11 Months!!

I cannot believe it's been three weeks since I last blogged! We've been so busy lately! Plus, I think I don't want to admit that my baby is inching closer and closer to being one so I've been avoiding any acknowledgement of his growing up!

We've had a bit of a grumpy day today. Jack's top two teeth are almost through, and we had a very rough night last night so everyone is tired today. I had a hard time getting a good picture. Most of them looked like this:

But, with the exception of teething, Jack is normally pretty happy and fun. He loves to make noise! Whether he's talking or banging things together or against the tile floor, he likes what he's hearing! He mimics us all the time and likes to cheer or copy the sounds a monkey makes (or our version anyway). Recently, he's been almost rolling his tongue while he's talking away and it sounds like he's yodeling. And he makes a hissing sound with his tongue pressed against his teeth when he's excited about something.

He's so curious about EVERYTHING! His dexterity is so good for his age! Grandpa says he has "hands like a surgeon" as he meticulously checks things out. He now knows how to turn the shower on when the bath is running and plug the drain in the bathtub. He loves to open drawers and cupboards and tries to figure out how to get into things like a bottle of lotion or his medicine. His favorite book right now is his Slide and Find Trucks book where you slide open little windows to reveal the trucks. He loves to do this all by himself!

Jack still loves to throw things and definitely knows that's what balls are for now! Probably because of our encouraging, he claps for himself after he throws things and looks at us like we need to clap for him too. We try to only do it when he throws things that are supposed to be thrown! Sometimes, he gets so excited when Mommy and Daddy are encouraging him that he flaps his arms up and down and spins around in a circle, beside himself with pride and excitement! He definitely keeps us laughing!

Just in the past week or so, Jack's been trying to stand on his own a little. He seems to almost forget that he thinks he needs to hold onto something and it's always fun to watch. Brett likes to set him up with the Tonka truck we got him for Christmas, and as long as nothing gets in his way, he can push it all the way across the living room. While I will be thrilled when he starts walking, I am definitely not ready for that stage yet! Right now, I really appreciate being able to walk faster than he can crawl!

Jack is so active! He still loves to dance, bouncing up and down or swaying his hips from side to side. We try to keep track of his toys, but he likes to carry them all over the house. He still also loves reading his books, but he's become a lot more particular about which ones we read. We can go through his entire collection of board books a couple of times in one day (we have most of them memorized). He makes sure we've heard when one of our cell phones dings or the dryer goes off by looking at us inquisitively and making a concerned sound. I also caught him climbing again the other day (yes, he does have a knife, but in my defense it was a butter knife and it was quickly taken away!)

I know I've already shared this, but Jack loves the water so much, he now has to shower with his Daddy or me AND take a bath before bed (seriously, we've caught him trying to climb into the bathtub). The second he hears the water go in, he stops whatever he's doing, drops down to all fours and crawls as fast as he can to the bathroom. But he always stops and looks around the corner when he gets to the hallway. It makes me laugh every time!

He's turning into a little person and I am so in love with this little boy!