Eleven Months!?

I have to say, this post is kind of hard to write.  It's the last "month" post before Layla turns one!  I absolutely cannot believe how fast time has passed.  I feel like we just brought her home from the hospital, but at the same time, I can't remember her ever being a newborn!  I held a two month old little girl the other day and couldn't believe that Layla was ever that small.  I also took a look through our video camera and watched the videos from earlier this year.  She was so little!  Her round pudgy baby face, no hair, little baby squeaks - she has changed so much!  It made me sad, but at the same time, we have more and more fun with her the older she gets so I know we have wonderful times to come.

Layla, at eleven months you are one bundle of energy.  You aren't walking on your own yet but are getting pretty good with the walker, and you cruise along furniture like a champ.  The other moms at the Little Gym ask me if I ever get a chance to sit down, and the answer is no!  You are constantly on the go and don't like to sit still at all.  One of the advantages of all of that activity is that you are sleeping from 7:30 to 7:30!  It's so great to get some uninterrupted sleep, and you wake up in such a happy mood after a good night's rest.

We've had to do some major childproofing in the house.  We have a baby gate up in the hallway to the kitchen, which you don't like at all.  You stand at the gate and rattle the bars like you're in jail - something your daddy apparently did as a baby as well.  You reach for anything you can get your hands on, so there is a lot of redirecting going on. No major disasters yet!

You really won't take baby food at all anymore.  I can maybe get half a jar of veggies or a whole jar of fruit in you before you start whining for big people food.  For breakfast, you eat oatmeal with baby food fruit mixed in and usually some cut up fruit like strawberries.  For lunch, it's a fruit, a veggie, and some of whatever I'm eating, plus some Puffs or Yogurt Melts.  You have a snack of yogurt or some blueberry whole grain bread in the afternoon, and dinner is a veggie plus whatever we're eating  Your favorite food right now is mandarin oranges - you can't get enough!  And when you eat a fruit cup, you eat all the cherries first before moving on to anything else - totally understandable, those are the best part!  You only drink water and formula at this point, and will only take water from a Nuk sippy cup.  You are totally a Nuk baby -  they are the only bottles or pacifiers you will take as well.  Thank goodness for Nuk!

You are still jabbering quite a bit and try to imitate what we say.  You still only really say "mama", "dada", and "da" (dog) consistently on your own, but if we try to get you to say other words, you'll do your best.  I'm working on "ball" and "bye-bye" with you right now.  You still like to wave and dance, and have recently learned to shake your head no!  It started with imitating us, but now you'll do it in your high chair when you're all done, or when I'm changing your diaper, or even sometimes when I'm trying to put you down for a nap.  You certainly make your opinion known one way or the other!  You've also started clapping, which is too cute.

You give sweet hugs and open-mouth kisses and are an affectionate, sociable little baby.  You have smiles for everyone (except the camera).  We are so proud of our perfect baby girl.  I can't believe you are turning a year next month.  I'm happy and sad at the same time, but every day with you is better and better so I can't be too upset about it! 

Here is a video instead of pictures for this month.  This is from a couple of days ago, right after Layla woke up.  Sorry for the quality and shakiness, it's from my phone:

Next month there will be a birthday party post!!

Graduation!

Layla completed her first semester at the Little Gym last week!  They had a "graduation" for the babies, and family members and friends were invited to come see all of the new skills that everyone learned in class.  Nick was able to come to class with us, which Layla LOVED, of course.  Miss Alli asked the daddies to be the ones to actually participate in the class, since we do it all the time.  So Nick had his first experience with the baby stretches, songs, and activities that we do every week.  It was pretty funny watching all the dads looking around with these "what on earth are we doing" faces, but I know Layla really enjoyed playing with Nick in the gym.

I loved these classes and we'll definitely be continuing them this summer.  I learned a lot of things to do with Layla at home to strengthen those little muscles and get her to those milestones.  I really think this class helped her develop not only her motor skills, but her social skills as well.  She loves the other babies and it's so fun to see them all crawl towards each other and play.  I think it helped with stranger anxiety too!  She's gotten to know the other moms and teachers there, and is comfortable with others holding her or introducing her to something new without me being right there, which is great.  It's a really fun place and I'm so happy that I'm able to take her!

Here are some pictures from the graduation class:

Three Years!

Nick and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary on May 31st!  It feels like no time at all has passed since we got married, yet so much has happened.  In the last 3 1/2 years we started dating, got engaged, got married, got another dog, bought a house, had a baby, and both changed jobs.  Crazy!  But they have been the best years of my life.  I could not ask for a more perfect husband.  Nick is everything I could have ever hoped for in a partner, and I am so blessed to experience all of these wonderful moments with him. 

We had a very small wedding - immediate family only - at one of the wedding venue gardens at the Moody Gardens Hotel.  It was exactly what I wanted - small, casual, no stress, just our families enjoying the beautiful weather and each other.  Before the ceremony, the girls spent the day at the hotel spa while the guys did whatever guys do.  Then we headed over to the room where I changed into my dress, and we all chatted and snacked until it was time.

We were actually married by Nick's youth minister from his home town, which was another special part of the ceremony.  Everything was very intimate and family oriented.  I walked down the aisle to "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" played on an acoustic guitar by another one of Nick's church members, and we exchanged vows under a tree, by the ocean, surrounded by flowers while our family watched.  The weather was so nice, and the water was actually blue!

After the ceremony, we took pictures, then it was off to celebrate.  We had one of the private dining rooms at the hotel with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the gardens and bay.  We sat down to a delicious multi-course dinner (lobster ravioli was my favorite) and ended the meal with slices of our strawberry and cream cheese wedding cake - so good!

It was a wonderful day and the start to the best life I could ask for.  Every day is better and better with Nick, and I really do thank God every single day for him and the life that we have together.  We'll see what happens next!