Yay blog post! I have to admit it’s been kind of nice to not have the self-imposed pressure of writing blog posts, but I also miss this little space of ours. We actually are FINALLY making progress in the family room — slow, though, because our contractor is only able to work on weekends — but we have drywall and electrical and ordered a couch and it’s so great to see things happening! We also threw a really fun party for Andy’s parents over the weekend that I’ll share soon, AND of course we just celebrated a big birthday here, the big 11 months!!

The last month it feels like everything with Joey has changed. She’s crawling all over, interacting and playing games and expressing her opinions, and in every way is so much more a little person now than the baby she was even a month ago. It’s probably been the most challenging month for me and Andy since about month one, because there’s been so much change in such a short time. For a couple of weeks naps were a problem because she suddenly knew how to sit up, which she’d do over and over, only to freak out every single time because she didn’t know how to get back down. So we’d have to go in and lie her back down… only to do it again five minutes later. With any change, there’s growing pains, and I’m so glad that phase is over!

Despite its challenges, this month has also been a TON of fun. We have loved seeing Joey become so much more expressive and interactive. She loves to cover her eyes and “surprise” us with a peekaboo, and she claps and gives hugs and looooves to dance. She will talk your ear off, even if you don’t know what she’s saying. The first time she gave me a big, wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek I cried! She’s busy all day exploring the house, attempting to get into everything — babyproofing needed stat! She loves petting Ruby and is obsessed with shoes. She really hates putting on her winter hat and coat, though. Sorry, kid, better get used to it.

We had fun spending Thanksgiving in Philadelphia visiting friends. Joey did awesome with the long drive (it took 9 hours instead of 6 to get there because of traffic!) and seemed to have a lot of fun on the trip. She especially loved Thanksgiving dinner, where she made friends with the tables around us and made herself right at home by taking off her boots, headband, and one sock!

I can’t believe she’ll be one year old in just a few weeks!!