Monthly Newsletter — Month 11

Mouth full of teeth — that's FOUR molars she's got in there., originally uploaded by JenSig.

Dear Isla,

Today you are 11 months old, and are just so full of delightful energy and curiosity, sometimes I feel full to bursting.

You are completely and fully mobile now, and alternately crawl and "walk" around the room, reaching for things you know you aren't supposed to have and smiling impishly at me in the process. Now you know when you aren't supposed to have something, and you try and get away from me when you see me coming, crawling as fast as your butt can wiggle and squealing with delight at the thrill of the chase.

There always seems to be a constant stream of jibber jabber pouring from your mouth, these days, too... "Mama" is really the only discernible word you say with any clarity, but that's not to say that it is by any means the ONLY thing you say — we just don't know what else you are telling us, but you certainly say what you have to say emphatically and with great gusto. What's funny is, your words do have inflection, so it sounds like you are just speaking your own special baby language. Just this morning you were in my bed with me for a little bit after you got up, and you were playing with the remote control that operates our ceiling fan; it has tons of buttons on it, and makes the light go on and off, so you were having a great time playing with it. Finally, you held it up to your ear like a telephone and started chattering away! I nearly died of the cuteness of that moment.

A few weeks ago you developed a runny nose, and it remained for three solid weeks... and at the end of those three weeks you had three new molars to show for it! You now have nearly a full set of chompers, and you love to eat more than just about anything else in the world.

Owen and Edie still get a kick out all the new things you are constantly doing, and you remain their biggest fan. Every morning when it's time to wake Edie up for school, I grab you from the crib and yell, "Dog pile on Edie!" and then I swoop you across the room to plop you on top of your sister, who always pretends to still be sleeping, but the little smile on her face gives her away. And you almost always bend over to plant a big, wet kiss on Edie's face, chattering away your very own version of "good morning" in Isla-language.

It's hard for me to believe you are going to be one year old in a month... I keep looking at all three of you and marveling at how big and grown up Owen and Edie are getting, and realizing that I'm not quite ready.... that maybe you were a special gift to me for that very reason. And each night when I go to check on you in your crib before I go to bed, I press a kiss to your forehead and whisper softly in your ear, "Don't grow up... don't grow up."

I know it's inevitable, of course... but that doesn't keep me from still wishing for it, all the same.

I love you, sweet baby girl...
Love, Mama