Zooey is 11 months old today!

Ok, you know you're in serious denial about your baby entering their 12th month when you keep saying, "I need to take her 5 month pictures today!" Wow. I don't know where that came from, other than pure denial.

Ohmygoodness my baby is going to be a year old next month! Crazy! It seems like she is becoming such a big girl these days.

Zooey likes:

our animals

blocks

stuffed animals - she now talks to them and strokes them

going on runs with me and looking around (she squeals in delight at all she sees)

balls - she's started to copy daddy and drops and attempts to roll the balls

stacking or measuring cups

"reading" books

applesauce

Zooey hates:

bathtime, for some reason...I'm hoping it's just a phase

...and lotion and PJ time, too :(

waiting for her food, which she protests with a very high pitched whine

Zooey can now:

sit up from her tummy

crawl

stand while holding onto something

mimic me & Ryan: actions, some words (all done, bye bye)

say DaDa

Cute stuff:

She started babbling all the time.

She talks to her seahorse when she wakes up.

She crinkles her nose and bounces when she gets really excited.

She musses her hair if I try to smooth it.

She gets a kick out herself and starts laughing, usually when she gets a toy or in her playpen.

Whenever one of the animals come in the room, she goes, "AAAAAAHHHH!!!!" and pumps her arms and kicks her legs in excitement.

She shakes her head "no" all the time, though I know she doesn't know what it means.

She waves "hi" and "bye" to almost everyone.

She throws herself at me or Ryan when one of us has been away from her, even for an hour (I treasure this, because I know 13 years will go fast, and then I'll get an eye roll and a grunt. :) )

I'm sure I'm forgetting about a thousand things I wish I could capture and remember, but these are the things that really stand out to me. A quote comes to my head a lot; I'm unsure of the source, but it's "Motherhood is wearing your heart outside of your body." It's so true. I look at Zooey, and she is my heart. I want so much for her; I want the best for her. Having a child has really deepened my faith in that way; I can see now that as a Father, God truly does want His best for us.

Zooey is such a sweet girl, and everyone who meets her says that. She's just full of smiles for everyone, even if it takes her a bit to warm up to them. She's so much fun, and every morning when I go in to get her, I am filled with joy at her sweet, smiling face.