Judah at 11 months

I caught some slack for not blogging much lately from family at Thanksgiving (this is for you Aunt Veda :). Excuses, excuses... the tummy bug around Halloween, then Tom & Judah got a bad head cold, and add to that a busy-in-to-everything boy & you get very little computer time. Will try to play catch up this week!

Our little monkey boy is only a couple of weeks away from turning ONE. How can it be? As we decorated the tree this weekend I almost cried at his first Christmas ornaments with pictures of him as an itty-bitty. How can a year have already passed? Everytime I pick up this chunk I'm reminded that he has grown a ton in the last 11 months! These past few weeks have been challenging (above mentioned illnesses plus a first ear infection at Thanksgiving - another post) with him as he's been more clingy & learned to throw real fits - all reminders that he is growing into a little person with his own wants & temper! At the same time, it has been such a joy to see him respond to so much of what we say... he can wave on command, close his eyes, squish up his nose & show his teeth when we ask him to do a cheesy face, throw a ball back & forth, give kisses when you ask for sugars, sit down when you ask him to in the tub (& he claps for himself when he does it), and so much more. So fun to see him interacting with his sisters, ham it up, & babble all the time (he says ball, mama, dada for sure & a few other maybes). I'm not ready for the big first birthday & am trying to savor every minute of "babyness".

eating: lots & lots of solids - he often will eat more than the girls at dinner, nursing 4 times a day. Loves blueberries, chicken, & yogurt.

sleeping: really well - two naps a day... sometimes both are good 1 1/2 hr naps. Bedtime around 7:30 & waking around 6:30 to 7am.

likes: bathtime, being "cheesy" & grinning so big at us when he thinks he's funny, being tickled, music, lift the flap books, baby einstein in the van, balls, being chased as he crawls away as fast as he can

dislikes: having his diaper changed, taking medicine, when Daddy leaves the room (especially this past wkend when he was sick - he was a major Daddy's boy), having to sit still - getting this picture was a huge challenge - he was nose diving off the chair the second I would step back for the picture!