life according to the diaz's: Our First Halloween and 11 Months Old!!!

It has been a few weeks since I've been able to find a good time to sit at the computer and write about our little girl. She is one busy body, let me tell you! I can no longer just let her play in the room or watch an episode of Sesame Street while I type for a bit. Elena is walking all over the place and getting into anything that will open...cabinets, drawers...you name it, she will find a way to get it open! Life has been great, though. Our little girl is growing up right before our eyes and sometimes it makes me so happy and other times it makes me somewhat sad...and when I say sad, I mean that our monumental first year together is almost over...Elena turned 11 months old on October 30th and is on her way to becoming a one year old. Seriously, I don't know how to take that some days. I miss my little 7 pounder that came home with us last year! All the nights sleeping on the recliner because that's the only way she'd fall asleep for more than an hour or two, checking facebook at 2:30am just to see if I was the only one awake at the time, and holding E's binkie in her mouth until she fell asleep are just a few of the memories that will live on with me for a lifetime. I remember thinking back then how frustrated I would get but would look back on all of it with a smile on my face and here I am doing just that. Juan and I find ourselves just smiling at one another when we look at her playing so innocently by herself. She is just so smart and knows how to play. We marvel at her and still can't seem to comprehend that this little human being is our own. I feel like we have been doing a fine job raising our first baby so far. Elena's first birthday is less than a month away...

Over the last few weeks, Elena has been eating a lot of new foods! She is loving her shredded cheese still, but has now moved onto string cheese too. Elena enjoys mozzarella, colby jack, and cheddar cheeses. I'm sure there are more that she likes, but we are sticking with the ones we enjoy most too! Elena tried her first french fry (which she loved), mashed potatoes, pieces of bread, yogurt bites, and even macaroni and cheese. I'm sure there are other foods we have given her, but I can't remember them all! She is still eating her regular baby foods, but her tastes are definitely evolving. She is gagging on the foods she doesn't like anymore, although, I have found that if I add a little extra bit of water to some of her food (especially the homemade ones), the texture is a bit smoother and she likes that more. She couldn't be more like her mama :) Elena still takes her bottles of formula daily and we have been working on that sippy cup, but it still isn't going that great. I'm going to give her this month and then hit the sippy cup hard after she turns one. I've been reading up on how to make a smooth transition, so here's to hoping it goes well!

Below are lots and lots of pictures from the last few weeks...starting with a NLCS championship day picture before school and ending with Elena and I's little outing to the park the other day. We continue to stay very busy with school and Elena, but Juan and I couldn't be more blessed. We are so thankful everyday for this beautiful family of ours and only hope to continue to grow closer together as we move into our first Thanksgiving together later this month. We have so much to be thankful for and are looking forward to all the blessed times ahead the next few months!