11 Months Old!

I've officially earned The Worst Blogger of the Year Award. It has been a ridiculously long time since my last blog, and I know you are all anxious to see what my little girl is up to and what she's looking like these days. Apparently, I haven't made a Bella update since she was six months old. (The decrease in blogging has coincided with the increase of mobility... and the increase in my exhaustion, and decrease in free time... lots of increases and decreases going on around here.) We're busy, and when we aren't busy, we're tired! But we are also enjoying every day with Bella and loving watching all the advancements she's making! So to bring you up to speed, this is what's been going on in the life of Bella for the last few months:

Seven months old: This is when the babbling really began! ("Babble" has truly lived up to her uterine nickname. People often comment about how "vocal" she is... And she's also an expert at making crowing and growling noises. We know she's displeased whenever she starts growling!) Bella's first tooth came through (on the bottom) and she learned to sit well unsupported. She also went to the polls to vote for the very first time (she was definitely the cutest voter there).

Learning to sit up all by herself!


The first tooth!


Eight months: Three more teeth came in, the pincer grasp developed (we are now vacuuming a LOT more), she started drinking from a sippy cup by herself (for the longest time she liked to turn it upside down more than she liked to turn it up into her mouth), she began feeding herself finger foods, and she started saying dada! (And dadadadada...) Bella also went to her first Christmas concert, and met Santa for the first time (no tears involved!). Then there was the first Christmas, New Years, and National Championship game!

"Look ma, one hand!" (Yes, there was a lid on that cup!)


Santa's little helper.


Bella wearing my old Christmas dress, from 1983, when I was 13 months old. And Loucille with all her descendants. She's just a little proud...


Bella on Christmas day, wearing her gorgeous Christmas dress from Sonya and Dad.


New Year's Eve hike


Bella cheering Auburn on to victory! Auburn won the college football National Championship in January!!!! War eagle!!!!


Nine months: Bella started crawling, pushing herself into a sitting position, waving bye-bye, clapping her hands, and saying mama! She started differentiating between mama and dada, looking at the right person when I ask her where daddy is and where mommy is. She also started recognizing her own name! It's so cute when she stops everything to turn around and see who's saying "Bella." And this milestone is not on the charts, but Bella also learned how to do semi-headstands, kinda like downward-facing dog, if you're familiar with yoga. It's one of her favorite things to do! I think we may have a little gymnast in the making. She started losing interest in many of her toys at this point and became much more intrigued by exploring her surroundings: licking tile floors, scooting herself across linoleum, pulling up air vents, opening cabinet doors, and chewing furniture.



Bella went to her first jazz concert, and her first music store, where she played on a Baldwin grand piano and a drum kit for the first time. (We are in hot debate over what her first instrument should be. I say piano, Stephen says drums, but my guess is that she will want to play guitar like her Daddy. She loves to play with her toy xylophone, her miniature out-of-tune piano, our miniature keyboard, djembe, shaker, and anything else that makes a sound.) She also went to her first art museum, where she saw her first Picasso, Warhol, O'Keeffe, and silverware made by Paul Revere. AND she picked up a bug for the first time, a dead cockroach (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I got it before she put it in her mouth and promptly washed her hands with antibacterial dish soap. Thankfully, we were out in public when this happened. The ear-splitting scream I would have given if we'd been at home would have probably traumatized her.

The results from her Bella's nine-month check-up: 18 lbs., 28", growing in the same percentiles she's been in. I was very proud when she impressed the pediatrician by following my directions to "look at Mommy" during the ear exam so the doctor could get a better view inside her ear!

10 Months old: Bella said "bye" when waving a few times, began saying "hi" to greet us and other people we see, and "kitty" when she sees a cat. Of course these words are not completely discernible to the untrained ear, but it's so exciting to us when she learns new words! She also started pointing with her finger, and pulling herself up, but she's not too interested in cruising just yet.

Isaac and Bella on a playdate. Next time, we are going to take the picture before they get tired and hungry!


11 Months: Bella is starting to lose a little of the need to automatically put EVERYTHING in her mouth, so now we can introduce her little hands to lots of new objects, like flowers. It's so cute to watch her hold a little flower in her hand for 30 minutes at a time while we're taking walks! She is also developing a definite opinion of her own, and is not afraid to express it.



Being introduced to sea shells at Lake Guntersville. She loved them!


And as far as everything else goes, we are doing well. The holidays were nice, and Bella had snow for her very first Christmas! That was neat, because we've never had a white Christmas before. Stephen is more than halfway through the new semester, and he's teaching three classes this time, which means that life is much more manageable than it was last semester. His band, Junker, is still playing shows around town, and they are recording three songs for their first E.P. at the pedal steel player's home studio. I'm doing a part-time job once a week right now, while Stephen is Mr. Mom at home. Bella and I are also going to the local mother's center once a week. Bella loves watching the other kids there and she also enjoys taking their toys. We've finally almost finished Bella's room, and I promise to post pictures when it's done. (One room almost done, six more to go! HOLY COW!) The rest of our house still looks like we just moved in two weeks ago, because we still haven't unpacked anything besides the necessities. I think all those boxes of extra stuff in the garage may have a future at the Goodwill, because it feels so good not to have all that stuff that we don't need cluttering up our space, and it's so much easier to keep the house clean!

In other news, we are expecting some very special company in May: Dad, Sonya, and my sisters Jennifer and Emily, who Bella is soooooo excited about meeting!!!

Hopefully, you will not have to wait four more months for another blog. In the meanwhile, we are just enjoying playing with our little girl and watching her grow. It's the most awesome experience I've ever had!