11 Months

Eli is 11 months old tomorrow. Woo hoo! This was the most fun yet. The biggest thing that occurred this past month was Eli learning to walk. He crawled for only a week before he began walking. It began with a few tentative steps that made me wonder, is this it? Is he really starting to walk? I didn't think he would be an early walker, but he was. From that point on, he was off! He loves that he can walk. Sometimes he walks around in various directions just because he likes to walk. I still am not used to him walking into a room where I am. It's so cute! It's like he is saying, "hey, what's up mom? Watchya doing in here?" A couple days ago, he mastered going up and down the step from our porch to the house.

Here he is wandering down the hallway looking for George.



The most noticeable changes this month have not been physical, but cerebral. He is learning, understanding and retaining so much. I am fascinated by his mental growth. Now I know why all parents think their babies are geniuses. It's because it's so exciting and incredible when they learning something new. They started off as alien looking blobs and now they are able to communicate. Amazing.

Eli can identify parts of his body. My favorite is his tummy. When we ask, "where is your tummy, he grabs it with both hands." He is also good at following directions. If a shoe falls off, I'll say, "Eli you lost a shoe. Bring it here." And he does. I'll also tell him to go get Nala's toy (she only has one) and throw it, and he does. He also can pick out the right book if we recite a few lines from it.

He is also quite mischievous. He knows what he is not allowed to play with. He really love s wires, plugs and cords. When we catch him holding something he shouldn't have, we say Eli no and bust him on it. He immediately holds it up and gives it to us like, "oh this cord, I was just getting it for you."

Eli is a crack up. He likes to laugh and smiles all the time. He rarely has a bad, fussy day. He is learning to entertain himself which is nice for us. He loves to explore the house now that he is walking. He has become Mr. Independent and doesn't want to hold our hands when we walk with him.

Next up... Eli turns 1!