11 Months of Trouble

Oliver turned 11 months old last week. It feels like he aged a lot in just a few weeks!

He's now officially crawling. And getting in to anything he can get his hands on. He started crawling backwards, which was highly inefficient, and he was always getting stuck places. Then one day I was ignoring him while he lay on his belly in hopes that he would fall asleep. When I looked back, he was sitting up! So he finally learned how to push himself from his stomach back to sitting. Then he figured out how to move himself forward. Strangely enough, it was after all of this that he mastered rolling from his back to his front. Over the past week, he has gone from crawling just a bit to crawling out of the room quickly. It's on!

He does wake himself up in the night rolling onto his tummy or sitting up. It was a bit unnerving going into his room at night and have him sitting there. But now those wake-ups are already less frequent. And he's pulling himself up onto furniture. I'm sure cruising and walking is not too far behind. While I already miss the ability to leave him in one content spot, I know that eventually they must learn to move. I am just counting my lucky stars that he wasn't crawling at 6 months or already walking or something - I have had it easy!

The other thing he's accomplished a lot of recently is talking. He can say Owl, Hoot-Hoot, Mom, Daddy, Doggie, Up, and a variety only somewhat intelligible words. Lots of babbling going on here.

He is having fun playing with his toys and makeshift toys. He likes to put things in and on and take things out of boxes and bags. He's also learning to throw a ball - and any other sharp, pointy, dangerous object. Books are also fun, which include his favorite Dog pop-up book and the small Sesame Street books I snagged for $1 each. He pushes his little cars around and he continues to be musical - shaking things, beating his tambourine and dancing to music.

He continues to amaze when it comes to eating. He eats nearly anything, and usually in adult quantities. And don't you dare eat in front of him without bringing him his own snack, or sharing. He has been known to yell at the farmers' market berry stand or the deli display case.

A bonus has been Oliver getting to spend more time with his Dad, who is currently taking some time off after quitting his long-term job. This break has been fun and relaxing for us all. And Oliver especially enjoys his early morning dance parties with Dad. Oliver is also getting some last quality time with his Aunt Kerry before she moves off to Washington, DC, in September!

Nearly a year old. I can't believe it. And I suppose I have a little party to plan...