eleven months

margaret pearl,

oh sweet girl, just how did we get to eleven months?

i am completely in awe of how quickly this year has gone. 

we are so excited to be so close to celebrating this first year of your life, but there is something so bittersweet about it. 

this year as literally flown by. 

you have grown so quickly from babyhood to toddlerhood. 

this past month you have done some pretty big things for such a little lady!

your speaking skills have very much improved. 

you can say, 'mama' and 'dada' and 'blah blah'

as well as 'ya ya' and the very popular, 'la la'.

you also know how to sing. 

yep.

sing.

every time a song comes on or you hear music you raise your voice and do a sweet soft " la la la la laaaa" 

a lot of the time you can copy what i sing. 

you love music. 

we find you turning all your toys into shakers or drums. 

and you twinkle the keys on your little piano all the time.

you have a good taste in music too. 

your favorites are band of horses, rosie thomas, death cab for cutie, iron and wine, and the occasional lady gaga, black eyed peas, and dare i say it: katy perry. {all thanks to your hunkle d}

another thing that you learned how to do this month is walk.

get. it. girl.

you started walking at 10 months old.

it was a sunday night and your daddy was taking off your sunday dress to put on your jammies. i guess he was not going quick enough because you walked your way right out of that dress. 

it was our favorite moment. we all giggled and mama cried a little bit. 

so my girl, i could go on talking about all your favorite toys,

about what you love to eat, or how many naps you take a day, but i am not going to. this month i want to tell you how you have changed my heart. 

baby girl, from  the moment i knew you were living inside of me i wanted you. i had desired to feel a love for you that was so strong that it hurt. a love that welled up in my heart and made me want to squish you and giggle with you all day long. this month that happened for me. i can not stand to be away from you. i love you. i love you so deeply that my heart aches when you are sleeping at night and i can not wait to wake up and start a new day with you. 

i think about you constantly. even when i am weary. i get sad when i think of all the days that went by without me thinking about how special those days were. i want to tell every first time mama that i know how hard the first 6 months are. that it is sometimes so terrible and you feel like giving up, but to stop and enjoy that crying baby, or that baby that will only sleep in your arms. enjoy swaddling that newborn, because all to quickly they turn into toddlers and wiggle away when you are changing a diaper. maggie girl, i miss you as a baby. i miss your sweet sugar scented breath, i miss your curled up fisted hands. i miss snuggling you on my chest for hours of sleeping and i miss feeling you close to my body as you slept at night. but girly, i am looking forward to this new stage with a fierce passion. i am looking forward to exploring new things with you, to chasing you around the house & to celebrating your first birthday in just one month.

you really are our sunshine. 

we love you miss pearl.

xo,

mama