11 Months

Dear Bean,

I can't believe we are one quick month away from your first birthday. The older you get the bigger your personality gets. It makes me a little nervous that you are only 11 months old and already have such a strong will and mind of your own.

In the past month you have discovered button pushing. You love to cruise over to the cable box and push the on/off button over and over. Cable on! Cable off! Cable on! Cable off! It cracks me up. You have also learned that sometimes buttons do things. When you are pushing the cable box button you will watch the t.v. go on and off. You will also watch the t.v. to do stuff when I let you play with the remote. You are so smart!

I caved and gave you one of your Christmas presents early. A barn yard magnet toy for the fridge. You love to stand and rip the magnets off the fridge and fling them every which way. There is also a button on the top of the barn that you love to push as well, it makes the barn play music.

I have been trying over and over to teach you to clap your hands while we sing "If You're Happy and You Know It," but all I can get you to do is flail your arms up and down excitedly. You haven't quite grasped the concept yet, but it makes me smile to watch you try.

You are babbling all sorts of sounds now, but I'm not sure if you know what any of them mean. You are also finally babbling dada (much to your father's delight). There are some things I know you understand though. "No" because you always cry and get upset when I say it. "Come here" you will usually come to me when I say that, and "more." I have been trying to teach you the sign language sign for "more." You will do it on occasion, but only when I prompt you, I've never seen you do it on your own yet.

You still love eating. Pretty much anything we put in front of you you gobble up. Lately you've started to throw your food on the floor when you are done eating. I feel like I'm on constant clean up duty in the kitchen, especially since you eat 3 meals a day now. Sometimes I feel like as soon as I get the breakfast mess cleaned up it's time to feed you lunch!

You love to walk with your dino push toy. You get so proud when you are walking and giggle the entire time you do it. You haven't figure out how to steer it yet. You get going so fast and then collide with anything that gets in your way.

You don't like reading books yet. Every time we show you an open book, you crawl over and close it and then gnaw on the corners. The only books that slightly hold your attention are the "touch and feel" type books. You love to "pat the bunny." This might also explain why you love grabbing handfuls of cat hair off the cat.

You are no longer my squishy little new born. Always on the go and into everything I see you turning into a toddler before my very eyes. It blows my mind to think of having conversations with you in just a few short months, but I know it will be here before I know it because this year has gone by so fast.

Happy 11 months baby.

Love,

Mama