Month Eleven

Duckie, I am in shock and awe that you are eleven months old today! Partly because I haven't really started planning your birthday yet, and last year at this time I was having your baby shower. I had no clue how much I would love being a Mommy, and how utterly amazing you would turn out to be. I love you so much.

I just put you down to sleep, we had a rough day with you throwing up three or four times all over yourself in the car. We were on our way to the Lawrence Hall of Science for a little gathering none of us wanted to go to, and once again, saved by the baby! You were kind of upset, and scared the bee-geebus out of your Papa and me, but it was cute on the way home after pulling over on the side of the road. You wouldn't touch yourself, wouldn't touch anything you had thrown up on, and refused to smile. I tried my hardest to make you crack a grin, and you sort-of smirked, but refused to smile until we got you in the bath. My wish for you this month is that you don't suffer from car- or boat- or any other type of sickness. I would hate for you to miss out on any moment of excitement in your life because of a weak stomach. But if you do, ginger is a life-saver when you don't have any medicine on you.

This month you also started to walk. Sort of. You are so super-steady when you stand up by yourself, and you can now go from sitting, to squatting to standing by yourself without pulling up on anything, but you do still prefer to hang on a wall or a leg instead of doing it yourself. And as of today, you have taken six steps by yourself. I'm just waiting for one day when I get home from work and you walk to me when I walk in the door. Maybe next week?

This month has been low-key in regards to getting out and going places. We've been spending a lot of time in the grass outside the house, and it seems like every time I put you down, you get this perplexed look on your face, eyebrows in a frown, mouth open, and on your hands and knees with one arm in the arm, just trying to figure out what this spiky green stuff is, and why you are in it. You've started crawling like a normal kid now, with both knees on the ground, but in the grass, you still crawl with one knee and one foot. But once you've been there for a while, you get crazy, crawling all around, picking up dirt, and leaves and bigs, sticking them all in your mouth .. just to check. I think you and me will take a trip to the beach this Friday (today is Sunday, if you are curious) and we'll both get into our swim suits and play in the water a bit. Mama needs a tan, and I'm sure you'll love it too.

The other place we've been a lot this month is Safeway. You are such a complete joy to take out in public. You interact with anyone and anything, smiling at old people, petting dogs, chewing on anything you can pull off the shelves. People still comment wherever we go how beautiful you are, how alert, and smart and you communicate very well.

Which reminds me, you do this finger thing now. Aside from the boogers, your milestone this month has been pointing. You point at things you want. You point at things you recognize. If I ask you where the kitty is, you'll crawl to within a foot of her and point. When you see something interesting, like a bird flying when we're taking a walk, you point at it. It's pretty obvious you get a lot more than you can explain to us, and you still aren't saying Mama, though you did the day after Mother's Day, but not again since, but when your Papa says "Where's Mama?" Most of the time you point at me. Sometimes you point at Rosco.

I should have more to write next month, we'll have your birthday, and my birthday, and maybe Father's Day. It'll be summer and maybe you'll even be walking by then. Joy. Because even now, you go to the laundry room and play in the dogs' water, you eat the crumbs form their food when they are eating in the living room. You scatter your Papa's CDs all over the living room floor and pull all the pots and pans out of the cabinets when I'm cooking. But I let you explore because you look so happy. I'm just glad I got the gate up at the top of the stairs today.

I love you.
Mommy.