Dear Mackenzie: You’re 11 months old already

Dear Mackenzie,

Yesterday was your 11 month birthday. I know, I’m a day late. But it happens. I was sleep deprived and my brain wasn’t functioning so well. You had something to do with that, thinking that you needed to stay up until 5am just so we made sure we changed our clocks over. Thankfully I eventually remembered the MRD (Meal Ready to Drink) powder I bought for you and made you a good heavy bottle of milk to take you away to lala land. Next time I hope I have that idea much sooner — maybe it was all you were after the whole time.

Thankfully you were back on track last night…and despite our lack of sleep, we all had a good time together yesterday. You really are one of the happiest children around. And even when you’re grumpy, you’re not so unpleasant…sometimes even downright funny.

But where are your teeth? You still only have 4 and the rest just don’t want to appear. Where are you hiding them? Maybe they’re just waiting until closer to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s when you’ve heard about all the yummy food we eat. Without more teeth, you’re just not going to have as much fun eating.

Since it’s getting cold, you have to wear more gear to go out. At times you look like a little teddy bear all wrapped up in your grey jumpsuit. It’s so huge on you that you barely want to move in it…and when riding in your stroller you just get all snuggled down in your lambs wool liner, hovering seconds from dreamland as we walk with Ayla. But no one can say you are not well dressed. I mean how cool is your little vest (thanks to your Great Aunt Irene)? And I really would like a hat like that for myself…including the little balls you can’t see hanging in the back. Your Aunt Katie rocks when it comes to picking stuff out.

You’re still picking up skills in the kitchen. You had a great time playing with the apples we harvested from the orchard and it was your duty to take all the apples out of the bucket before I had time to put them back in.

You are a drooly bubble queen still and have gotten quite good at blowing big bubbles with your mouth. Maybe its all the soap bubbles you like to eat in the bath tub that help. My bubbles just don’t turn out nearly as well as yours.

You’re trying out all sorts of sounds with your mouth, too. Sometimes it sounds like you’re trying to talk Swahili or something with all the pops and clucks you make. We get some “mama’s” too and things that come close to Ayla, but I don’t think you’re really getting out the words that you want to just yet.

You LOVE the laundry basket. Sometimes I let you ride in there when I’m taking the clothes from the dryer. Other times you just climb right in yourself and have a ball. Clothes end up all over the place, but I don’t mind. A little extra Newfie fur on them won’t hurt us.

The other day we had you all decked out in Burberry, a gift from your Aunt Norma. How stylin’ are you? Thankfully you’ll be getting a lot more wear out of this outfit since it’s still a bit big on you…but perfect for layering. Gotta keep you warm and snuggly.

You and Ayla are so funny to watch together. Sometimes the dog will come over to me and just look at me like, “When is she going to stop grabbing my nose and paws? Make her stop, mom!” But those strange, furry doggie parts are just too cool for you to resist.

You’re developing quite a sense of rhythm and we think you’re well on your way to becoming a drummer. Or maybe the Guitar Hero drum set is just the perfect thing to help you stand. But you love banging on the drums with your hands and playing with the drumsticks so maybe you’ll pick up the coordination that mommy and daddy always lacked.

Speaking of your rhythm, check you out dancing! Shake that money maker, baby girl.

You’re still working your way up to walking but cruise around the coffee table like you’re running a marathon. You’ve also figured out that sometimes doing a regular crawl instead of army style will not only get you closer to where you want to be but also gives you a head start to pulling up on it. Standing from a kneeling position is just so much easier. And you’re even getting down knee bending so you don’t have to flop down on your butt when you get tired of standing.

You amaze and amuse us daily, making us smile and our hearts melt. You’ve started to come over to both your daddy and I to get a hug or just snuggle a little. Wrap us around that finger just a little bit more, little girl. How could we resist loving you just a little more after that?

You don’t like us setting boundaries, telling you no or taking things out of your grasp that aren’t safe for you. When you’re tired, this can turn into a great big crying fest. But there are already certain things which you know don’t belong to you and you usually just save us both a headache and steer clear of them. I thank you for that.

It’s only 1 more month until you’re 1 year old. Isn’t there some way to slow down time? But at the same time, I’m still so excited about everything new that we’ll be experiencing with you and I can’t wait until our first zoo trip. I think you’re also really going to love opening presents on your birthday and at Christmas. You’re a master at taking stuff out of containers already, it’s putting stuff back in that we still have to work on.

I love you,

Mommy

2 Responses to “Dear Mackenzie: You’re 11 months old already”

1. Jenn of The Roof says:

   October 28, 2009 at 1:11 am

   She’s a beauty..got some killer blue eyes on her!

   Reply
2. Dale says:

   October 30, 2009 at 1:46 am

   Oh Winkie…the video is so adorable! What a ham…but then look at her parents. Savor each moment for before you know it, she’ll be 30 years old and you’ll be wondering where the years went.

   Love you…The Mommy

   Reply