Eleven Months of Eloise

My Golden Girl,

You truly are golden. You can’t exactly talk yet, but I can already tell from your expressions that you have some funny sayings in that brain of yours. I’m so excited to have conversations with you, to sit at the table over a cheesecake and coffee and just hear how you’re doing. I’m thankful to have a built-in best friend like you. You can be the Dorothy to my Sophia.

Growth:

You can blow kisses, wave goodbye and hello, shake, clap, give hugs, and dance. You can climb up Sully’s learning tower steps, and you know what we mean when we say “foot down.” You copy our tone and smile and obey about half of the time. We can sing “if you’re” and you know it’s “if you’re happy and you know it” by clapping your hands, and you love the library “bread and butter” song because you can pat your legs.

We officially retired the last of your 9 month clothes. 12 months are a little long but fit the best so far. Your jammies are the kind without the cute little footed part because you walked so early.

You are a full time walker which is nuts! You can keep up pretty well! My favorite thing you do is pivot in a full circle with one leg to change directions and you also walk with your hands by your side which makes you look like you’re being bashful. I love how independent you are with walking; you just do your own thing and let us know when you need something. I miss the snuggles but love watching you do your thing.

Milk/Food:

You are 8 foods shy of trying 100 new foods! You LOVE meal time and eat pretty much everything. I really thought you would be dropping more bottles by now but you do a hefty mix of milk and food, so we keep offering both.

Sleep:

You take 2 naps a day, and they are pretty consistent on days we are home. It gets a little off if we are out and about when you are asleep, but it always evens out. You still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night but thankfully they are not often. We don't let your sleep really dictate our schedule in the day time. For the most part, we are almost always home for at least one of your naps, so we just load you up and do whatever we need to for the day. It's nice to have that flexibility and for it not to affect you.

Likes:

Playing chase

Climbing anything

Banging two things together that make a fun noise

Putting literally everything in your mouth

Playing in the dirt

Dislikes:

Cantaloupe

Having anything taken out of your mouth

Favorite Moments:

The beach: We took you and Sully to the beach for the first time for our first family vacation, and it was dreamy! We all had colds, but even still, it was a magical trip. Sully and you both loved digging in the sand and all of the snacks. Sully loved the water, but you weren’t quite so sure. You slept great while there too which was a bonus. We were able to go to a restaurant and a few stops out and about, and you loved those! It was, by far, the simplest, sweetest time we've all had as a family so far. The trip was easier than we could have hoped for, and it's made your dad and I start to plan other places to take y'all.

Days Upstairs and Outside: you and Sully play pretty well together now, and I love to watch it. The Nugget in the playroom and in the dirt by the shed are yalls favorite places. I love watching you play in the sand or climbing the Nugget. Sully is enjoying getting to play with you a bit more. You both play so differently but still together. You are bolder and move more while Sully is more cautious and imaginative. I think the combo of you two have some wonderful memories to make.