WOW, 11 Months....

Can you believe it? Ian is 11 months old today!
What a happy and amazing 11 months it has been.

He develops more and more words and sounds each day. The last couple of days, he has been saying 'nine' all day long. Today, he keeps repeating the 'g' sound. And, he is trying to say cup to get his sippy cup, but it's not quite there yet. Words most often used: Dada, Mama and UP! (I hear 'Mama, up up up up' a lot.) He can say dog, cat (as Sam and I found out the other day when we asked him to say dog!), duck, ate, got, and that (used as a question like 'What's that?).

What else does he do, like or dislike?
1) He loves the swing that Mark and I hung for him in the backyard. He would rather be in that swing than anywhere else, I think. 2) He does not like his knees to touch the grass or the cold tile in the kitchen. He 'crab' crawls on his hands and feet to keep from touching. It's very funny to watch. 3) He crawls so fast he is hard to catch up with sometimes. (And, I thought he would never crawl. Lesson learned: Be careful what you wish for in life, it might happen.) 4) He is onery. He will look over his shoulder to see if you are watching him get into something he knows he shouldn't be getting into. 5) He loves to play "Peek" which is his version of peek-a-boo. My Mom is is his favorite for that particular game. She ducks down below his highchair and pops up saying "Peek". He laughs so hard, he can't catch his breath! 6) He will walk very, very soon. He pulls himself up on anything that stands still. He lets go with both hands and then remembers that he isn't holding on anymore. 7) He does not like the word 'no'. He collapses to the floor and sobs if told no. Being the evil Mom, I laugh at this instead of picking him up which makes him really mad. (Can't let him learn that a temper tantrum is acceptable after all.) 8) He still hates potatos and peas. 9) He is holding his own bottle and sippy cup. The bottle was a challenge, but he went through "Aunt Sam's Baby Bootcamp" this past week. 10) He loves Goldfish crackers, oyster crackers, fig newtons and Cheerios. 11) He loves music, any type of music. When I was pregnant, he liked Aerosmith. He still does. Good Boy! 12) He loves air blowing in his face. He would rather die from the heat than have the car window up. 13) Mark and I are convinced that he is an "adrenaline junkie". The faster or higher something can go, the better as far as he is concerned. 14) He is fearless and very determined as noted in the last post. (I can't imagine where that stubborn streak comes from!) 15) He waves to everyone. People who are walking down the street, friends/family coming or going from the house, Mickey Mouse at the close of his show, everyone! 16) He loves Mickey Mouse. If he hears the theme song for the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, he will stop doing whatever he is doing so that he can bounce along to the beat. 17) He never stops moving! He moves all night long in his sleep. He moves all day long. Some part of him is in constant movement at all times. God, help me!! Sports will be our life to keep him from driving me crazy with his constant movement. 18) He loves watches, remotes and telephones. If he sees any of those things, he lunges for it. He can hold himself parallel to the table, floor, etc if it means he might reach the remote or phone. He is very strong. 19) He learned how to go up the steps at 'Uncle Burtney's' today. All 14 of them!! 20) And finally, the basic stats: He weighs 22.5lbs and is 30" tall. (Thats 2.5lbs and 2" more than his check up last month!) Still a 'long skinny grean bean' as the Dr. said.

What a difference 11 months makes in your life! I wouldn't trade any of it for even a nano-second. I wouldn't trade the food throwing, the bouts of spitting up, the temper tantrums/crying for no reason. I wouldn't even trade the poopy, stinky diapers! I don't like any of those things, but they are all precious to me. (Bet ya never thought you would hear me say that?!?!?!)