11 months old

Dear Sweet Grayson,

Somehow 11 months have passed since we were blessed with you- and every month is better than the last. This month you have been so much fun and so interactive. You LOVE LOVE LOVE to play chase- you crawl away squealing, looking back over your shoulder to make sure someone is chasing you and laugh so hard when they do. It is so fun to watch you initiate games and play with others- you are turning into such a fun little boy. You also love the down blanket that Mommy keeps in the living room- you love to wrap yourself up in it or play peek-a-boo behind it. Sometimes when you are grumpy Mommy just tosses the blanket on the floor and you begin to giggle before you even crawl to it. Peek-a-boo cracks you up- though having Daddy chase you is by far the funniest thing that happens to you ever.

You hardly seem like a baby anymore- although when you snuggle with momma and nurse sometimes I can pretend you are still little. During the day you like to nurse sitting or standing- or sometimes both during the same meal. You only want to snuggle when you are sleepy or just get out of bed- the rest of the day you are on the move! You have achieved super speed when it comes to crawling and can get from our family room to the kitchen in the blink of an eye- you are really keeping mommy and daddy on their toes.

You have taken 2-3 independent steps 3 times now- and I think you will be walking soon! You love to push your push toys and high chair as you walk along, and are really balancing well. You like to climb on mom and dad and climb over us to get to the couch where you like to stand and pat the top of the cushions. You can stand balancing on the couch or on mommy's lap and can climb over toys if you have something to hold onto. You have also begun to let go and just stand alone and still while you are investigating something or taking a drink-it is impressive to see how much better you get at these skills every day. When you are proud of yourself or excited you clap your hands. Sometimes when we are driving in the car or singing a silly song I can hear you clapping by yourself- smart boy! You have also learned how to help get undressed- you can pull your arms out of your sleeves and seem very pleased when you help at bedtime.

You are becoming a little picky at mealtime- but you still love momma milk and yogurt so your belly is full at each meal. You only like meats and chicken sometimes and never will eat them at breakfast. You really seem to like sweet potato fries, yellow bell peppers, red grapes, peach yogurt and cheese quesadillas.

This month you got your playset and swing in your backyard- and you love to swing in the evenings before dinner. You took your first trip to the beach- and ate the sand- and stuck your face right in the lake! You loved the animals at State Fair and had a blast with your first cream puff. Your first trip to Discovery World was fun- you really enjoyed the aquariums and all the fishes. At Zoo a la Carte you picked out Dino the Dinosaur- who is the first stuffed animal we have ever watched you seek out and love- and now you take him to bed each night.

You are STILL working on the same top teeth as you were last month- so when you smile you still have just the two adorable toothers on the bottom. You also are still not sleeping through the night- Mommy and Daddy end up in your room at least twice a night (that could stop anytime now sweetie- we are tired).

You are a little bit of a momma-addict these days. You would really prefer that you and momma be together 24 hours a day- which makes it a little hard for mom to make dinner or take a shower- but since mom has to go back to work soon I am soaking up every precious minute with my baby boy- who is growing so fast.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much Monkey Man- and we can't wait to see what you do next!