Louis: Eleven Months Old

It feels like Louis has become a brand new person in the last week or so. So much less of a baby and so much more of a big kid. Which is exciting and heartbreaking all at the same time. We have had a rough couple of weeks with snot and sickness, but he finally seems to be in the clear (at least for now). He has decided that formula is for babies and eating is the new thing to do. His current favorite foods are pancakes and avocado/cheese quesadillas. I've started giving him a tiny bit of real milk in a cup for breakfast and he is beside himself with joy. We have officially started the countdown to no more bottles. I can't wait.

Lou is a crawling, cruising and pulling up on everything in sight machine. I don't think that independent walking is imminent, thank goodness, because my nerves can't take it. We are definitely on 24/7 suicide watch. He manages to get himself in some kind of perilous situation every 30 seconds or so. We need to ramp up the baby proofing. Hell, we need to put him in a plastic bubble. His new thing is climbing. On everything.

He loves balls. And trains. And Norah's dress up magnet girls. And pretty much anything that Norah is playing with at any given time. We regularly refer to him as Lou-zilla as he is prone to destroy anything in his path. He loves textured books and beating on every surface as though it was a drum. He loves music and has a decent sense of rhythm for someone who isn't even a year old yet. He's a great dancer. He's a great snuggler.

He is obsessed with baths, specifically bubble ones. He took lots of warm soaks when he was sick and now just turning on the faucet will send him scurrying to the tub. He can't stand it when Norah's in the bath and he's not and will try to fling himself in with her. He says Mama and Dada in the proper context and I am pretty sure he can say ball. We're picking up on some of his receptive language development and he definitely understands requests like 'throw me the ball' and 'give me a hug.' He's in a total mom phase right now, which is awesome. He is a string bean and still hasn't hit the 20 pound mark yet (although he's really, really close). At least 2 pounds of that is hair.

He's a great sleeper with a few exceptions. He is still a really gassy kid and will often times wake up in pain. Nothing seems to work except letting him work out the gas himself, which usually involves snuggling on the couch and letting him watch a few minutes of late night television. Clearly, he is smarter than we are. His diapers are beyond disgusting and I have to pin him down with one elbow and a knee just to change his pants. He loves being outside, loves the stroller, loves the swings at the park.

He is walking all over the place holding on to his little car (he totally won't bend his knees), and demands to be pushed on it at least 47 times a day. His laugh is by far the greatest sound I have ever heard. Norah loves to be the one to go get him in the morning and after his nap. She tickles him through the slats of his crib and then climbs in with him until I go and get them out. She told me today it's one of her favorite parts of the day. He is beside himself with joy the second he sees her. (Then he pulls the crap out of her hair and she head butts him and they both cry until rescued.) He's more into books than ever before and stacks blocks like nobody's business. He's a cool customer.

Babyhood is slipping away faster than I thought it would. I am so excited to see what toddlerhood has in store for us.