11 months old!!

In a little less than 3 weeks our sweet baby will turn one - the birds are chirping, the wind is calm, the earth is quiet, and...wait, just kidding. WE-HAVE-AN-11-MONTH-OLD. The birds are chirping? No, Bella is singing LOUDLY! The wind is calm? Maybe, but Bella is ALWAYS on the move. The earth is quiet? We now have a talking-squawking-squealing-making-every-sound-she-can-think-of little gal. And, if I do say so myself...she is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E. She is a champ at pulling up on everything and is getting quick at walking around the coffee table or the chairs or the kitchen cabinets. She also learned how to open them - so her daddy quickly baby-proofed the cabinets before she could figure them all out.

Look at those eyes! I like to climb on daddy these days...Hey mom, why are you laughing so hard? Sweet daddy's girl.Here are some other firsts for the month:
1. She stood up and LET GO! We were hanging out at the Bradster's house enjoying grilled dove (ok, they were...not me) when Bella scooted to me, stood up and hung onto my shoulders for support, looked at me and then let go and stood there all on her own. What did this momma do? All I could think of was "grab the camera" but I froze as we both looked at eachother and smiled. Those memories are captured in my head and heart so who needs cameras! (I know at this point the grandparents are saying "We need cameras").
2. She is making "puppy-dog" sounds. Along with her numerous sounds she is making now we'll hear her yelp and squeal like a little puppy dog.
3. I think she is learning "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands". I'll sing that and she'll actually clap back. Smart? Yes! Clap all the time? Well, maybe...
4. I think she's beginning to dance. We'll sing and she'll bounce in her cute belly-hanging-over-her-diaper self.
5. And, she continues to just be super duper cute. I know i've said it before but I had no idea how much I would love being a mom!

Here are her monthly giraffe pictures in her diaper-cuteness. (Yes, it was hard to get her sitting down or being still.)

Hugging the giraffe!

Look dad...I can stand up on this now!
Cutie-pie! (Don't you love the 'hair-sprout'! Grandma's...that's for you!)
Cutie-pie again!
When all else fails...kiss the mirror!