11 Months...

Our little girlfriend is just one month shy of a year old.  

Breathe in, breathe out.

And though I've loved every month of Lola, this month may have been my favorite.

Now that she's officially mobile [with a vengeance], our monthly photo shoot has become much more difficult.  The girl has no fear and frequently dives off the couch with perfect faith that someone will always be there to catch her.

She held it together for a bit, but only because I let her have her "ba."  She doesn't go anywhere without that thing.  Perhaps we have a tennis prodigy on our hands.  I hope so, because I've always wanted to go to Wimbledon.  The Australian Open wouldn't be too shabby either.

Unfortunately, not even the "ba" could keep the now-daily meltdown from occurring.

These epic temper tantrums began at the beginning of month 10 and haven't let up since.  I was beginning to think I would have to start throwing a few tantrums of my own until Reece discovered FOUR teeth coming in on top.

Poor cookie.

At 11 months, Lola is happiest when she's on the floor surrounded by her mountains of toys.  When I say toys, I mostly mean things that are not found in your local Toys R Us.

No, no, the toys to which I refer include items such as cell phones, remotes, sticks of gum, cameras, books that don't belong to her -- basically anything breakable or potentially dangerous.

But aside from the "ba," Lola's current favorite toy is her cat, Jack.

Now that she can crawl, she tends to corner him when he least expects it, which makes both mama and feline extremely nervous.  Jack is not known for his friendly demeanor (he has been called Satan on many occasions), but we've been surprised to discover just how patient and sweet he is with his girl.

It's quite endearing.  Quite endearing indeed.

We were extremely pleased with ourselves the day we taught Lola to "woof."  But she seems to identify that sound as a form of greeting to any animal she comes across.

She "woofs" at her cats.  She "woofs" at the dogs we pass on our walks.  She "woofs" at the monkeys at the zoo.

She even "woofs" at her Grandma Thaylene.

But she doesn't just "woof."  She can do all sorts of tricks.  When she hears the name Gene Simmons, she sticks out her tongue.  When we say hello, she holds whatever object she happens to be holding up to her ear. We ask for a kiss and she opens that little mouth wide and plants a wet one on our faces.

At 11 months, Lola repeats nearly everything she hears.  Scary thought in this household.

  Her Auntie Kelly taught her to say "YoooYaaa" yesterday.  She says "Kitty Cat" when she's feeling extra ambitious.  Uncle Kellan used ice cream to teach her "Yum, yum, yum."  

It's amazing to me how quickly she picks things up.

Lola still loves to sing, and does so at the top of her lungs.  Though I'm not sure if her favorite song actually has a title, it goes like this:

If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops

Oh what a world it would be.

I'd stand outside with my mouth open wide

Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops 

Oh what a world it would be

You can bet she nails the "Ah ah ah ah" portion of this lovely ballad every single time.

I didn't think I could possibly adore this little person any more, but every month I fall deeper in love with my Lola girl. I really can't get enough of her sassy personality, even though it has me pulling my hair out at times.

She's a drama queen, just like her daddy.

But that being said, my baby is also extremely sweet.  My favorite memory from this month was made during our family reunion in St. George last week.  She woke up in the middle of the night screaming, so as daddy went to get the bottle I pulled her out of her pack n' play and climbed back into my own bed.  

Normally, this would have inspired kicking, more screaming and a desperate struggle to break free of mama's grasp.

But that night, she wrapped her arms around me, laid her little head down on my chest and went quiet.  She hasn't done that since she was four or five months old.  I will admit, I got a bit weepy and wished she would stay there all night.  Heck, forever would work for me as well.

I can only hope that as the years go by and my girl gets older, more independent and less inclined to cuddle up to her mama, she will always know that I will be here, ready to hold her, ready to tell her how much she means to me and how much she has completed my life, my world and my very existence.

Except when she's throwing those temper tantrums.

Happy 11 months to our Lola bird.  

We love her so much.