So, on Tuesday I was at work and wrote “1/6/2015” at the top of my first patient worksheet for the day. It hit me. She’s 11 months old. ELEVEN. You guys, that’s only four weeks from being one year old. 

Someone hold me.

These pictures were made possible by Puffs. I literally had to bribe her to get any decent ones. 

She’s decided it’s more fun to take the headbands off now. She’s becoming a bit more mischievous and really keeping us on our toes.

As of now, I’m not planning to do these monthly updates after she turns one, but I may change my mind. I love being able to revisit when she did what, and to relive all the milestone moments from her first year. I may just do an update every few months or so. We’ll see how it goes.

This past month included her first Christmas! 
Our first Christmas as parents. 

Even though she’s too little to understand, it was really magical and just made the holidays even more joyful than they already are.

{ we have a pic in this very same spot last year….only I was hugely pregnant with this little babe still in my belly. }

This was her holiday outfit for my family’s Christmas party and meeting Santa. Could you die???
(Everything consignment except the pink leggings and the Owen and Abi skirt.)

She met Santa for the first time! And by that I mean, she was strategically placed on his lap without ever making eye contact with him, because that seemed to be the safest bet. She didn’t seem especially happy or excited about it BUT there were no tears, no pulling of beards, and no shrieking screams. So I’m calling that a win all around.

We picked out a Christmas tree at the tree farm as a family. 

Went something like this: Drive up to desolate tree farm halfway through December. Spot a tree in the middle of a clearing. Determine it’s about 95% perfect (!). Decide you will literally cut anyone if they try to take the tree first. Hubby chops down tree (super impressive) and throws it in the back of the truck. Drive home and then let 95%-perfect-tree sit undecorated in the house for a week. OH WELL. What’s important is we got a tree, people. And it was decorated exactly one week prior to Christmas. So again, calling that one a win. Also, Aven didn’t try to destroy the ornaments which I was totally betting on.

Girlfriend loves some Christmas lights. Whenever the tree is lit up, she points to it and does a little high pitched squeal with this surprised/excited/overjoyed look on her face. So cute. We went to an outdoor light event in our city that was pretty spectacular, and she was enamored.

It was soo cold. She kept putting her hands up to Brandon’s mouth for him to warm them up. 

We had a little photo booth set up at one of our family Christmas parties. Here’s what Aven thought about it:

Obviously thrilled.