11 Months Old! Toddlerhood is just around the corner...

As I cuddled with my little Zozie this morning (which is a rare occurrence, and I cherish every moment of it), I stared at her sweet eyes and she babbled softly and realized that in this moment of pure bliss, all the sleepless nights, hours of screaming, frustrations, depression and feelings of inadequacy were indeed worth it. (Did I just say that? Yes.)

It's been a rough road at times, but here I am, overflowing with love for this sweet, beautiful child who is growing up...and I'm growing up right along with her. God has chosen Zoë as a tool to do some serious reconstruction in my soul, and she has already taught me more than I have taught her. Though it is quite exciting to see all my hard work and repetition start to come to fruition!

Here's what Zoë has been up to in the past month:

Smartie-Pants
It's hard to know when babbles technically can be considered a first "word," but I believe Zoë's been talking for quite a while now. "Mamam" and "Dada" are staples, and her new favorite is "Oouu" every time she drops something "down" on the ground. Zoë has also been able to respond to sign language or sounds like "all done," "food," "more," "sleepy," " and knows several animal signs and sounds. The other day I asked her, "What sound does an elephant make?" while looking at a picture in a book, and after waiting for 30 seconds or so, she responded back with "ppppfffffffffff!" Daddy and I were surprised one day when she made the sign for "duck" right back at us during bath time, and every time before bed when we say goodnight to the animals in her nursery, she giggles at "giraffe" because the sign tickles her neck (Even if I don't touch her. Cutest. Thing. Ever). Also, that little pointing finger has come out of hiding and she loves to point at everything! Her newest favorite sign "where is it?", as you see below, and she enjoys playing hide-and-seek games with us.

Little Miss Independent
Zoë has decided she is officially a "big girl." She wants to do everything herself - hold her spoon, brush her own teeth and hair. She figured out how to open the cupboards and loves to stand there, opening and closing the doors and carrying on conversations with the pots and pans. The most exciting place in the house is the fridge - all I have to do is open the door and she comes crawling as fast as her little legs will go to try and get in before the door closes, and then she will proceed to empty all reachable contents onto the floor. What a goofball! :)

On the Road to Toddlerhood
Zoë has been pretty content to get up, stand, and sit down, then crawl to a new place and do it again. Every once in a while, she will cruise along the couch or move from one object to another. But in the last two days, she discovered that she can move her feet up and down (!) and can move forward if mommy is holding her hands. How fun!

We love you so much, Zoë!