11 months

Well kiddo, what can I say? You are a month shy of one year old today and the time has just flown by. You are a mover and a shaker and win over the hearts of everyone you meet. As with every month you've been a part of our little family, you are making leaps and bounds in your progress towards bossing me around like your dad. It's okay though, you're just too cute to get mad at. There is absolutely no way I can write about everything that you are doing and learning, but here are a few highlights from the last several weeks.

In one Sunday afternoon, you ate chicken nuggets (and now you love them and will eat 4 for lunch), figured out how to clap and crawled up the stairs - all 17 of them. You are so close to walking that we're sure you'll be doing it by your birthday and you are getting good enough that I only need to hold one hand as you tentatively take steps around the world.

Your dexterity is improving daily and I'm amazed at what you can pick up and even more amazed that you don't shove every single thing you find into your mouth. You love to push buttons on the remote control, the telephone, the garage door opener and the carbon monoxide detector in the hall. The day you did that was a great experience - I got to see your skeleton jump out of your skin just like on a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

This month, you visited 5 states: Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland. That brings your grand total up to 9 (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada). That's quite impressive considering traveling with you is a little bit of a challenge. Everywhere we go though, people stop and stare at you. Probably because you are staring right back at them with your big blue eyes, but you definitely seem to be a ladies man, that's for sure. You have a radar for moms and grandmas and cute little girls. You could stare at cute little girls for hours and hours.

I love that you will sing songs with me and that you are learning the actions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider". Every morning when we come downstairs for breakfast, I turn on the music and you giggle and shudder for joy in my arms with anticipation of the song that we will hear. Some songs get you groovin' immediately and I'm so happy that you enjoy the Beatles, beach boys, and death cab for cutie. It's so cute to watch you get excited about singing and learning and that your books are your most favorite toys. It makes me so happy that you babble and talk to me all day long - I no longer feel that I am home with a baby, but a real person that interacts with me. You probably think I'm dumb, but that's okay. I don't mind.

I am so happy that you are 11 months old. You definitely seem to be leaving me in the dust and needing me less and less each day, especially when your dad, grandma, grandpa, haley and willie are around, but I know that you love me. The times you'll rest your head on my shoulder and say "ahhh" and those huge, unsolicited open mouth kisses on my nose tell me so everyday.