Biggums

(Warning: Long, full of video, and about a month overdue)
Biggums is what Grandpa Randall calls his little grandchildren and that is what Jon calls Addie. Unfortunately, this 11 month old biggums girl seems to be interested in things that I shouldn't have to teach her about yet:

Make Up
Credit Cards
Cell Phones
Board Games

Tampons, Maxi Pads, and Nursing Breast Pads

But there are things that are right on track.

Talking
Unfortunately, the endearing first words of "mama" or "dada" are never to be. Her first word is officially "balloon", pronounced "buhgoon" with the "goon" ending in a high squeal. As if she could have chosen a harder first word. However, she has now officially begun saying "hi" and "Da" for Dad. Lucky guy. 

She has become an incredibly good mimicker: she can repeat "stop" "ouch" "up" and "ball" remarkably well. It's funny how when I ask her to say "mama", she just cocks her head and stares at me. 

She is also a serious babbler using intonation and cocking her head as she speaks. It is darling. 

Walking

New bump on her left side, old bump on the right side. 

She has been an official walker since the middle of May. Every day she gets more and more confident and has now decided that she is good enough to haul things around that are just as big as she is. Unfortunately, she also goes faster. We will be running very soon! (How weird is it to watch your 16 lb, 12 oz baby walk. She is way too tiny!) The best part is that she knows that she is doing something totally awesome and she makes sure that she gets praised for her accomplishments! The worst part is she gets at least one bruise or bump a day!

 Teething
She has 5 official teeth. Her newest tooth is her left canine. She has her two middle teeth and her right canine hovering just below the surface, and due to the recent pain and tears, I can predict they are about to show their pearly heads. 

Making Friends
She has discovered the incredible world of stuffed animals. She was so indifferent to toys before...no favorites, moving on quickly between toys. But she recently became very attached to a large sheep pillow pet we call Sherpa and a small stuffed elephant named Ellie. If we ask her where either one is, her face lights up and she goes off on the hunt. When she finds them, she throws herself on top of them and gives them loves. Then she wants me to snuggle both of them, so she'll bring me the animal and then climb into my lap for a big group hug. Melts my heart every time. 

 Dressing Up
She has recently realized that she can make anything into a necklace and she has learned how to put them on and take them off (sometimes, not very smoothly). She will put on a bow or the handle of a bag and then pose for us by tilting her head to the side. Such a personality. 

this is the "posing" look she gives us...head tilt to the side, small smile

Finding a Groove

She has discovered that she has rhythm in her tiny body and finds the funniest ways to express it. She rocks back and forth in her high chair, claps things together, shakes things, and has recently learned how to rock herself in her rocking chair.

She has also discovered that she can dance! Any time music comes on - in the car, in a store, on the TV - she starts to wiggle her shoulders and rock her head back and forth. She can also dance on command!

 Playing
She is never as happy as when both her mama and daddy are home and playing on the floor with her. She becomes very hyper-active, showing off for both of us. Her most favorite activity of late is being chased around our ottoman. I have never heard her laugh so much as when we chase her.

Reading
She LOVES her books. She will sit and turn their pages all day. She doesn't have a long enough attention span to look at the pages but she loves turning them. My favorite is when she will bring me a book, turn herself around and plop herself in my lap. Love, love.