Ever Wonder What Your Folks Do When They Go To Work?

This is pretty much it. I walk around holding a big sheet for brides to stand on to keep their dresses from getting dirty. I serve as a stand-in so your dad can get settings right before bringing out the "talent." Sometimes I throw in a cheesy grin as a bonus. I also hold lights, help with posing and, most importantly, read Tyler's mind. Is it as glamorous as you thought?

Snorkeling Photos From Cozumel (Nobody Drowned)

The Cozumel Chamber Of Commerce Has Requested This Photo For Use On Their Next Brochure

Today's Lunch Menu: Broccoli And Grilled Cheese

You loved broccoli two days ago. Today you literally spit it out of your mouth.

Our Latest Efforts Toward Baby Proofing

Yes, that's a kitchen chair holding the gate in place at far left.

Cute Photos Of You And Your Daddy

Finally Big Enough To Drive

We got this car more than a year ago at your baby shower from our friends the Guillorys and the Stephenses. You finally have enough strength and coordination to push it around, although actually riding it is still in the works. Your legs will be long enough soon enough. Tyler has been working the phones trying to get you some sponsorships.

Throwing A Fit

Lately when you haven't gotten your way, you've been throwing yourself on your belly and banging your hands and feet on the ground. It's absolutely adorable and not very effective in getting what you want, since we pretty much stand over you laughing.

So Close To Walking

Georgia Ali

We Bought You Your Own Little Chair For Your Birthday And All You Wanted To Do Is Play With The Box

Fieldtrip To Ikea

First Attempt At Coloring

Meanwhile, In The Gulf Of Mexico

Your daddy got me the most amazing birthday gift this year. Before I go into details, let me first explain your daddy's gift giving history. Birthday gifts I have received in the past include an umbrella, a men's Hawaiian print button down shirt, shoes from Payless (he was so proud because he got the second pair for a penny) and other more forgettable items.

This year, however, he got it right! The two of us spent four nights on a cruise from Galveston to Cozumel, Mexico. It's a trip we've been wanting to take for years, but we've never gotten around to it. We had a great time and were reacquainted with an uninterrupted night's sleep.

We thought about you the whole time, often remarking how you would react to a certain activity or bragging about you to our fellow cruisers. We concluded that you wouldn't have enjoyed the trip much at this age, but we're hoping to take you on a Disney cruise when you're older.

Daddy preparing for the safety drill.

The icky view from our cabin as we left Galveston.

The beautiful view from our cabin when we awoke the next morning.

Watching the sunset from the Lido deck.

Mommy discovered a love for Blackjack. We won enough money to pay for our trip! We hope that on our next cruise, we'll win enough money to pay for your college.

Cozumel! We went to an adventure park where we snorkeled, climbed and rappelled. I was surprised to learn that I don't like snorkeling. Getting stung by jelly fish and breathing water: not so enjoyable to me.

Zipline!

Here's a picture of our boat in port in Cozumel.

According to your dad, "it's not a cruise until you shuffleboard."

I got teed off. I'll explain what this means when you're older.

Happy and relaxed!

Photo Credit: Nonny

Your Nonny and Papa risked their lives to fly to Austin during an ice storm to stay with you while your daddy and I went on our cruise. Here are a few outtakes.

Pleeeeeeeease Take Me With You On Your Cruise!!

Scenes From A Snow Day

Watching The Snow

First Pot Roast and Watching Dogs Through The Window

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

So Long, Crab Crawl. We'll Miss You!

We recently noticed that your adorable "crab crawl" has been replaced by a more orthodox medthod of "two knee" crawling. We used to tease you for the way you crawled, but we've grown to love it and have found that it is one of the first things that you no longer do that we miss (other than sleeping through the night, which you are welcome to resume at any time).

Diaper Woes

Why must diapers be covered in ink? I like Winnie the Pooh as much as the next gal, but is it really necessary that he and his pals don the entire surface of your diapers? I've been noticing lately that the ink transfers from your diapers to the inside of your onesies. And I don't like the way the pattern shows through your pretty clothes.

You don't seem to care which characters cover your diapers. You hate all diapers. I've never met a child who dislikes having her diapers changed more than you do. We change your diapers several times daily, so I would think you would have become more accustomed to it by now.

It's been especially difficult to change your dirty diapers lately because you've had especially messy bowel movements. Tuesday morning you woke up with another blow out (on my birthday, of all days). Your daddy was out of town, so I was left alone to clean up the mess. I hurried to the bathroom where I undressed and undiapered you and tossed you in the tub for a thorough washing. Mid bath I glanced over my shoulder to find Pancho and Lefty making a meal of the dirty diaper I had discarded. I was absolutely sickened by the site and banished them to the garage for the rest of the day. I couldn't even look at them without thinking of their "dirty" deed.

It was at that point that I realized a call to the doctor was due. She suggested a possible intolerance for lactose could be the culprit and ordered a change in formula. Luckily it only took two bottles of the new formula for your poop to return to a more solid form.

Thoughts On An 11-Month Old

Wow, you're amazing, exhausting, frustrating, hilarious and a dream come true! And I can't believe you're already 11-months old.

Physically you are still very strong. You love climbing up the stairs, but you haven't learned to get back down so we're constantly carrying you back down and watching you go up again. We've started taking walks outside where you actually walk with us behind your walker. Outside you don't have pesky obstacles like furniture and walls to stop you, so you walk very quickly in your cute, straight-legged gait.

Some of your new favorites include grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, cheese slices (see a pattern here?), and you recently enjoyed black olives for the first time with Jana. You prefer eating "real" foods rather than strained baby foods, and after tasting your baby foods, we don't blame you. Food is one of my bigger concerns with you because I'm not a very good eater myself. I try REALLY hard to make sure you get a fruit, veggie, protein and grain with each meal. Of course, whether you eat the things I put on your tray is a completely different challenge.

You mimic us a lot, especially when we laugh. Sometimes we laugh at nothing just to get you giggling. You also stick your tongue out at us when we do. You talk a lot more these days, often babbling incoherently. You repeat "mama" and "dada" when we say it, but it's hard to tell if you correlate us with the words. You said "bye bye" for the first time at the right time during our Christmas trip to KC, so we're counting it as your first word. You also waved while saying it, which we took as additional evidence to your feat.

In just one month you'll be a year old. You might be walking, you'll probably be talking more and trying new foods. We're looking forward to each new day.