Dear Savannah,

Today you are 11 months old. I can’t believe you are almost a year old! I know I say this every month, but you are getting so grown-up!

I forgot to mention this in last month’s letter, but you have two teeth now! They came in with nary a fuss. It makes sticking my fingers in your mouth a little more painful, though! But your teeth help you enjoy lots of tasty things. You don’t care for the pureed foods, so I have been giving you soft fruits, vegetables, and other snacky foods. You love bananas and also avocados. You also enjoy goldfish and cheerios. I gave you yogurt the other day, and you immediately spit it out. Your favorite, though, is Mommy’s milk.

You continue to reach really far for your toys, but you haven’t started crawling yet. You still absolutely hate your tummy, so you don’t spend much time there. You are content to just sit happily and play with whatever is around you. The doctor wants us to take you to physical therapy, and I’m not sure yet if we will. I want to let you grow and develop in your own time, but I also know a little encouragement might be good for you!

This month you had not one, but two emergency room visits. :-( The first one was really scary – I am SO glad you’re okay! You screamed for so long, while they were taking x-rays and doing the procedure. It was heartbreaking to see you all alone on the little bed with wires attached. The second was less scary, but still a long night. I am so glad you’re okay and healing nicely! I want you around for a long time!

One thing I’ve noticed recently is how much you love to dance! You like dancing in church when we sing, and you also dance whenever you hear music – even if it’s just a theme song for a tv show! It’s so cute, and you have me dancing too. You will also pick up your rattling toys and bounce them along with the beat. You continue to be a happy and smiley baby. You have created a fake laugh that cracks me up.

You had your first visit to the zoo this month. We got an annual pass, and so far we’ve been twice. You seem to enjoy looking at the animals. You also had your first 4th of July! We went downtown to watch the fireworks, but it was so crowded that we ended up going up to your Daddy’s office in CNN. We watched the fireworks from there. You really liked them! You got really excited, and weren’t scared at all.

You’ve grown out of the cosleeper so you have been sleeping all the time in your crib! You still wake up during the night, and often come into bed with Mommy, which you like. I miss seeing you asleep next to me! I know this is the necessary part of seeing little babies grow up, though. As much as I miss those days when you were so tiny, I am also enjoying you interacting with us and learning about the world around you. You’re becoming more and more a little girl, and I can’t believe this is my last month with you before you’re a year old!

Love, Mommy