11 Months

11 months and still in awe at how fast time seems to pass. As we near the end of Charlotte's first year, I'm finding that I'm much more emotional the second time around. Maybe because I know the bedtime snuggles don't last forever. Maybe because I know just how fast the chubby cheeks seem to fade. Maybe because there's just something about babies that makes me smile. Whatever the reason may be, I'm not ready. I want to hold on to her sweetness and wonder just a little longer...
Charlotte has been busy this last month. At eleven months, Charlotte:

• is officially WALKING!! She started taking a few steps a couple of weeks ago and is now walking all over the place. It is amazing how fast it happened!
• is trying hard to communicate. She is pointing at everything and gets quite upset when you don't respond to her cues.
• is still a pretty good eater. Breakfast is definitely her favorite meal of the day, but she does okay with lunch and dinner as well.
• finally has her top two teeth. It took forever for them to break the surface, but they are finally in!
• is getting ear tubes in a few weeks. We took her to an ENT a few weeks ago and decided to go ahead with the surgery. Her ears haven't been clear since January, so we decided it was for the best.
• is still not sure about books. She looks at about 2 pages before trying to either rip it apart or eat it. Lets just say that we have some work to do in the reading department.
• loves being outside. She loves exploring in the grass, swinging at the park and playing around the water table in the backyard.
• still takes 2 naps. She definitely takes better naps at school than at home. I think it's because she doesn't want to miss out on anything.
• plays really well independently...much better than I remember Claire doing at this age. I think some of it has to do with being the second child.

We love you, Charlotte! And while we will miss your baby days, we can't wait to watch your personality evolve! Happy 11 Months!

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Claire LOVES art projects. We painted birdhouses on Friday morning and she had so much fun. I think she used about 20 different paintbrushes (basically every one we own) by the time she was done. She enjoyed mixing the different colors together and did a great job painting the actual birdhouse. Once her birdhouse was complete, she also enjoyed painting herself. :)

A Few More Cabin Favorites

Here are a few more pictures from the cabin weekend. As you can see, the kids were very busy. No wonder Claire was so exhausted on Sunday night!
Art has been super busy at work, so it has been a long week for both of us...let the weekend begin!

Chocolate

Claire was struggling with a bit of constipation last night. She kept telling me that she had a tummy ache and that her teachers at school gave her some chocolate to make it feel better. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: You had chocolate at school today? Was it someone's birthday?
Claire: No, Mommy. They gave me chocolate for my tummy.
Me: Are you sure?
Claire: Yes, I had chocolate because my tummy hurt.
Me: Ummm...okay (doubtingly)

Fast forward to this morning when I dropped her off at school...one of her teachers asked me if she ever went to the bathroom last night and said she was struggling to go yesterday afternoon. She further explained that they had given her baby food prunes to try to help her digestive system. Apparently, Claire thought the prunes looked and tasted just like chocolate and ate them right up! I can't tell you the last time I ate a prune, but I definitely don't remember it tasting like chocolate...

Weekend at the Cabin

We headed up to my sister and her husband's cabin over the weekend. This is our 4th annual trip and we had a great time. The girls did amazingly well on the 3 hour car ride both there and back (we didn't have to stop either way). While the weather could have been a touch warmer, at least the rain stayed away.
Claire had an amazing time with her cousins Ella and Austin. She loved following them around and trying to keep up with them. Both of them were super sweet to her. It was so fun to watch them interact. While Charlotte is still a little young to enjoy all the cabin amenities, she did enjoy several stroller rides and exploring the grass and sand. She also worked on her walking skills and is now taking 5-10 steps at a time! She fun to watch!
Here's a few pictures from our weekend. I took a ton, so chances are that there may be a few more posts on the cabin weekend.

Daddy's Girls

There is nothing better than watching Art interact with the girls. One of my favorite times of the day is when Art gets home from work. In part because I am usually trying to juggle making dinner while entertaining 2 tired and hungry kids...but mainly because Claire and Charlotte's faces light up as they welcome him home. They love their daddy.

Yum...

One of Claire's favorite foods is yogurt. She has it most mornings for breakfast and would probably eat it at every meal if we let her. Here are a few photos from the other morning when she was hamming it up for the camera.

Memorial Weekend

Catching up from last weekend. Here are a few pictures.

Swimsuits

Corn on the CobCooling Off Inside