11 Months for Liam

This week Liam has turned 11 months old. This has been a very busy month for the working man and he has learned many new things. I'd tell you about them but he is in the middle of showing me how Einstein figured out the whole relativity thing.

I also realized this week that I'm in a little bit of denial. My baby is almost one year old and I can hardly TYPE the damn words without getting all teary eyed and mushy and shit. UGH. Hold on.

Ok.

No... wait.

Ok. Yes, I realized this when Dan said something to me last night. We have a calendar in our kitchen that is to track Liam's first year. Dan said to me last night, "You haven't turned Liam's calendar over to 11 months yet." Oh. I haven't? Oh. Hm. I've got to go floss. Or something.

I've gone several times to the store in the past two weeks looking for fall clothes for Liam. I find myself lingering in the newborn section, thinking how soft and sweet the clothes are. Why is it that once babies turn one - the clothes are more stiff and scratchy?

Anyway, Liam doesn't really have time for my nostalgia. Not when he is busy playing Operation! the Wacky Doctor Game in the corner and comparing it to Grey's Anatomy.

Liam is pulling up, getting down, pulling up, getting down. Cruising the coffee table to the couch to the end table to the floor to his table toy to his pack n' play. Back to the coffee table.

He is crawling. Most of the time he is doing the big boy crawl, not the inchworm. He is hitting a ball and following it around. Liam bangs blocks together. He shakes everything first to see if they make a sound.

He is eating most things we give him. Likes blueberries a LOT. Blueberries spend NO TIME hanging out on his highchair tray. The tray which he figured out how to remove this morning. [What the HELL, Fisher-Price?] He likes pizza and pasta and bread. YUM bread! He is relunctantly eating green beans and peas. LOVES corn. Mashed potatoes - MMMM. He tries to shove the whole biter biscuit in his mouth so we don't do those much. He can drink from a sippy cup but is still figuring out how to hold the cup himself.

He says Dada, MumMum, bah [ball], and duh [dog] and what I think is meh [milk]. He is either waving bye-bye or waving me to come closer (something I do to him when he is crawling away from me].

Dear Liam, How are you, buddy? You seem pretty happy with the state of things. You are so much happier now that you are crawling and pulling up and climbing. You don't like for me to get too far away which can make me crazy sometimes.

We had to help you learn how to go to sleep by yourself again. You wanted MumMum to stay in the room but we know that's no good so we let you cry a little which made MumMum cry a little but now you are back on track and sleeping like a champ. You love your blue satiny blanky and your bear and still like the binky for going to sleep.

We had to lower your crib when you started pulling up. Sorry if that scared you. It must look so strange in there with no bumper pad. A little scary. Maybe that's why you wanted MumMum to stay. But we are so proud of you that you got used to it, and now when you wake up, you sit and play with your blanky and bear till we get to you. You always look so fresh and happy and rosy cheeked after you sleep. That's why MumMum squeezes you and covers you with kisses.

I love your laugh. Your "hehhehheh" and "hahaha" and the tongue hanging out. I love when I catch you watching me. You always smile when I catch you and we both laugh.

MumMum is a little worried about your first birthday next month. You are getting to be such a little boy now. But it will be a great day. The day you were born. And made our house so much of a better place.

Love you peanut!
MumMum