11 Months Old!

November 23, 2013

James is now 11 months old! 

These months keep flying by and this Mama can't seem to keep up! However, each month (well, day, really) gets more exciting as we go! What seems like overnight, James has turned into a little boy! A tiny man. He is FULL of energy, smiles, laughs, sweetness, seriousness, curiosity, courage, persistence and personality. It is amazing watching him learn and grow; he is very observant and is turning into quite the entertainer.

James LOVES:

Teddy bears, peek-a-boo, hide and seek, cruising along furniture, walking/pushing the mini Jeep around, lion walker, story time, rhymes/songs, books, pop-up/flap books, paci (ut oh!), "talking", baby Legos (taking them apart, not together yet), animals, cause and effect, ripping paper, trying to figure out how things work (remotes, phones, coffee, etc), experimenting with a sippy cup, wooden toys and blocks, all music, dancing

James DOESN'T LOVE:

Socks (on his feet; he does love to chew on them, though!)

Did I mention he is WALKING?!

James can do so many things now, so it seems silly to try to make a list. Something new everyday! Because I won't be able to list it all, here are a few things we want to remember that he is doing at this age:

• Dances and shakes his booty and head when you say Dance Baby Dance, or Shake It, Shake It
• Giving hugs (all of a sudden, so sweet!)
• Calling his teddy bears Ted
• Belting out big laughs with a game of peek-a-boo or hide-and-seek. These games, or the laughs they produce, will never get old to us!
• Saying HI and waving, or HI when he finds the phone (puts phone up to ear or face!)
• Waving bye-bye when you say goodbye
• Looking under objects for hidden treasure (couches, tables, cabinets, crib...). 
• Excited by anything cause & effect ("Oh wow!")
• Crawling up the stairs unassisted (but spotted with extreme caution)
• Cruising along everything and gaining confidence by taking a few unassisted steps a few times a day (he is up to 5 steps now before sitting or resuming crawling! Big boy!!) His legs are getting stronger everyday! He is going to be full blown walking in no time... Eek!
• Giving me hugs and rubbing my arm/patting my back when I hold him (too cute!)
• Brushing his hair (well, tries!)
• Touching his toes and nose when you ask where they are
• Although he can't say the words yet, he is pretty smart: He will point to or pick up a familiar object if you ask him about it (i.e. Where is your teddy bear? Elephant? Blanket? Phone? Monkey?...etc)
• Still nursing! (Hope to make it until Spring!)

Funny things he says:

• Ted, Cat, Ut Oh, Wow, HI, Pump (pumpkin), Pup-pup (puppy), Pop, Pop-Pop and Papa (mostly Gramps, but sometimes also Phil?), Mama, Baba, Dada, Dat (as in 'what's that?' pointing to his desired object)
• Singing to himself in the car. When we catch him doing this, we just turn the music low so we can listen in awe - so sweet!
• Tries to mimic the sound of the words you say
 

We cannot believe Christmas is around the corner... little man you are going to be ONE soon?!