eleven months















Dear Emmett,

Today you are eleven months old, and you have the distinct honor of celebrating your day with Pappy, whose birthday is today. Pappy gave you eleven dollars for your piggy bank to celebrate your eleven months. You promptly ripped the ten dollar bill in half and Daddy had to tape it up. We went out to breakfast with Mimi and Pappy to celebrate and you enjoyed applesauce, blueberries, pancakes, waffles and strawberries. You are such a good eater and can eat almost anything off our plates now. You're working on mastering the fork, and you clap for yourself when you succeed on getting bites into your mouth with it.

You took your first steps on October 7th, and I was lucky enough to catch it on video. You turned around and grinned at me, so proud of yourself. You're still not walking fully independently, but you take 5-6 steps at a time on your own. Your classes at the Little Gym every week are helping with this- you love to play and run there, and being around the other kids makes you want to keep up with them.

Words are pouring out of your mouth. Your favorite word is "light" and we have to point out every light, everywhere we go. I am no good at keeping track of them and writing them down, so I'll attempt to list as many of your words as I can think of here: light, up, duck, kitty, clock, please, more, out, sshhh, juice, heart, ball, bottle, book, bye-bye, Poppy, daddy, eyes, socks, shoes. I know there are more; you repeat things all the time, but those are the most commonly used. Some are clearer than others, but you get your point across. I started baby sign language with you months ago, but I've mostly given up on it. You're so vocal, you just say what you want to say. We do still do the sign alphabet whenever we sing the alphabet song, and you try to copy some of the letters.

You are such a typical boy in some ways- anything with wheels fascinates you. If you can roll it, drive it, ride it or crash it, you want it. Daddy found a ride-on fire truck by the dumpsters and we took it home, scrubbed it and put batteries in for the lights and sounds. You push it all over the house, turn it over to spin the wheels, and ride it while pushing the buttons to hear the sirens.

In other ways, though, you are so unique and full of unexpected personality. You're developing a sense of humor as you experiment to find out what makes us laugh. You clap your hands or shriek to crack yourself up. You think it's hysterical to run away from us so we'll chase you, but then as soon as we follow, you run toward us instead because you're so excited to be caught.

You listen always and absorb so much. I never know what will catch your interest and stick to that ever-expanding little mind. Clocks are so interesting, and always require study and investigation. Lions in your books or on your bibs or toys make you cackle and start roaring the cutest little roar ever. Music always makes you stop and dance. The sight of a door, any door, makes you race toward it, waving and saying "bye-bye."

If I ask you to go get in your high chair, or go find your ball, or go get a book, or come here please, or clap your hands or roar like a lion, you listen. This is probably the most fun development this month. I can say so many things, countless things, to you and you understand and respond. You know where you keep your pumpkin and you know how to turn on the flashlight and you know what I mean when I ask you to please stop copying your fingers on the printer/copier and you know to go in the bathroom and take off your socks when I tell you it's bath time. Although I should expect by now that you'll understand much of what I say, it still catches me by surprise when you respond to something I didn't realize you knew.

Keep surprising me. It's the best part of being your mother.

Love,
Mama

1 comments:

Meredith said...

what a handsome little man! I am still amazed at how quickly they learn even with my 2nd child! It's probably one of my favorite parts of being a Mom too.

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