Dear Mykenzi: 11 Months

If I'm being honest, I didn't want to write this post. I've entered a level of crazy that I didn't know was possible.  I'm trying to play it cool on the outside, "Oh yeah, I'm so sad she's gonna be a year old!" But, on the inside it's more of "Oh my God! I'm gonna have a One year old! Is this real life? How did it get here so fast? I can't do this. Nope. I can't!"  Can I be an Ostrich and stick my head in the sand until this goes away?  No? Damn, I thought that was a sure fire plan.

In all seriousness, I find myself trying to soak up EVERY little moment.  You are never going to be this little again and that literally tears my heart in half.  The last 11 months have been the best of my life and I'm having a really hard time coming to terms with the fact that I'm only going to be left with memories of your littleness.  Baby chatter will soon turn into full on conversations, nursing sessions will be replaced with real food, and the way you fit in my arms will only get tougher as you get bigger.  And let's face it, you're already half my height so, this is basically the last time I'll be bigger than you.

I had no idea this far in the game would be so hard.  You are so fun right now and so incredibly loving.  You wake up and crawl to me every morning and lay your head on my chest and fall back asleep.  You give kisses followed by the sweetest hugs, and nestling your face into my neck is the cure all for anything.  You are the happiest baby I've ever known, always smiling and full of laughter.  I'm so excited to watch you grow, but it's bittersweet to know the past 11 months of watching you discover the world will fade into the distance.

We don't see your Pediatrician until next month so you are roughly 29.5" tall and I don't have an accurate weight.  But, you are definitely getting heavier because my back is feeling it these days!

We are still enjoying size 3 diapers.  Venturing into 12 and 18 month sleepers, but every thing else is still 9 and 12 month clothing.  Tall and lanky, that's gonna be your thing.  Rock it, girl!

Eyes are still shining Blue, but we have seen more Green in them lately.  We wonder if they are in the process of changing or if you are going to have a mix of both colors.  Your hair is getting so long and is as thick as ever!  It's starting to flip up and curl at the ends.  It's still Light Brown so no change there.

We are still nursing consistently.  I've had a huge drop in supply again, but we are managing to pull through pretty well.  Smaller sessions, but more frequently seem to be doing the trick.  I was nervous this was the end of the road for us, but we're hanging on.  One more month and I've met my goal with nursing you!  Whenever we decide we are done with this, I know I'm going to miss it like crazy.  This was our special little bond.  Table food is your jam.  You love eating of Mommy and Daddy's plate.  We found out this month you hate Mashed Potatoes.  We've got to teach you a little more about Southern eating because those are a staple!  You love Carrot Chunks & Spaghetti.

Sleep has been good this month.  I don't think there's any complaints.  Even your naps have been going okay.  I wouldn't be made if these habits stick around.

Last month your top two teeth broke the gum line, and this month they are visible when you smile. I'm a little sad to see your smile changing again, but it's still as adorable as ever so I'll get used to it.

You are still pulling up on everything in sight.  Walking along the furniture and find yourself standing without holding onto anything.  Once you realize you aren't holding anything for support you plop to your bottom and flash a smile.  You can walk with your push toy and you've learned to get down from pulling up without falling.  Your crawling has hit turbo speed and you are gone before I know it, which is sometimes scary.  The cats aren't a fan of your turbo speed either, it's making it harder for them to make a getaway.  We've been working on your confidence with walking and think you'll get the hang of it soon.  There's no rush though.

I predict dance lessons are in our future.  You love to move and groove.  Commercials, ringtones, Music Channel, your toys, if it plays music you are dancing to it.  Taylor Swift's Bad Blood really gets you moving these days.  You are still my little chatterbox and saying words daily.  You frequent Hi and Yeah!  You just started saying Baby.  You can also acknowledge who Mommy and Daddy are and when asked, "Where's Mommy?" or "Where's Daddy?" you will look in our direction.  You are putting shapes back where they belong on your push toy and stacking your rings back on its post. You even learned how to scroll with your finger on Momma's iPhone, although I'm not sure I'm a fan of that one. You love books!  That is your favorite kind of toy right now.  There are always books scattered all over our living room.  I really hope your love of books sticks around for many years.

You are doing so many new things daily its hard to list them all and put them in one place.  As much as I love your newborn stage, I will say at this point, this month is my favorite.  You are so sweet and loving yet fun and spunky.  I enjoy my days with you and our weekends as a family.  You are the light of our life.  Happy 11 Months my sweet girl. I love you so very  much.

And if you could maybe not grow up so fast my Momma heart would really appreciate it.