Letter to my 11 month old

Dear Amelia,

Another month is gone, we are another month closer to your 1st birthday. I can't help but think of your birthday as the end of babyhood, so I have been soaking up every little bit I can during these last couple months. And the little bits of baby-ness are harder to find these days. You are so active and smart. You are constantly on the move, doing things on your own and trying new things. Each day you challenge me with something new you can get into, and surprise me with something new you have learned. This month:

• You gave up baby food. Completely. The pureed food out of a jar and tasteless cereal simply will no longer cut it. You like to feed yourself and will try just about anything. Some of your favorites these days are bananas, peas and carrots, avacados, peaches and vienna sausages (even though they gross me out. You can thank Grams for that one.)
• You run everywhere. Evidently walking was not fast enough for you. Although now you are a bit over confident in your running abilites and tend to fall more than you used to. You have had your fair share of bumps and bruises this month.
• You can say mama, dada, dog, bye-bye, what's that, duck, and your new word is Moooooo. That's what you say when we ask you what a cow says.
• You sleep from 8 pm to 6 am.
• You got another tooth. (bottom left, next to the centers). This makes a total of 5.
• You love to give hugs and kisses. To the dogs, to your toys, to your books, anything that needs a kiss. However you will not kiss on demand, it has to be your idea. But when you run over and give me a hug and kiss at the end of a long day, my heart melts every time.
• You went swimming for the first time. Temperatures have been crazy hot, so the kiddie pool was a perfect way to cool down.
• You love to read. You like to pick out a book from your big stack and bring it to me. You listen and watch me read, but you like to be the one to turn the pages.

The days of rocking to sleep and cuddling are getting fewer. The baby-ness is ending. You are an independent, spirited little girl and love to do things on your own. You are almost officially a toddler. So, for this last month of your first year, I am going to hold you tight, drop everything anytime you want to cuddle and savor every last day of your babyhood. All my love to you, my sweet sweet baby girl, my soon to be toddler.