James at 11 Months

I’m a little late with this update and cannot believe James turns one THIS month.  I’m honestly trying not to think about it too much and to just enjoy the month, as I tend to get overly sentimental.  Still, things are changing rapidly as James takes his first steps and I look at going back to work part-time.  It definitely feels like this very special year is coming to a close in a very real way.

Okay, before I get too sappy, on to the update!

Eating

James eats all the things.  He normally eats what we’re eating for dinner now, which makes things so much easier.  We offered him a few bites of ice cream on vacation and he was fine with it, but made it clear he’d rather eat his peas.  Who is this kid?

He did however love the homemade pizza we made last week, and really loves mashed potatoes.  He also continues to love yogurt, fruit, and anything someone else is eating.  He literally begged on his knees for a bite of a granola bar my sister was eating when she was here…five minutes after finishing a big breakfast.

My favorite development with his eating has been his desire to share.  He holds out tiny bites of food to me and, even though his hand is covered in unidentifiable food residue, I think it is the sweetest thing.  Sometimes if it is a bite of something really good though, he takes it back at the last second haha.

Sleep

I don’t want to jinx anything, but sleep has been so good!  Before our vacation, he had been frequently waking up at 5:30 or so for the day.  For some reason, ever since we got back two weeks ago, he’s often been sleeping until 7 or later.  Apparently he decided to stay on East Coast time and I am not complaining.  (Right now it’s 7:30 and he’s still sleeping…I literally never thought that would happen.)

I’ve also woken up a couple of mornings and all was quiet, but when I looked at the monitor he was silently walking the perimeter of his bed.  Works for me little man!

The only negative with sleep is that he has hit the clingy stage and sometimes cries when it’s time to go to bed now.  It generally doesn’t go on too long though, I just hate to hear him crying!

Physical Development

The biggest change has been James has started taking his first steps!  This happened last week, so just after he turned 11 months.  I would not say he’s walking, but he is taking a few steps at a time and is very close.  Right now, it is more of a mad dash between two things so that he can make it there before gravity catches up.

He is also standing for long periods of time – he likes to stand while we read books these days.  And a smaller, but one of my favorite physical developments – he is waving!  Something about this is just way too cute for me to handle.  He stood at the door waving for the longest time when my sister and her fiance left last week.  It melts my heart.

He has also started climbing things, which is interesting.  I was sweeping the floor after lunch the other day and looked over to see him sitting on the couch…holding the remote control no less.

Seeing him climb the furniture with no regard for safety is a little scary, but still fun to watch him exploring the world in a new way.

Personality

He is the sweetest.  Clearly I’m not biased at all, not even a little bit 🙂

He has become more clingy this month, but I honestly don’t mind.  He is normally so independent and on the go, I will soak up every long hug and slobbery baby kiss he gives me during this stage and will hold him in my lap all day long if he wants.  I of course still encourage him to be independent, but I am loving this time when he wants his Mama.

He also has a serious love of games…or what passes for a game at this age.  He of course loves peekaboo and also loves any other silly little game we come up with around here.  He gives the best belly laughs.

He has become fascinated with taking things in and out of containers.

He loves the splash pad, the beach, exploring, and READING.  He will seriously sit and listen to books for the longest time, which is funny because he is otherwise never still.  I’m very excited about this as I love to read and really look forward to reading him some of my childhood favorites as he grows.

I’m going to try not to become overly sentimental this  month as his birthday approaches.  I want to look back and reflect and remember this first year, but I also don’t want to waste too much time thinking about the past.  I want to truly be present and enjoy each day with the little buddy as he continues to change and grow.

Does anyone have a birthday this month?  (Apparently, it’s the most common birthday month in the US.)