11 Months

I've been so busy thinking about Scarlett's 1st birthday, that I sort of forgot that she wasn't quite 11 months old yet. But she is today. I love taking pictures of her fresh out of bed, still in her pjs. She's so excited that we remembered her! Hey! You came back for me! Let's go play!

It's so easy to look forward to the next milestone, and forget what's going on this very minute. This morning she was sitting on her mat playing, and I was standing behind her. She hadn't noticed me yet, and was concentrating on reaching her toy train. Folded in half at the waist, the train was still just out of reach. She was grunting and stretching - almost popped up onto her knees a few times, and I'm standing behind her silently pumping my fist in the air. Go, Baby, go!

At that point, however, she spied me, and turned from her task to give me a big grin and clap for herself. Or me, I'm not sure who it was meant for. But her concentration was broken, and it was time for her nap anyway.

Each day brings another 400 reasons to scoop her up and kiss her cheeks. Another chance to comfort her when she tries something new and lands on her face. Another day to play with her square chunky feet, and watch her watch everything.

She's not quite a year yet. She's 11 months.