11 month details

When asked this past week how old James is, I found myself not being able to say 11 months. I’d just say 10 months or almost 11 months (with emphasis on the almost!) 11 months just sounds so big boy. I better start preparing for the big One Year!

Now that his hair is getting longer, it sometimes curls a little bit. (Really, just a very little bit.) I love it so much that this is likely to tack on another 6 months before I break down and get his first haircut. A friend told me last week that she doesn’t think James needs a haircut yet. Don’t you just love taking the advice you want to hear?

James has four teeth that we know of. He’s been a teething machine lately so, there could be another one cutting the gum, but he won’t let us in there to check. Rascal!

I’m not sure about the rules of a first word. James has been babbling sounds for months, but just recently he has said a couple sounds that resemble words. The difference between his babbling is, he says these in the right context. About a month ago when we’d play cars and say vroom, vroom, he started saying, “rrrmmmm, rrrrmmmm.” Then, when reading animal books, he’d “moo” for the cow and “baaa” for the sheep. Now, when he passes by his books, or when we start reading, he says, “kuh” over and over again. (As in the K sound from book. Again, not sure about the rules, here.)

James’ absolute favorite thing to do is read. Especially touch and feel books and sound books with buttons. But his favorite book has remained the same: Llama Llama Mad at Mama. (hmmmmm…..) When I ask, “Do you want to read some books?” he grins so big and crawls right over to his basket of books. A mother’s dream, right?

James is starting to understand the word ‘no’. Sometimes he even listens. Many times, he doesn’t.

I’ve recently been taking him to the nursery at the gym, and for the first time in James’ life, he’s having a hard time when I drop him off. They say, “He was fine as long as I was holding him” or “he cried off and on; I was just about to call for you.” One day, they actually told me it would be better to come at 8:00 so, we’re out before the rush. It’s quite embarrassing. When I walk in the door to pick him up, he sticks his bottom lip out and starts crying. He’s being quite the mama’s boy lately. I have to remind myself that he is just a baby in a new situation, and one day I will miss this dearly.

Ever since James was a little baby, The Avett Brothers has soothed him, and it still does. No matter why he is crying, when we play the CD, he stops crying the first second of the first song, “I and love and you.” He absolutely loves music. Toys with music and listening to Pandora Radio (particularly The Jack Johnson Station) are big hits. He is learning rhythm (I don’t know from whom, because it couldn’t be from Justin and me), and he starts clapping or trying to dance when music is played. He is coming into his own and becoming quite the little boy with likes and dislikes and things that make him James.

He loves it when his Daddy laughs and often laughs out loud with him.

He loves to be silly and is learning that he can make others laugh and smile. (like in this picture, he made this funny face and closed his eyes well before my flash went off.)

Lynyrd is his best friend (well, besides Watson, of course) and they play together all the time. Lynyrd runs all around, and James laughs and laughs. James says, “ga. ga. ga.” when he’s talking to Lynyrd, and I’m not yet sure what it means. (unless he’s only saying the ending sound of words: “kuh” for book. “ga” for dog.)

He waits at the door when Lynyrd goes outside.

And they both would follow Mommy around all day if they could. (no pants, ankle socks, and a backwards bib didn’t stop my picture taking)

(He’s smiling at Lynyrd in these)

I recently asked a fellow-mommy-friend if he transitions from a baby to a toddler on his first birthday. She told me James will always be my baby. I liked that answer. Happy 11 months, My Sweet Baby James. You will always be my baby.