This picture was taken in front of our new house and I absolutely love it b/c it is truly a genuine smile from my kids. It was taken about a week ago when we went to "visit" our house. So Anastacia was not quite 11 months, but close enough.
So, let's see, what is she up to now? Well, she still is not walking but she sure is trying to! She is climbing though!!! She made it up one step at church this past Sunday and anytime we leave our step ladder sitting out she makes it up the first step and tries really hard to get onto the second. I'm a little nervous about the whole climbing thing - Mahala was a climber and she got into all kinds of stuff! Anastacia is also talking a whole lot...she attempts to repeat everything we say. She can say Hey(and waves), Bubba, Sissy(sounds more like shishy), Mama(finally!!!), Dada, Daddy, home(this one is actually my favorite), ball, ear, eyes, hair, bye(and waves), Papa, fish(sounds like psshh), book and bear. I am sure there are others that she has said, but these are the ones she says the most. She got a little photo album for Easter with grandparents and Aunt Tara, Uncle Stan and Bethany pictures in it and she is trying very hard to say some of those names. She says "Bet" for Bethany right now.
Her personality has really changed over the past few weeks. Where she used to be quiet and sorta solemn faced she is now starting to get a little loud and she is opening up to people. She still pulls away from strangers and gives them the eye, but once she has seen someone a few times, she will relax a little. She's getting a sense of humor and she likes to tease and laugh a lot! She loves to play patty-cake and to jump up and down to "Ride the pony." And she loves to dance. She head bangs a little and jumps up and down and claps her hands. Sometimes she falls over she gets so excited!
Her favorite food is strawberries. She is very certain about what she likes and doesn't like (who'da thunK???). If she really likes it she will try to cram the whole thing in her mouth, but if she doesn't she pushes it away and turns her head. There are very few foods that she doesn't like. The best part about her eating is the sounds she makes - she says mmmmmm the ENTIRE time she is eating!!! It cracks everyone up. (Mahala used to eat like that, so she gets to see it in Anastacia cause I've always told her how much she loved food when she was a baby.) So I have to put a video of Anastacia eating a strawberry b/c it is so cute!
I don't know if the sound is gonna come through or not - I previewed it and it didn't sound right. Even if it doesn't, it is still adorable b/c she is chowing down on that strawberry!
So besides eating and talking, Anastacia is so-o-o smart! She has learned where our ears and nose and eyes are. She also knows the mouth, but she won't touch it for some reason - she just stares at it with her eyes, as though she doesn't want to get germs on her fingers or something, LOL!!! We ask her where each of these parts is and she will point them out. She also knows where her own ears are, but I don't think she realizes she has a nose or eyes yet, LOL...
