Countdown to 1 Year

We are not quite done with the first year, but we are creeping dangerously close to that big mile marker.  I remember a long time ago, my mom telling me that she felt like the year before a "milestone" birthday was always harder than the actual milestone itself.  Turning 29 is harder than 30, turning 39 is harder than 40, etc.  This is similar to how I feel about Gretchen turning 11 months old.  It's the last time we can measure her age only in months.  It's the last month I can feel like we have a newborn.  It's the last month before we dive into the world of real milk and peanuts.  I am completely split between excitement that our baby is growing up, and sadness for the exact same thing.  That being said, I know one thing for sure, Gretchen is more and more fun each day, and continues to amaze us with her many new tricks!

So, what do you do on your 11 month birthday?

We start by reaching for things that we are not supposed to have:

Then we pull all of the books off of the shelf.  We will do this at least 5 more times before the day is over:

Then we head outside for a picnic and some pigeon watching:

Though we try to catch the pigeons, they are too quick for us.  (That's right, she's walking!!)

This happy girl is just about ready for a nap:

After a little snooze, we get all dressed up and head out to a birthday party, our BFF Talia turned 1!  We attempt to help her open her presents, but really just like to eat the wrapping paper:

Birthday parties are fun, but very tiring!  Good thing Talia is willing to share her crib when we need to take a little rest:

We finish the day with Mom making me take yet another photo.  The paparazzi are all over the place when you're 11 months old, say cheese!

Happy 11 Months to our baby girl, and though I cherish the days that your age is still measured in months, I cannot wait for all of the new and exciting things that one year will bring us!