11 Months Old!!!

Guys, my baby is 11 months old and I literally cannot even remember how he got to be so big!  I was at a mom’s bible study the other day and there were SO MANY BABIES!  The funny thing is that I just couldn’t remember Wes being that small or helpless.  It was only a few short months ago that he couldn’t even lift his head off the ground, and now my little dude is walking.

 

Yep, you read that right – walking is the only cool thing these days.  Well, that and scaling the coffee table.  Obviously those are the only cool things, and only REAL dudes can do it.  However, with the addition of climbing things we’ve also entered into the world of fit-throwing.

 

Sigh.

 

You would literally think the world was coming to an end when we don’t let Wes climb on top of the entertainment center.  Or if we make him lay down and drink his bottle instead of climb the coffee table?  Oh. My. Word.  And the best part is that this is just the second day of said fits – I don’t even know what to expect over the next few weeks as we adjust to this new development.

Something I’ve started working with him on this month is signing.  I realize that we may be a little late in starting this, but I’m really just looking to do simple things like “more” “please” “thank you” etc.  I don’t anticipate us all learning the entire book of baby signs, but I figure a few couldn’t hurt!

 

So far he hasn’t started signing, but he recognizes “water” and “more,” so I’m hoping we’re on our way.  We don’t have any words yet and I think Nate and I were both late talkers, so communication in other ways is pretty important!

Also, we are SO not above wearing Christmas outfits in February.  Hence the Santa butt from our little photo shoot yesterday 😉

 

My brain is basically mush after a long week of freelance work, cleaning and just remembering to breathe in general, so I’m going to go ahead and make a list of the things we have going on this month.  There’s a lot!

• TEETH.  We have two teeth!  They’re both on the bottom, but there they are nonetheless.  I can’t wait till he gets his top teeth in, but right now I’m soaking in the moments of 2-teeth grins while I can.  We are working on brushing them, which is NOT a favorite activity since it means he has to hold still, but I think it’s getting easier every time!
• SLEEP.  We still have nights every now and then when he just doesn’t want to stay asleep, and during these nights we kind of weigh how long he’s been asleep vs. how much sleep we’ve had and make a decision in the moment.  Usually I go in his room and we both fall asleep in the rocking chair, but there are still times we have to let him cry it out a little bit.  Those moments are getting further and further apart, though, and he’s waking up with huge smiles and feeling rested.
• FOOD.  I’ve hinted at it a bit, but my man is just not into eating right now.  Literally the only thing he likes these days is cheese, but if we feed him anything off of our plates he comes back for more.  We’re working on it – my goal is for him to see that food is fun and good, and not making it a horrible experience for him.  Nate’s cousin said something the other day that I really appreciated too; she said to keep trying to give him stuff, even when he snubs it or tosses it on the ground.  It’s important that he be exposed to it all, and not limited to only the things he wants!
• PLAY.  Besides all of the walking and climbing he has been learning to play on his own a lot more, which I’m starting to appreciate.  I love being involved and hands-on, but it’s nice to sit back and watch him learning on his own sometimes.  Usually this means I’ll block off the kitchen, toss some metal bowls and wooden spoons on the ground, and let him go at it.  We’re both loving it, and it means I can actually *maybe* start to catch up on house work too!
• DOGS.  OH how he loves our dogs!  Keira is all over that – she just loves being loved – but Bunker still isn’t too sure how he feels about Wes.  Bunker will hover around and get close and sometimes even give Wes a big lick on the forehead, but he never stays too close if Wes gets grabby.  Wes has figured out that “Bubba” means Bunker, and he gets SO EXCITED when Bunker graces us with his presence!
• FAMILY.  When Nate gets home at night the dogs always go nuts and stand by the door, which Wes has figured out means Dada is here!  He’ll peer around whatever corner of the house we’re in and bounce up and down til he sees Nate.  Lately he’ll also giggle the whole time – it ALMOST as cute as the huge smile he gets when he sees his dad walk in!  BEST. EVER.  He’s also started hugging too, which of course melts my heart.  And the kisses?  Heaven!

So there you have it!  Eleven months and counting, and I can’t believe that less than a year ago I was still pregnant.  I have a realllllly long torso, so being pregnant never really felt as cumbersome as it does for some women, and I remember foolishly thinking that I would never go through the whole waddling and discomfort stage at the end.  And then the end came.  Suffice to say I could waddle with the best of them, and was more than ready for the baby to come out!  Now that I look at Wes I just can’t believe that he was ever anywhere but here in our arms.  It has been so fun, and I am shocked (in a really good way) at how much I love being a mom.  It’s not that I didn’t think I would like it, but I never imagined it would be this fun.

 

I say it all the time, but we are so blessed.  God has been so good to us in letting us parent Weston, and I am just so thankful for him!

So to sum up how big my little man is getting, here’s a little video of him walking yesterday morning –> after this little straightaway he literally started walking in circles around the house.  WHAT?!?!