GranDawn’s Log – Month 11

Dear Nathalie,

Your 11th month FLEW by!  I am late (3 days) on writing you once again… for shame.

I forgive me.

You celebrated your first Mother’s Day by coming to church and going to the zoo.  You also accompanied Grandfather when visiting me at work one day and you actually let Miss Julie and Miss Debbie hold you… because they were wearing name badges and you LOVE name badges!

You crack me up with the way that you always have a toy in your hand when you are crawling and how you cannot resist burying your face in something soft and fuzzy.  If we lay your blanket on the floor, you will crawl over to it and rub your face all over it…sort of reminds me of a dog rubbing its body on the carpet after a bath – except cuter.  You even bury your face in our cat, Ripper.  Our other cat, Cally, would claw out your eyes before she allowed that but Ripper will let you do just about anything to him, except try to keep hold of his tail while he is walking away… he reluctantly tried to bite you for that.

Your Daddy bought you a new car for your 11th-month celebration, well he bought it for himself but he is fully resigned to the fact that you will have thoroughly ruined the interior of it by the time you are in kindergarten.

You are continuing to get stronger, you regularly stand up from a squatting position and walk while barely holding furniture.  I am constantly having my phone in camera mode with the expectation that you will take those first steps at any second… but I hope you do that in Mummy’s presence rather than mine.

You are really expanding your diet these days.  Mummy bought Cheerios just for you, and I saw you snatch one of her french fries the other day… having teeth does have it’s rewards.

Your vocabulary has not yet expanded… much to my disappointment.  You seem to be content with getting what you want by smiling, clapping, or opening and closing a hand at something.  Otherwise, you babble the Mum and Da and Ba sounds – oh and growling, you still growl and giggle.  I suppose I should just be patient, you will talk when you want to talk – right now you are all about moving… all over the place… quickly.  Oh, and you really like electrical cords, and outlets, and heating vent hoods… we are trying to get you to understand the word “No” but some people fear the repercussion of you understanding that and then using it against us.  I am not one of those people.  Matter of fact, I actually snapped my fingers and sternly told you “No” the other day and then realized “Crud, I am confusing her with a dog.”  I don’t recall what exactly you were doing but odds are it involved putting something in your mouth.

I think that about covers month 11.  We do have a surprise coming your way next month… someone is making a special trip to come see you for your first birthday.

Until next month, NattyBug (yeah, I have added that to the list of nicknames.  Did I mention that I have called you Chikorita as well?), you keep doing you and working on those leg muscles – perhaps after you start walking you will start talking?

Be sure to practice blowing out candles… or – a candle.

Love, GranDawn