11 Months!

 We are less than a month away from James' first birthday. I still can't believe it! Although I feel like he has been with us for longer than that and thinking of him as a newborn seems like such a long time ago... I can't get over the fact he will be 1. That just scares me. I know everyone says it, that the time just flies by, but it is true. It is so much fun seeing him grow up and how fast his little brain picks up on things as well as his body... but it scares me too. Soon he will be a toddler. Soon he will be telling me "NO" and giving me attitude. Soon he will be going to school and it goes on and on. I am hoping he will have siblings so I can do this first year all over again. Kids amaze me. James has already taught me so much about myself, things I never knew before. But I guess that is what being a parent will do. It pushes you and challenges you every day no matter what stage of life you and your little ones are in. I am so blessed I am able to take part in the experience and that I have a wonderful partner to do it all with. OK. Enough of that. I was starting to get carried away! Back to James being 11 months old!

We have had a lot of things happen this past month that I will need to document. James is a total mover! He loves to crawl (still army style) under things, over things, up and down things. He can pull himself up to standing and has even taken a few steps. He loves to use his step stool to get up onto the couch and crawl around. He thinks this is soooo funny because he makes mommy and daddy grab him by the legs while he tries to get back down. He is a silly kids and will randomly start laughing for reasons I don't always know. And we aren't talking little giggles. These are full blown belly laughs! He sometimes laughs so hard it sounds like he is about to cry! He is out of his "wonder weeks" and I am telling you there is a total difference in his demeanor  Although he is teething(for real this time!) and gets a little fussy when his mouth hurts. The teething hasn't been that bad though. One night he was awake a few hours while a tooth broke through, but he hasn't had a fever. Now his two top teeth are about to make an appearance and no sleepless nights yet...

I weighed him a couple of weeks ago and he was 8lbs 12oz. Hoping to break 19lbs soon.

We had to adjust his naps a little because he was taking too long of a morning nap and it was disrupting his afternoon nap. His schedule on most days is: out of bed 7am. nap 10am-1130am. nap 230pm-430pm. Bed by 830pm. He is still drinking 4 - 6oz bottles a day (does not always finish them) and eats 3 meals a day plus snacks.

• Got his first tooth! (lower left central incisor)
• Can pull him self up to stand (supporting himself with an object)
• Still loves to open and close drawers and doors
• Can do a pull up!
• Took a few steps while support
• Getting much better with "real" food. Enjoys feeding himself.
• Loves to sit a read books in his pack n play.
• Plays peek a boo with us.
• Likes to feed mommy and daddy when we are feeding him.
• Is finally starting to figure out the sippy (just in time to introduce cow milk)
• Say "dat dat dat" for almost everything! Still will say nana, baba and mama on occasion. He did say "mom" a few times.
• Points at different objects.

This is the normal view of James... "running away"

 Not really sitting still very long for pictures.

 Going up the step stool to take a look out side