11 Months Old!

Happy 11 Month Birthday, Grace! I can't believe we're closing in on the one-year mark. It truly seems like yesterday that we brought our little miracle home from the hospital.

For the last few months, I've been slacking on the blog, but I've at least kept up with taking and uploading hundreds of pictures to capture nearly every moment of Grace's first 11 months. I've also started uploading videos to our very own YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/amberfogarty2005), which has added another level of fun for our friends and family, both near and far!

I've been quite reflective the last few weeks about Grace's upcoming first birthday. The time has flown by. There's a relatively new country song I just heard on the radio the other day that rings true as I think about the past year. It's called "You're Gonna Miss This." Google it and read the lyrics, or better yet, download it! It's a great song. The chorus goes like this:

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast.
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Here's the thing...I know I'm gonna miss this. The last 11 months have been an incredibly special time in my life. Martin and I have embarked on this journey of parenthood together. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, and we certainly had no clue what we were doing. But each and every day, we walk together and do our best to raise our daughter. By far, it's been the most amazing experience of my life. I've learned a ton in the process and have felt emotions at depths I never had before. It's been one heck of a ride. And the best thing about it is that it just keeps getting better everyday!

So, yes, today marks 11 wonderful months since Grace's birth! And oh how she's changed! I still remember holding her in my arms for the first time, marveling at the beauty Martin and I created! I still marvel at her on a daily basis. She's at such a fun age, and each day brings a new adventure.

Grace has entered super-speed-crawling mode, and she literally disappears in a matter of seconds. I spend my time chasing her around, which has become a fun game that brings about lots of giggles :-) She's also pulling herself up at every opportunity and testing her legs. You can tell she's giving some thought to the idea of taking a few steps, but I think that'll be a few months away. Right now, she stands up and every so often gets the courage to let go of whatever she's holding on to. She usually falls down right away with a thud, then proceeds to pull herself back up.

I love watching her personality grow and change. I constantly see glimmers of myself in her...her sassiness, her determination, her excited gestures, her enthusiasm about life. And I see Martin in her SO much, as does the rest of the world. Virtually everytime we're out, someone comments on how much "she looks like her Daddy."

On that note, Grace is totally into her Daddy. She is definitely Daddy's little girl. In fact, she digs all boys. I think we have a handful on our hands, especially when she reaches her teenage years... Grace is especially fond of Uncle Billy. When he walks into a room, her face absolutely lights up. Even at her grumpiest moments, Uncle Billy can always bring a smile to her face!

In other recent developments, Grace now has two teeth and is trying many new foods. She LOVES cheese! When I say, "cheese please," Grace does her excited hands and often lets out a squeal to let me know she's ready for some cheese. We're also experimenting with her feeding herself, which is interesting to say the least. The other day I gave her a spoon and a bowl of applesauce. She gave the spoon a try, but decided quickly that using the spoon was way too much work. So she put the spoon down and proceeded to pick the applesauce up with her hands and put it in her mouth. I have a great video of that on YouTube. It was one of those classic moments!

We are also seeing Grace push the limits to see what she can get away with. She already seems to know when she's doing something bad or getting into something she shouldn't. In these moments, she always looks to see if we're watching. If she catches our eyes, she'll usually flash us a devilish grin before diving into whatever she knows she shouldn't do. Like I said, she's a handful already...and she's not walking yet. I can only imagine what's in store in the months to come :-)

Martin and I have both been super busy lately, and we play the dual-working parents ever present juggling game, trying our best to keep our priorities straight. We know that we will miss these days, and we need to cherish this time in our lives! That's easier said than done sometimes, but we just keep on trying.