The Super Ones (11, that is!)

Dear Banner,
You are 11 months old now. Trite as it sounds, I cannot believe how fast time is flying. I am already preparing for your first birthday party! I have looked back at so many of your first few photos in the hospital after you were born, and it feels like yesterday. You have grown into such a fun little boy, and this past month has been especially fun. You have the most fun-loving, happy, cheerful personality, and I am so happy to know you are happy. I love to watch you grow, learn, copy, play, eat, crawl, bounce, dance, climb, explore, stand, and . . . walk!

Since last month, here are a few of my notes on what has changed:

• You have two new teeth, bringing the total count to 6. The two new ones are on the top, on either side of the two middle teeth, so you have four on top and two on bottom. Your right side came in first of those two new ones. 
• You dance. You bounce up and down when music plays. You bend your knees and bob up and down a little.
• You had another cold, but again, thank God for Mucinex. You hated taking it at night, but once we started giving it to you after a week of a runny nose, you slept much better. 
• You whistle! You pucker your cute little lips and make a whistle sound, and then you smile, very pleased with yourself. You also like to blow on the whistle on my key chain. One day this month, Grandma brought you up to visit me at work, and the gifted and talented teachers were amazed. One teacher said, "Be sure to write that on his REACH application: 'Whistled at 10 months.'" :) 
• You play Peek-a-Boo by putting your head down then popping up. You usually do this in the high chair by resting your forehead on the tray then looking up when we say, "Where's Banner?" or "Where'd he go?" You love this, and so do we!
• You shake your head "no" when we ask you to say "no." I don't think you understand it, but you pair "no" with head-shaking, so we'll take it for now. I'm not sure why we want to teach you "no," but it is priceless when your little head turns side to side. Even better, you raise your little eyebrows when you shake your head. Your expression is so funny, and you usually laugh afterward. 
• You make a funny little "laugh" that Daddy & I call the "Woody Woodpecker" laugh. It's not your real laugh. I think it's involuntary, but it's sounds just like the animated character. We can't get you to repeat it on demand like the whistling, peek-a-boo, or "no," but it sure is cute!
• We gave up Prevacid this month! No more reflux medication! This is HUGE! You really don't spit up much anymore, at least it doesn't make an appearance by coming all the way out. You still have reflux, and I can tell that it bugs you on occasion, but you're not spitting up (CAN I GET A HALLELUJAH!?!), and you don't really need the meds. Usually once or twice a day, I notice you cough, and your eyes water, and I can tell that food just tried to pop back up. But, you have managed well. I'm hopeful your body will start to manage digestion a little better, and you will outgrow this reflux altogether.
• We tried to give up the bath ring this month. You did great the first night on a non-slip pad; you loved the freedom, and I thought it was much easier to bathe you . . . well, until you started trying to stand up the next night. If you would just sit, you would be just fine! We will probably try again soon, but in the meantime, you're back in the ring.
• You are saying a lot more sounds. I've heard sounds for a, b, d, e, g, h, j, k, m, n, o, p, s, t, u, w, and y. I've also heard /th/ and /tz/. You can give /d/, /s/, and /t/  (and sometimes /g/) upon request. Other sounds, when prompted, are hit or miss.
• You give kisses like a champ! At one of our play dates earlier this month, you kissed everyone goodbye, and you had kissed two of the girls during our time there. You initiate kisses more, and you smile after I kiss you. Sometimes, you'll stop in the middle of a bottle and turn to me for a kiss. I love that! Thank you!
• Speaking of kisses, you blow kisses, too! You actually just suck on a finger or two and then pop it out of your mouth to make the same sound as a kiss. It's very unique and creative, and it's your token "blow a kiss" that accompanies a wave. 
• You have recently started handing me things. For example, you find the remote control or a pen on the floor, and you will hold it up for me to come take from you. I graciously say, "Thank you!" and you seem to be pleased with yourself.
• We started dairy this month. Your doctor recommended waiting until you were 12 months, but since it was only for behavioral purposes and not for health reasons, we went ahead and started. We first introduced string cheese followed soon by cheddar cubes and then yogurt. So far, so good. Personally, I don't like yogurt as much as you do, but we both have the same love for cheese!
• You made your first signs this month! You are starting to figure out that the signs we show you have a purpose. Your first sign was "finished/all done" by waving your hands sideways back and forth. Your second sign was "water" made by touching your mouth with an open hand when Aunt Kira was showing you the water dispenser on the refrigerator. 
• You continue to be more communicative - showing us what you want with a purposeful glance or a point. My favorite thing, though, is that when you want "up" you will pull our hands down with great strength, and sometimes you put our hands on your side to lift you up. 
• You are much more aware of your own body. You know where your hair is, pulling on it when I use the word. You "close your eyes" when prompted by looking down or squinting. You stick your tongue out and say "Ahh" when I ask you to show me what is in your mouth. 
• You got your first haircut just a few days ago. 
• We reintroduced you to "Bear" this month. You used to hold him in your Little Lamb swing months ago, and when you went and made me a liar after your 10-month post last month by not sleeping well through the night for two straight weeks, we had to have some kind of intervention. I think what happened, if I can make a wild guess, is that you were working so hard on figuring out your new walking skills (!) that you were not sleeping well and Daddy and I catered to that a little. After you started walking, we decided you had just learned that we would come to you in the middle of the night. So, we got tough again, told you we would not answer your cries in the middle of the night even though we love you so much, gave you Bear again, and things have been better for the past few nights. I certainly hope we're headed in the right direction.
• Yes, you are WALKING! I loved watching you figure it out, and I still love watching you toddle around. I hear our lives are about to change. So far, not really. You are one of the fastest crawlers I've ever seen, so keeping up with your walking isn't much different yet. I actually prefer you walking, because now you can just hold Mommy's hand when we are out, and I don't have to carry you everywhere! You've also been cruising and standing for so long now that you've already been able to reach things that you shouldn't really be able to get, so my life hasn't changed much from that perspective either. I'm really excited about this new milestone. I just hope you take your time learning to RUN! :)

Above all these changes, by far the most special has been watching you develop a sense of pride in your accomplishments. Daddy and I can tell that you have discovered what a great feeling it is when you meet a goal, when you finally achieve what you have been working so hard to do, and when you make your own discoveries about the world or about yourself. What an amazing thing this has been as a parent - to watch you grow into YOU! Watching you learn to walk has been the best example of this, as you toddle across a room or through the house and finally land at your destination and smile or say "AAYYY!" And, when you fall, you don't give up. You actually laugh, and you get right back up. As a counselor, it gives me such joy to watch you developing your own self-esteem. As your mother, it gives me such relief and peace to see you loving yourself and all the magic that you bring to life.

I love you so much and feel like I can't get enough of you! You are so squeezable, and I love to just cradle you in my arms when you let me. I'm so looking forward to having this summer with you, just us together each day again. This month is going to fly by, I know, so I'm going to soak up your babyhood as much as I can. You seem like such a big boy, and technically I've been told you are a "toddler" now that you're walking, but you are still my baby and always will be. Slow down, Angel. Mommy's not ready for you to grow up so fast! Enjoy your next month - I know I will!

Love,
Mommy