Little miss grown-up

Everyone says that kids grow up fast. Well, I agree with them 100%. Annabelle has changed so much in 17 months, as I'm sure every baby does. As you can see from the pictures below, she looks quite different. But I think it's more than just the fact that she has hair now. Annabelle looks and acts much older than she really is. (I think Michael would contend that she doesn't act older than she is). I am with her 24/7 and I admit that she has her "baby moments", but she understands things that other kids her age don't. She is smart and shows her intelligence all the time. For example, one afternoon, she spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how to open a zip-lock bag. First, she studied the the bag and then just by trial and error, figured out what its purpose was and how to open it. She now loves to get some bags out of the drawer, open them, and fill them with something. I have also tried to start giving her piano lessons, although they never last for more than about 30 seconds. I'm trying to teach her easy things like middle C, and I have noticed that she is trying to understand what I'm teaching her. I think most kids would immediately start banging on the keys when they're put in front of a piano (which Annabelle does after our 30 second lesson). Her latest obsession is her parents' shoes. She loves to put them on and walk around in them. Then, she'll take them off and put them on our feet.

I'm anxious to see what the next several months will bring and how Annabelle's growth and development will have progressed.