Eleven Months

Will is not a baby anymore!  It is amazing how in the last month he has become so communicative and so responsive.  He clearly understands much of what I say (including "no") and even though he only has one little high-pitched escalating "uh?" sound, he can use that to communicate exactly what he wants.  That little "uh?" can mean "more," or "what is that?" or "I want that" or even "play with me" depending on the circumstances.  And he has also become good at scrunching up his face and throwing food to indicate that he is done with a meal.  That one we might need to work on a little.

He does have a lot of other babbles using all sorts of consonants and vowels now...and one very consistent word: Bella.  Sometimes it sounds like "Bewa" and sometimes it's just "Beh," but when he sees her, he points and says her name.  He's working on Mama and Dada...I'm sure they'll come in time!  But for now, Bella is his best friend.  She has started to enjoy him, too, and she'll even bring him her rope to play tug-of-war.  And while she's lying on her bed, Will will come over and give her hugs.  He still enjoys pulling her tail but for the most part, they get along famously.

He's eating nearly all finger foods now.  He much prefers to feed himself rather than be fed a puree.  He's a really good eater.  He isn't thrilled about strawberries or avocados, but pretty much everything else I've offered him gets gobbled up.  His new favorites this month are watermelon and clementines.  He can't get enough.

We enjoyed our first family vacation this month to Kiawah Island with all the Wilsons.  It was exhausting, but a good time.  Will loved the water and seemed to enjoy the beach more and more as the week went on.  It was such a joy for me to watch Will enjoying the beach that I fell in love with as a kid.  How wonderful to be able to share that with him.

Traveling was a bit more challenging now that he is crawling everywhere.  He's into drawers and doors...crawling has opened up a whole new world for him and he clearly loves the freedom!  One of his favorite things is to play Peek-a-Boo by crawling from one end of the ottoman (or kitchen island or large chair) to the other, and peeking out from each side.  He also loves playing with balls, throwing them and chasing them.  His favorite toy is the dinosaur popper that plays music and bounces balls around in its tummy.  Except I often find the balls hidden in the corner of the family room and the popper filled with socks, puzzle pieces, plastic bowls, and toy cars.  He loves hearing different noises clacking all around.  It is funny, I have to admit!  Even though he is active and happy at home, he is still very shy around new people and it takes him a long time to warm up in new environments.  It will be interesting to see his personality continue to develop. 

At night now, Will isn't falling asleep nursing any more.  He finishes nursing and then he lets me cuddle him and rock him for a while before I put him in his crib for the night.  With his head on my shoulder I can't help but thank God for Will and for the chance to be his mom.  These days go by quickly and I want to soak up every moment.  One day I will hardly believe he used to fit in my arms!  For now, though, I'm just so happy to have him there.