Carla is 11 months old

Ahhh, late again to blog about Carla's 11th month with us. 

Better late than never....especially since these moments are fleeting and I don't want to forget them.

How on earth she is almost a year old is beyond me. 

                                   

At 11 months, Carla is a professional at free standing. She can do the Chinese squat, pop up to a stand, and go back down to squat like a pro. She also climbs anything, and EVERYTHING. Her consecutive step count is up to four, but it's not happening often enough to make her an "official" walker quite yet. 

Give her a week. Girlfriend is determined. 

                                

She's still a smiling happy baby, often flirting her way through the checkout line at grocery stores. She waves at people, throws arms up with a squeal of excitement and grins ear to ear when someone stops to give her attention. She met Santa this month and was a good sport.

  

                                 

She recently begun drinking cow's milk ( I ran out of formula one morning and said, "screw it, she's almost a year") and so far she's done well. She still has formula for 2/3 of her daily bottles, but I think we are in the clear as far as lactose allergies go. Unbeknownst to me, she also had her first strawberries courtesy of big brother today, and again--looks like we are in the clear. I'm crossing my fingers we can avoid food allergies in this family, because they are no joke for those who do suffer from them. 

One of my favorite things she has started doing is chatting. She says "mama" & "dada" and tries to imitate us on words like, "Nonno" (her grandpa's name) , "dog", "woof", "cat". She also says "yeah" and "howda" which reminds me of the Chinese word "hao" which is the equivalent of "good" or "uh huh" in our language. 

                                    

The only drawback to month eleven has been some sleep regression overnight. Naps are stellar. Two hours in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Bedtime is at 7:00, and she often lays awake chatting (or shrieking) with Sal until well after 8:30. She also wakes once or twice in the middle of the night, but doesn't require us to get her back to sleep. She just lays in her crib fussing a little (and waking her big brother who tells her "go to sweep Cah, the sun is not up"). I'm not sure if she is getting teeth, growing, or just reaching so many milestones at once that she is having trouble staying asleep, but as with anything, this too shall pass. 

Or at least that's what this mama with pregnancy induced insomnia tells myself. 

One more month til she's a whole year old, and three more months til she is a BIG sister. 

Can't wait to celebrate her first birthday with family this year.