy soul- always smiling and laughing. You are a sweet girl and I'm proud to be your mama..

* You have started walking! Your dad and I joked about when exactly to count the "first step" as you've been experimenting and taking steps here and there for a while, especially when prompted. But a few days ago, you walked across the room- about 6 steps all on your own. It's unbelievable to see someone so tiny wobbling around, with a huge proud grin on your face.

* You point at everything and say "tat" or "dido", especially lights, pictures and birds. In fact, you are becoming a bit of a chatterbox!

* You have become a world class hugger. You could end wars with the love that's in those tiny little arms of yours.

* You've started to put things together rather than just take them apart, though you still enjoy doing that as well ; )

* You've become a master of going up the stairs- though you haven't quite figured out yet how to go down. You're about to get a lot of practice once we move into our new house!

* Your food preferences have changed recently.. you're still wild about fruit, especially berries. You seem to have lost your taste for avocados (hoping you just got burnt out and will come back to them). You still love yogurt, fish and pasta. We can also add kale, yams and almond butter on toast to the mix.

* For some reason lately, you are waking up at 5:30-6:00 again. Really hoping this one is just a phase. Please. Mama needs more sleep!

Part of what makes leaving our Brooklyn apartment so difficult is that the first 11 months of your life were lived here. This has been all you've known of home. I will cherish those memories and probably miss a lot about having the 3 of us together in such a small, cozy space. But there are new memories to be made. As of tomorrow, we will be making them in our new house. I'm so excited for all of the new rooms (indoor and out!) for you to explore and play in. Your last month of your first year is going to be a big adventure!!

xoxo mama