11 Months Old!

11 months old!
10 months, 9 months, 8 months, 7 months, 6 months,
5 months, 4 months, 3 months, 2 months, 1 month

Well, the countdown has officially begun. One month until our sweet baby has been with us for a whole year. In the past 11 months he has changed who we are to our cores. We have mustered more patience, loved more deeply and experienced more happiness and delight than we ever thought possible.

Outtakes :)

I let the housework go today and really lived in all of the wonderful, tiny moments that occurred throughout our day together. That's what being a stay-at-home mom is really about, right? The house was a mess when David got home but Ayden was a happy little boy and I had no regrets.

I used to refer to my milestone app to help me know what to look forward to or what to work on next with Ayden but over the past couple months it hasn't even crossed my mind until it was time to write these monthly posts. He is learning more and more everyday and we are so proud. Here are the 11 and 12 month milestone lists:

Does everything on this list!
(except he does not fear loud noises...)

He signs, "All done" for no.

He is also doing everything on the 12 month list!
GO AYDEN :)

Ayden has been walking for weeks now but still needed to pull up on something to stand up. Over the past couple of days he has mastered standing on his own. The progression was hilarious. It started with a downward dog yoga type pose, which he always giggles during. I suppose the world was funny from upside down. Once he figured out that his knees needed to bend in order to gain proper leverage, he'd get stuck in a squat. Finally he found the momentum necessary and started shooting up from the squat, usually on the second or third try, like an Olympic weight lifter doing the Clean and Jerk. He has been so persistent and is just as proud of his efforts as we are.  Here are a few clips of him from today, including his Clean and Jerk moves:

He is a busy, busy boy and is always into everything all the time. He moves from one room to the next making trails of evidence of his exploration adventures behind him. As a teacher, I always said, "If they aren't making a mess they aren't learning" so I guess I had it coming. As much as his messes add to my day, I am glad he is taking a hands on approach to exploring the world because I really do believe there is no better way to learn.

As busy as he is, he is snuggly and affectionate too. He doesn't give a whole lot of hugs yet but he does love being held/worn and requests it regularly. He likes backing up into our laps for reading books and still gives affectionate head-butts when we are playing. He is snuggly all night and our mornings are just the best. He'll lay back on me and point out things in the room, telling me all about them in his sleepy babbles and loves listening for the morning trains.

He has added "pa" for my dad, Papaw, "tweet tweet" for bird, "choo choo" for train and "ba" for bath (same as ball) to his collection of "words" that be says. He also says hi and bye while giving a huge smile and wave to everyone we see when we are out and about. He brightens the days of so many people and I hope that is a quality that stays with him for his whole life.

Current likes: being outside, climbing stairs, going down anything backwards, "blowing" out candles (whether they are lit or not) finding pictures of dogs in the most random places in public and saying, "Bow-wow!" over and over until we acknowledge that we see it too. He still loves baths and is doing better with diaper/clothing changes as long as we give him a heads up for every step of the process. He LOVES when his daddy gets home in the evenings, emptying out the kitchen cabinets, grabbing Polly's tail, digging in Mavericks's food container (we had to lock it because he may have eaten a piece) and reading books. He likes to collect measuring spoons and rubber spatulas out of the dishwasher and carry them around everywhere. He dances when he hears music and enjoys either feeding us or throwing all of the food from his booster tray on the floor for Polly. Chicken, olives, avocado, clementines, brussels sprouts, grapes, any dried fruit and apple sauce are his favorite foods at the moment.

Current dislikes: having his face cleaned after meals (even with warnings, songs, games, etc. he hates it!), when we keep him from climbing on the dishwasher door, being put into his carseat without warning (if we warn him and give it a moment to sink in he's fine), unexpected diaper/clothing changes, waking too early from his afternoon naps and when we say, "the end" after reading a favorite book.

I love that I am having trouble listing dislikes. He still has his moments but as of right now he is such a happy little guy most of the time. I seriously could ramble on all day long about this kid. Each day gets better and better and he is becoming a little boy right before our eyes.

Happy 11 months, Ayden!

~ Sarah