11 months old.

Clara turned 11 months old on January 22.  We didn't get her weighed, but her height is now 30 inches, and her head is 18 inches around.  She still takes two good naps a day, and is very crabby if she doesn't get enough sleep.  She longs to be independent in everything...even in putting on her shoes.  She went through a phase this month when she would ONLY eat what she could feed herself.  Eating has been our greatest challenge with Clara.  She loves a variety of foods, but she eats only on her terms.  There's been a whole lot of food throwing going on at our house, and at first I was worried, but after reading up on it, it seems to be somewhat normal.  So there are some meals that are wonderful, and other meals that really shouldn't be called meals at all.  She loves eating o's (Cheerios), and continues to love broccoli and cauliflower.  Some new foods she likes are Brussels sprouts, zucchini, eggs, grapefruit, and oranges.  In fact, tonight she ate an entire mandarin orange on her own. 

Clara is walking independently now.  She can walk across whole rooms and loves her push toy (it no longer causes great frustration for her when she runs into things).  She also discovered her tummy this month, especially in the tub.  When we talk about her tummy, she rubs it and gives it a little massage.  So cute!

She loves to turn lights and the bathroom fan on and off.  She holds her hand up to her ear when the phone rings and leans to one side as if saying "Hello!".  She knows what a puppy says - a gruntlike oooo (as in book), and she knows what a cow says - mmmmmmm.  She repeats the sound ow a lot, and on her own is just a little chatterbox.  She's speaking whole sentences in jibberish and is so fun to listen to!  She also loves when we read her name on the wall above her crib.  Before we leave her room, she holds her hand up and we need to read her name before leaving.  She understands the word no, and shakes her little head when we say it (thank you dog food/water and throwing food for letting us experience "No thank you" on an almost daily basis.  She says mama when she sees me, and says dada when she sees Kurtis, although this only happens every once in a while.  She stopped signing more and all done, the girl is quirky!  And every time she is close to the puppies, she has to lean down and give them kisses.    She also loves taking big swigs of water out of her sippy cup and just throws her head back while she drinks. 

She is no longer out little tiny baby, just a little person now.  Each day brings new discoveries, and Kurtis and I can't help but be amazed at her all the time.  We are constantly talking about how in awe we are of her development.  It is such a treat to see her personality traits shining through at such an early age.  She gets frustrated when things aren't easy for her, she is patient and has a great attention span while reading books, she loves interaction with others and seeks it out always, and she isn't afraid to take risks.  We just adore her!

Here are some recent pics.  We tried a couple time to take pictures for this 11 month posts.  The first time, she was a little sleepy...

 and testy.

 So she took a nap and woke up happy...

 but was too involved in reading books to pay the camera much attention.

 So we tried again, and she hammed it up!

 She bit the windowsill for the camera, just looking for a reaction from me (she looks for a reaction from us all the time!).

 Silly girl!

 She played with my phone.

 She gave this silly face which she gives quite often.  While making this face, she breathes in and out really quickly and always finishes it off with a giggle.

 Good smile!

 And I had to stick this in so I can remember a long time from now those great cheeks of hers!

Happy 11th month sweet Clara!