11 Month Update!

Forgive me while I play catch up. I had this written over a month ago, but just slacked off on getting the pictures added.

 Umm... I don't know how this happened. I'm pretty sure I had my baby just the other day and now he's practically a toddler. If he keeps up with this growing thing I'm going to be forced to have another baby just to have someone who will snuggle with me! Luckily, Isaac is still a wonderfully snuggly boy!

The big achievement of this last month is that he started WALKING! He took his first steps at 10 1/2 months to the day. I was sitting on the floor and he was standing and he took two little steps towards me. When he fell down I just picked him up and cuddled him and told him how proud I was of him. And then immediately called Andy to tell him. Andy was excited, but told me not to put him on the floor for the rest of the day (I think he was a little jealous...).

It has been so much fun getting to watch him start to walk! I just keep thinking about how brave he is. Seriously, I can't even count the number of times he falls on his bum, hits his head on the wall (or bookshelf, or corner, or table, or 10 million other things in the apartment), or falls off the couch. But he keeps getting back up! Sometimes he cries and needs his mama to comfort him (thank heaven for that!), but most of the time he just stands right back up and keeps going. It makes me stop and think about how I react when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, I think I'm more in the sit down and cry until someone makes me feel better camp.

 The other big achievement for this month is that he can stand up on his own! He doesn't need to crawl over to a couch or wall and use it to pull himself up, he just pops right up in the middle of the room. I love watching him do it!

One of Isaac's favorite toys: a wipes container I don't use anymore and baby food lids.  He LOVES to take them out of the box and then push them back in the slot! 

Trying a lime for the first time.  It was really anti-climatic.  He just ate it... no reaction.

The first day that Isaac got to "feed" himself.  I decided I was done fighting with him about not touching his food, so I just set the bowl down in front of him and let him go at it.  It wasn't pretty, but hey, he was happier and so was I once I quit trying to fight him!

My smiley boy!

Isaac eating a pickle at the Dallas Farmers Market.  He went to town on that thing!

All dressed up to support our Cougars!

Umm... I love this face on him "Mom, what are you doing?"

Isaac's friend Ellery came over to play and they both wanted to use the walker... unfortunately, Isaac was a bit faster than Ellery!

"Mom, I'm having a moment here, get that camera out of our faces!"   That's what Ellery and Isaac were telling both of us.  Isaac's first door step scene.

Isaac "washing" a pot.  Should I be worried that his favorite play time activity is cleaning things?

My little alfalfa!

Who loves Daddy!?

 At 11 months, Isaac:

• Loves going on walks! He doesn't like his stroller so much though (and I don't like hauling it up and down a flight of stairs while also carrying him), so I usually just carry him on our walks. We'll usually go on 2 or 3 short walks every day just to get out of the house. Lately he's been pointing at things so I'll tell him what it is. It melts my heart every time he points at a bird and then tries to say "birdy" after I tell him that's what it is (it usually sound like "bu" or "de" but I know he's trying!).
• Loves to play at being a grown-up! He loves to wipe things down, play with the pots and pans, play with the vacuum, help me sweep, and just generally be right in the middle of whatever I'm doing. Oh how I love watching him grab his little sponge or a rag and wipe the pot or pan he's playing with. Now I just have to figure out how to encourage him to ALWAYS love cleaning.
• Figured out how to lift the lid off the toilet so he can play in the water. Needless to say, the bathroom doors are always shut now.
• Still obsessed with my hair. I think I'll cry when the day comes that my hair is no longer a cure-all for anything that ails him.
• Doesn't give kisses, but he likes to bonk me on the head. It's one of those things that is just such a boy thing to me that I love it! Sometimes he's a little too vigorous and I end up with a bit of a headache.
• Has discovered VeggieTales. Seriously, it's been a lifesaver. It's nice for those days when Andy's coming home late and I'm at the end of my rope because Isaac's transitioning to just one nap a day and it's been a hard transition. It's nice to sit down and watch something that I feel good about. It's hilarious, has great songs (that Isaac loves to dance to), and teaches a good message. My favorite part is that each show is split in two, so you can easily just watch for 20 minutes and then have a perfect stopping place. We've watched all the free ones on Amazon Prime, so I think I may have to start buying some. I'm especially excited to get him this one...I haven't watched it in probably 15 years, but I still remember the songs.
• Really enjoys dancing! Whenever he hears a good tune, he'll stand up and start bobbing around. It's really adorable.

I'm still in shock that in just 3 weeks he'll turn 1! I've been having fun getting things ready for his party and this week we're really getting down to business to start getting things ready.