If someone had told me 11 months ago that I would have this much love for one single person on this earth, I would have slapped my knee and called myself Sally. Or something like that. In all seriousness though, despite the long nights I survived, the long afternoons where I thought I may go postal, and the many bumps and bruises along this path, I have so much joy from being this little man's momma.
I mean, look at him... isn't his smile contagious?! I can't believe that he's a mere 1 month away from celebrating his 1 year birthday! Time flies so fast! Here are some of the milestones we've hit this past month:
- He cut 3 teeth this past weekend, bringing the grand total to 7 teeth, 3 on top, 4 on bottom.
- He has perfected crawling. I seriously doubt that walking is coming before 1 year due to his speed when crawling. Who needs to walk when you can get there twice as fast on your knees?
- He cruises the furniture, and will let go of one piece to grab hold of another. He also holds onto the top of the kitchen table and stands on his tippy toes to grab anything he can get his chubby fingers on.
- He's officially gotten into the toilet water & the dog food. I'm waiting for the day he gets into the bathroom trash. As cautious as I am with the doors being closed, I know it's bound to happen! Gross, gross, gross!
- He is a PEOPLE PERSON. When we're out and about, he will seriously cough, smile, laugh, bounce, WHATEVER, to get someone's attention. And when he gets the attention, he cheeses it up!
- He now wears size 3 shoes and is inbetween sizes in pants and shirts, either in 12 or 18 months, depending on the brand, and in rare instances a 24 month top will fit.
- He loves to dance, especially to the music on his Leapfrog table.
- He shakes his head wildly for no apparent reason. I call it the "crazy head", and now whenever I say it he'll shake his head.
- he claps on command... SO cute!
- He is doing so good in swim lessons, and will finish his first quarter next Saturday. He holds on to the side by himself to kick, "jumps" (more like leans forward to fall) into the water towards us, "blows bubbles" and reaches and pulls like a champ! We're ready for summer so we can get our membership to the city pool!
- He started saying "bye bye" this weekend. It doesn't sound exactly like bye bye, but I can tell that's what he's saying because it's when he's waving or we're backing out of the driveway to go somewhere. He also says momma (when he's fussy), dada ALL the time, baba for bottle, and occasionally says "dis" for this (if he's pointing to someone).
Brayden, I am so proud of the little man you are becoming. You are such a joy to our lives and remind us to laugh at the little things in life. We love you more than you will ever be able to comprehend! Happy 11 month birthday!