You're eleven months old today. I can't believe how quickly we're rushing toward a year. Wasn't I pregnant with you yesterday?

This month has been full of cognitive-motor leaps. You're getting better and better at controlling your body, and you're starting to have a lot of fun with physical games. Your hands are particularly fascinating: this month you've started pointing at things, giving high-fives, and vibrating your lips to make silly sounds. Your clapping and waving have made leaps and bounds; they are no longer random events but tied to context. You've also started dancing whenever you hear a good beat. Your father and I will put on music just to see you jiggle up and down. We are enthralled.

You're getting more confident at standing and walking-with-help, although you're still not doing those things by yourself. Every once in awhile we can catch you with something good in your hands and you'll be standing. Then, much like Wyle E. Coyote, you realize what you're doing and sit down abruptly. You're such a cutie. I have no doubt that when you want to walk, you'll just start with no fuss and no anxiety. Why walk when you can crawl? You crawl with the determination of a tank. Nothing can stop you. I'm sure that walking seems awfully precarious by comparison.

the only thing keeping him from eating the camera are my two fingers.

You're getting more out of your toys these days. This weekend we bought you a baby doll at the church bazaar (after you proclaimed your love by slobbering all over her face). Whenever you see your little baby, you squeal with delight and a big grin splits your face. Seeing you cuddle your baby is a sight that could return blood to a heart of stone. You're going to be an excellent daddy someday.

"I know my dolly loves me."

You're still a restless sleeper, but we haven't given up on you. These days you sleep in your crib for the first half of the night, then I drag you into bed when you wake me in the middle of the night and I've lost the ability to think. I know it seems like we've been in this place for a long time, but I've got a good feeling about this month. I know that this'll be the month you show everyone how it's done. Zzzzz.

I feel the same way about your language. You make all these amazing sounds: hooting and growling, cooing and sniffing, squeaking and screeching, nasal ma-ma-mas and full throated yowls. Every once in awhile you'll parrot a word you just heard, and we'll all get our hopes up. But even without formal language, you've got so much to say about your world. You can't be bothered with conventional modes of adult communication. You are so unselfconscious about your sounds and facial expressions that I envy you at times. You've got an amazing mind.

blake feeds daddy: who's a good boy now?

You have six teeth now (the last having emerged a few days ago). So far you're still eating the same foods you liked last month. We haven't had much success introducing more complex flavours & textures. But it doesn't really matter as your health and growth are both excellent. You got a cold this week, and although you're awfully snotty right now, it seems a small thing when you consider that you've only had two tiny colds in your whole life. Clean living, my boy.

Sometimes I think that if I'm a perfect mother, I can make your life perfect. I try to feed you perfect food, read you perfect stories and play perfect songs so that my own imperfect life is overshadowed. And then I look at you and realize that your life - my life - our life - is already perfect.

baby bazooka in the deep blue sea...

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- Rocketbride's adventure of 11/08/2004 08:21:00 p.m.