Leni

I can't believe my BABY is 11 months old. I mean, she's going to be turning ONE in a matter of weeks! This time last year, I was so uncomfortable I couldn't sleep in my own bed and I could hardly walk from hip pain. I remember just wanting the pregnancy to be over and being anxious to get my own body back. Well, I should've known that my body would never return, but that's an entirely different post... 

At 11 months, Leni is... hmm...

hmm....

i know that seems a bit weird, but i don't really know what to say to describe her. If I try to think of just one word to describe her, it would be... SCREAMY. 

she screams. ALL THE TIME. happy, sad, mad, hungry, excited, frustrated, annoyed, etc. As much as I love her, I find I just really need a break at the end of the day from all the screaming. She is incredibly stubborn and actually really needy - I wonder if that has to do with her being a second-born in that there has always been someone there her entire life, whereas Gemma is very independent and i wonder if that's because she is used to spending short amounts of time by herself. I don't know if it's separation anxiety or just her personality, but she cannot be left alone. As soon as I turn around to walk away, she is screaming. Then, she follows me around, just screaming and crying until I pick her up. 

Leni also loves to eat. TOO MUCH. She can't get enough of food! She eats as much as Gemma does (and Gemma eats almost as much as my mom) and I swear both of my kids (and me too, I guess, hehehe) lack that communication between the stomach and brain where the stomach tells the brain it's full. Frankly, the only times that Leni isn't screaming is when she has something in her mouth or when she is sleeping. Every mealtime, it's a struggle trying to get her out of her high chair - she gets so mad! 

She's not walking yet, but she is standing more and more everyday. I am hopeful that she will walk soon, mostly because then she can go to forward facing and I figure that will make her like being in the car a bit more. She is an insanely fast crawler and she loves to climb up to the top of the stairs and then slide down as quickly as she can on her belly. We also have an indoor slide that she loves to play on. She is so strong, she can pull herself up on the slide part and then slide down on her belly. 

It's hard to believe she's going to be one so soon. As challenging as she is, she is cute as a button and I just love her to bits.