Can it be?

...that Rachel is 11 MONTHS OLD TODAY?? How did that happen?

She is:

--crawling everywhere. And starting to open cabinets. We need to put more baby locks on the ones closest to the floor in the kitchen. One of her favorite activities is following me into the kitchen, grabbing the magnets off the refrigerator, gumming them and throwing them on the floor.

--pulling up, albeit infrequently. She can pull herself to a standing position but can't quite hold it yet. And even when we encourage her, she shows no interest in walking.

--starting to eat some grownup foods, like slices of strawberry and watermelon. And anytime she won't eat jarred baby food (like tonight), she'll take Cheerios and rice crackers from Trader Joe's. I think it's because both of them are small, perfect for baby hands!

--developing teeth. She has six, four on the bottom and two on top, and a seventh on the top is rapidly poking through.

--babbling a lot, and occasionally a word or two will come through. Tonight it was "daddy," by accident. A couple of weeks ago it was "love you." But she's not really talking yet. We're giving it time.

--Holding her bottle by herself 90 percent of the time. And she's rapidly losing interest in formula, which is great because our pediatrician says we can start giving her milk on her first birthday. Hooray! No more spending $30 a week on formula!

--cuddly when she's tired or just needs a break. Lately she's developed the habit of, after I give her her final bottle for the night, pulling back from my chest and giving me a goofy grin. I usually crack up because she's so funny. So, she grins even more. I could do this for hours.

--so far, a happy, playful baby and an endless source of wonder and amusement for her parents.