11 Month Update

This is the last time to celebrate just a "month" because next time, Michael will be a year old!

How can it have been a year already?

How can it only have been a year? Wasn't Baby Michael always a part of our lives (of course, he was for 9 months before he was born too...but it seems that he has always been!)

Everyday is something new for our little (but not the littlest anymore!) man.

Each morning now we are greeted by him standing up in his crib ready to go.

The process of him learning that skill was fun. He started by pulling up to kneeling, and surprising himself with it.

Then, as he was kneeling, he fumbled with his feet for a while and got himself to a wobbly stand, and really surprised himself and me!! He was pleased with my reaction and knew he needed to try for it again!

He then attempted it again and again until finally, it seems to be a pretty normal skill for him (but I still theatrically applaud him for being such a big boy. I wonder, should I encourage this behavior?!)

Not only does he stand up in bed, but he can get to standing pretty much anywhere that is strong enough to support his many attempts at it: his musical table. Imagine my surprise when one minute he was kneeling at it, I looked down to finish making his dinner and then look up to see him standing, beaming proudly waiting for me to theatrically applaud (which I did).

He also surprised me yesterday by pulling up to stand on the couch, and then today on a box of diapers!

So, he is firmly in the world of the vertical I think (well, as long as he has something to hold!).

He is now getting really adventurous with this too. Today, when he was standing leaning on his box of diapers, he moved to the wall, put both hands on the wall and kind of wobbled for a few minutes wondering what to do next. He dare not let go of the wall, but wasn't quite sure how to move!

By the time we had moved over to the couch, I was able to entice him with the glowing screen on my computer and he was able to move from one end of my (very) small couch to the other to tap on my keyboard. It took him several minutes, but he did it!

Next, he went from the couch to the adjacent recliner...so he's starting to get braver!

When he falls, even if he doesn't bump anything (just gets frustrated) it's always several minutes of him recovering, so hopefully he'll learn to toughen up a little bit, but he always pulls through and tries again.

He claps his hands (which has always been one of my favorite things babies do!). He knows the word "clap" by sound and has on an occasion or two even looked at the word "clap" and done it. Coincidence? Learning to read? Well, since I'm the mom and I'm entitled to think my kid is smart, I'll think the latter, but I won't fault you if you think the former...for now (but I'll have you know I will appeal to baby Michael's Mumma and aunt Noree' as a witness that he did it at least once!)

He picked up "rolling" his arms from playing Patty-Cake (hmm...never actually spelled that out before). It's cute!

He definitely has his father's love of music as evidenced by his "rocking out" every time Daddy Michael plays the guitar. He is really entranced by it and hits the car (sometimes even in rhythym), tries to strum the strings, "sings," and bounces up and down. Way, way, way cute.

I'm working really hard to get away from "baby food" and give him "real food." It's a tough move. When I give him "baby food" (meaning food I don't have to prepare more than opening up a jar...thanks Gerber for accomodating my laziness!), I know how much he eats and am always satisfied it feels like enough. When I break up pieces and put it on his tray, some of it ends up on the floor, some on his chair, some in his bib, some in his hair, some under his chin, some in between his fingers, and finally some in his mouth.

He's been spoiled by pureed food and by being spoon-fed. Food I know he likes, he'll turn his nose to if he has to put it in his own mouth. I kid you not, I've even taken some of his food from his tray, but it on a spoon and put it in his mouth and he'll eat it. Doh.

I mean, he's not a picky eater, but I think he really liked the smooth texture which I've really been straying from lately, so I'm not convinced he is feeling as full at the end of each meal. It's a learning curve for him and me, I guess. Though this has me tempted to start his brother off on non-pureed foods and induct him into chunky(but mushy)food-dom right out. Well, I've got a while to decide.

He loves cheese, chicken, beef, sausage, plums, apricots, yogurt, lasagna, orzo pasta with sauce, quesadillas, peaches-on-a-spoon, pototoes, eggs, and anything resembling bread.

He, so far, hates ground beef (snob!), peas that I blend or just put on his tray, sweet potatoes (which he totally used to love!), spaghetti-os, and mac and cheese that's not blended into goo.

Anways, we'll see as I think of new ideas and he gets used to big-boy food how things go. I just never knew worrying about getting your kid the right nutrition could be so stressful! Those baby food jars spoiled me because looking at the ingredients, it looked like everything was good for them, all blended into one nicely-looking and decently tasting medley!

Michael's personality and inter-relatability is really really fun. He actually communicates that he wants to play, be silly, make faces, or even just be left alone to do his own thing. He can just give a look which gets me laughing, which gets him laughing, etc.

He knows he is the center of our little world and exploits it shamelessly.

___

Baby Boy is doing well too, though I swear those two are already conspiring. Michael gets me all tired out during the day, and then as I lay my head down to go to sleep, that's when his brother has to get some attention. He takes FOREVER to settle down sometimes. He definitely lets me know when he doesn't approve of my sleeping position and is relentless until I accomodate his comfort. I just wonder what he's going to be like when he can really get kicking and shoving in there!

Of course, he's our little boy too and already taking his place in our family. I must watch his little video 20 times a day. I wonder what he'll look like, be like, how he'll be similar to Michael and how he'll be different. I wonder how Daddy Michael will survive with two boys clammering for his every bit of attention, and how baby Michael will adjust to the newest member. I laugh a lot because as Michael is crawling through the apartment, if something is in his way, he doesn't just go around it, or even just get it out of his way, he attacks it until it flies so far clear of his path it's outta sight, outta mind. I think about how he'll be with a baby brother...oh heavens!

So we are blessed abundantly as we celebrate 11 months with our little boy, and the joy and thrill of getting to do it all again soon!

P.S. Sorry for the super-abundance of bath pictures, but we think they are cute!