11 Months Old!

Everyone,

I just can't believe that the boys will be a year old in one short month. I've been trying to get their birthday videos put together and they have changed so much! I feel like they are still babies in many ways, but big kids too. Like they are standing on the edge of babyhood and toddler hood already!


Pirate. What to say about Pirate. He is my sweet, happy, smiley, whiny, clingy, independent little man. He has the most amazing smile. We are constantly asking him if his jaw is unhinged because it is wide open about 10 hours a day. A few hours of amazed wonder, and a few hours of complete happiness. His teeth are big and his mouth is big and his smile is big to match the big happy feeling he has inside. He has decided that Mommy is best and only Mommy will do lately. He cries every time I move away from him. But he does his amazing smile when I come near him. I still feel like the whole house checks in with him. He and Butterfly have an amazing bond, and Professor frequently crawls on top of him just to be close. He has become serious about his food and cries when Professor takes too long to eat his bite. He does not want to be forgotten or left behind.

He is getting better at picking things up while eating. He has decided he does not like bread, only soft things. He loves anything noodle related or avocado related. He has started to click his tongue when he wants what you are having to ask you for some. He would nurse all day long if I let him and is calm when he's eating. His happy little kick disappeared with the cast and it's a little sad for me. But he can't kick while he's crawling or standing and he does that about 90% of the time. He is determined to catch up to Professor in both mischief and speed. He is so tall and when he pulls himself up on things, I wonder at his length. He just seems so long. Looking back at Butterfly's 11 months, he's not as tall as she was but he seems longer. He is super strong although he is very gentle. He loves the fridge and makes a bee line to it every time it's open. He also loves to see what Butterfly is doing, loves her play food, and loves to take things out of the toy buckets and put them back in. The other day I tried to clean up the living room and gave up because everything I put in the bin he just took right out. He weighs 18.5 lbs (so I'd say the cast weighed about 4 lbs) and is about 28 1/2 inches long.

Professor is my monkey. Not only does he hold on so tight when you pick him up (you can almost let go and have him stay on...handy when I have to pick up both of them!) he is into everything! He has discovered balls and absolutely loves to chase them around the room. He chirps happily the whole time. Lately he thinks it's funny when Soot plays fetch with us in the house. He tries very hard to chase down the ball with Soot and ends up giggling so hard when she passes him that he can't crawl. He talks all day long, with his "adadadadad" and "huh? huh? uh!" The past few days he's been holding his tongue funny in his mouth like he has something in there and I've been annoying him sweeping out his mouth to fish out any paper. But no paper. This evening, I took a good look in his mouth and his gums are horribly swollen where his molars will be. Can they be old enough for molars?!

He has started to stand for a few seconds on his own. He still falls pretty regularly and cries wholeheartedly when it happens. He never stops moving, even in his sleep. I hear him rolling and sighing and scooching over the monitor when he naps. He is forever fiddling with his hands or wiggling while I am nursing him. Much to my dismay and his brother's. He has 8 teeth now and still has his tiny crescent moon shape in the back of his ear lobe the size of his infant nail. He had that when he was born and the doctors say it will never go away. Apparently he was jammed in my belly with his hand on his ear and his pinkie just made an impression. He has decided being fed from a spoon is for babies and absolutely refuses it. Unless he's completely starving. Or it's something he loves. Otherwise, forget it. He's great at feeding himself though. He is just starting to figure out a sippy cup without a valve in it. He weighs 18.2 lbs, and is 27 1/2 inches long. They are starting to be the same size again! I'm so excited that he seems to be growing.

They are starting to chat between themselves and I hear lots of conversation and laughing during their "naps". They are either great at naps, or not so great. They are content to entertain each other through the bars of their cribs so I let them play as long as they want to. They have started looking around for their brother while we nurse, and often won't fall asleep completely if I only have one at a time. They pull each other's hair, ears, poke out eyes, climb on top of and push over any baby in their way. When we get together with friends, this is startling to the other babies but they really just don't see anything wrong with it. Together they are a force. Professor pulls everything out and hands it to Pirate to dismantle it if it can. They've pushed over Juice's computer tower a few times and he is trying to figure out where to put it so they won't get into it. (Their room was the computer room.) They don't bother it as long as it's not on with it's cool blinking lights!

I put them together in a swing at the park today for the first time and they loved it. I put Pirate in first, and he was very unhappy until he was joined by his brother. Professor has taken to reaching over to Pirate in the car and patting him if he can manage it. They really do check in with each other and want them to be together. Now I know that won't always be the case, but right now it is and I love it.

I can't wait to see what they are like when they are a year old!

Safire