For the Grandparents - It's Millie Time

And so the countdown to Numero Uno begins. We are less than 30 days away from the last time I ate decent Thai food which ultimately led to our first meeting with Miss Millie! The build-up to this milestone has been quick and adventurous. The main event of month eleven has Millie showing off her walking skills to everyone! Usually she would be like "see what I can do?" and then after a few steps get down on all fours and crawl her way to her destination since that was faster. But in the last few days, she has been opting for the walking and doing just fine. Thankfully, she has learned to bend at the waist when she falls back and put her hands out when she falls forward. Plus, she is getting all kinds of balance its almost like we can put her on a treadmill until it's time for a nap! And in honor of completing eleven months of life, she got two more teeth bringing the grand total up to 4.

Her attention span seems to be increasing as there is less hoping from one toy to another. She is more interested in hearing the story in each book rather than grabbing at the book and throwing it on the ground. There is more recognition of things and people and a fascination with other humans under 3 ft tall. Lucky for us, a new family with an 8 month old boy moved in upstairs so she has a play mate at almost any time of day. And we've been going to play groups more frequently as well. Millie is usually happy to just sit and watch, but lately she's been taking part (read: pulling other kids hair). And we have also ventured on to a trampoline which Mama and Millie BOTH enjoy!

Her palette is finally expanding slightly and we're managing quesadillas, chicken, mac and cheese and pumpkin pancakes quite well. Daddy cooks oatmeal for the whole family every morning so we are eating breakfast together as well. But you never know what she will be in the mood for, and sometimes all your hard work ends up squished between her fingers and artfully smeared in the hair. She is not using a spoon yet on her own (is she supposed to be?) mostly because Mama is just loathing the clean-up after every meal. Any suggestions for moving towards this milestone would be greatly appreciated!

Sometimes it feels like the changes are happening so quickly I can't keep up. Whenever I notice something, I wish I could jot it down so as to relay to all of you loyal readers. But a walking baby is rarely to be left alone! You might have been thinking lately, where are all the pictures?? Well, consider it a paradox if you will, but Millie is such a ham for the camera that it is hard to snap pictures of her a) candidly and b) without her grabbing for it. But I leave you with a few pictures that we were able to slip in. Hope you enjoy!