Merry Christmas, Rylee!

Dear Ry,

COULD YOU BEEEEE ANY MORE PERFECT???

You have had such a busy, wonderful month. You have learned more than ever and you just could not possibly be anymore fun.

You became a pro at opening gifts on this very first Christmas of yours. You just loved tearing through the packages and find out what was inside. I have been feeling guilty about not having the time to put up a tree or any decorations of the house. You didn't seem to care much about other people's trees so I'm hoping that that is a sign that you won't be scarred for life by it.

Your vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds. I wish I had written down all of the words that you've been saying because I know I will forget some here. New words for month 11 are (although not on command): No, Yup, Yes, Up, Meme, Bumpa, Stop, Jump, Hi. I still think that the cutest thing that you do is the "bub bub bub bub bub" when you flick your bottom lip but Meme and Bumpa both think that when you tell your "Dubba Dubba Dubba" story (which you do all the time) it's the cutest. We both agree that when you shake your little bootie and dance is a close second. Everytime we sing or play music you instantly sway from side to side which is definitely fatally cute. I've almost died twice.

You wave bye-bye (so cute) and blow kisses. You will mimic everything anyone does until you figure it out. You haven't advanced a single bit in the walking department and I'm still convinced that you'll be 3 before you do. You cruise around everywhere as long as you're hanging on for dear life. Get you away from that couch, however, and you hit the floor running.

You are finally wanting to eat again after a month or so of not caring much about food. You love people food although we've determined that you are definitely still sensitive to dairy. You usually take about 4 bottles a day in addition to your baby food. Most people are surprised to hear that at 11 months we are still feeding you baby food out of a jar but between your dairy allergy and our poor eating habits, it's easier to feed you healthy when it's from a Earth's Best jar. It's not as if we can put french fries and frozen pizza in the food processor so until we find the time to cook real food, baby food it is.

You still wake up once a night to eat. You've always been on the low end of the growth chart when it comes to weight so any time you are willing, so are we. As tired as we are at 3 am, we're happy to feed you at bottle. We plan to feed you formula through your 13th month so you get a little extra nutrition. I have a feeling you've lacked quite a few bottles while at daycare so hopefully that can make up for it.

Once again, your dog comes in as the first place toy. I cannot believe the sheer volume of toys that you got for Christmas and I REALLY can't believe you've got a birthday coming up in a few weeks where you're likely to get more. You still have no interest what so ever in TV or books. I can't get you to sit through more than 7 seconds of a show or 3 pages of a book. And although I'm glad you're not a TV junkie, I think a little TV never hurt anyone. I am hoping you'll aquire a taste for both.

In the last month two new friends were born! On November 18th, Miss Kassidy Claire was born to Jamie and Jenn weighing in at 8 lbs, 6 oz and just last Wednesday Ryan and Jen welcomed Miss Mia Susan. I'll be posting pictures soon of both of your future playmates.

Rylee, I cannot get over to tell you what a sweetheart you are. Everywhere we go people just cannot believe what a well-behaved baby you are. As much as I fear typing this will jinx us, I must declare that you are absolutely perfect. Earlier this week you went 5 straight days without a single nap and you were happy and adorable throughout the entire thing. You never stop smiling and love all the attention that you get for your red hair and sweet demeanor. You are going through a very cuddly phase with those you love and want to hug and cuddle often. We feel so very lucky and blessed to have such a perfect baby girl and we love you so very much. Happy 11 month birthday and very first Christmas, Rylee Carmella! Love, Mom