Welcome to ALMOST Toddlerhood life here at our house…..Where when we don’t like a certain food we spat your hand away! The camera and capturing my little one makes me happy, a smoothie on a hot summer day is fun for any little! 
Life with an *almost* 11 month old. Well…better said would be… life with *almost* a one year old!!!! How in the world? How is it possible I’ve been contemplating and planning a little girls one year birthday party? How? I have to let it sink in from time to time…we almost have a 1 year old! They (as in strangers and people and family and friends) always told me to cherish each moment, don’t rush it, enjoy it – because time flies. I tried, I did… but the moments are still fleeting. I would sit and rock Elle a little longer…I would hold her a little longer each night at bed time…I would kiss her one extra time…I’d stare at her crawling a wee bit longer…I would laugh at her giggles and do the same silly thing over-and-over just to hear her laugh one more time…we act all crazy just to get smiles and we do it over and over…that’s what we do to cherish this little girl.
Yet…
There is one thing I do all of the time and that is take pictures of her. Why? I want to remember these memories, freeze these smiles, stop and remember her crawling and well you get the picture, the list goes on.
I hope you’ll take these tips and as crazy as life gets with an *almost* one year old…even though she won’t look at me (or rather the camera) very long rather she is headed straight to me to explore and touch my camera, I still take the pictures and here is why.
1- The moments are fleeting and she won’t be a baby much longer
Although she’ll always be my baby, she won’t be a a wee baby and she’s going to become even more independent and less dependent on me! It’s not a bad thing, I’m looking forward to the fun we’ll have and the memories we’ll make as a toddler and mama. I might have a few stressed moments, who doesn’t? I might have a messier house before bedtime, but it’s nothing that can’t be picked up. I might accomplish a few less things on my to do list, but it can wait until tomorrow.
2- Stop. Sit and STOP!
I am a busy person. I am a do-er. I am not an idle person. I don’t like tv or movies because I can’t sit that long and well there are just more important things in life to do. That’s my mentality…my brain…me. So I have to remind myself to sit and stop. Play with her in the floor, grab a few books and sit in the rocker and read (or rather flip pages and flip more pages—that’s our form of reading these days!)
3- Exploring New things!
For me and my husband part of the fun is watching. Watching our little one explore new things, opening, closing, pulling, “throwing”, talking, giggling, silly faces, learning, repeating and more. Our little one l-o-v-e-s to eat. She especially loves her fruit and cereal in the mornings and before bedtime! As she gets more teeth (she’s been slow on this part of baby-hood!) she will explore new foods and drinks. One that is on our bucket list when she can is the Gerber GoodStart. Healthy baby is a priority and we strive to do that through good sleep patterns, healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle all around.
Lastly, one way I am going to incorporate the Gerber Good Start Grow Toddler Drink is by special treats like this yummy Banana Smoothie!
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PLUS!!! You can enter to win a “Welcome to Toddlerhood Kit” (Provided by Gerber) so you can really experience the Stage 3 Gerber Good Start Toddler Drink and some bonus goodies! To enter, just click here to learn more about Stage 3 Gerber Good Start Grow Toddler Drink. Then, leave me a comment sharing your own stories and experiences with your own little one’s transition into toddlerhood and the challenges and joys of toddlers mealtimes. I welcome ANY tips you can give this first time mama!
Summer duffy says
Oh the fun of transitioning to toddler food is watching them explore the food, the cute faces they make when they try something for the first time. And the mess is always fun!