Eleven Months

Dearest Lachlan,

It saddens me to write this month's blog as it is the last one before you turn one. I have no idea where the time went and I wish more than anything that I could slow time substantially. While it is a bittersweet journey, and even after eleven months of having you in my life, I still struggle immensely with the bitter part included with the sweet.

You struggled the last month with an ongoing ear infection. You ended up being on 3 rounds of antibiotic and we finally got rid of it on the 3rd round. However, we discovered that you are allergic (or likely allergic) to Penicillin. So, you won't be able to take any more until you are 4 and we are able to test you for specific allergies. So until then, you will be Penicillin free. I was so relieved to hear that you were ear infection free as I was worried that you would end up with tubes. While they're not the end of the world by any means, a mother still doesn't want to see her child go through any kind of pain.

Since the ear infection has gone away, you've become quite the vocal little guy. I had my suspicion that the ear infection went away because it seemed like over night you started saying more words and you started screaming (friendly and not so friendly screams) pretty often. As well, the laughs increased. You mimic a lot of sounds now and we are pretty sure you know who mama is and know who dada is. You will say "mamamamama" while crawling to me and you will point to daddy and say "dadadada". While we've been signing "all done" since you were very young, you have your own sign for "all done" where you open your mouth and make a fist, putting your hand in and out of your mouth. I believe that you're starting to say "up" and you're very vocal when you do not like something or you're not getting your way.

One of the greatest things of the last month is how much of a cuddler you've become. While you started being a cuddler right before your 10 month mark, it doesn't compare to how much you like giving hugs now. You squeeze around our necks so tight and you will stop playing to come over and give a hug. The wait was so worth it. You like giving random kisses as well and generally like being held and close to us more than ever before. I can only hope that it keeps getting better. You like giving the dogs and cats hugs and your stuffed animals as well.

You're an independent little guy and you like playing on your own. You're very into moving large objects around the house (still) which often involves turning wheels or turning the object around to maneuver it in a way where it goes in a favorable direction. You're very smart in that way. You like throwing objects behind your head and you like pushing objects across the floor - you almost use your fist like a hockey stick... future hockey player? I think so. You're starting to like books and are able to sit for a max of 1 minute looking at a book. Most of all, you like opening and closing the book saying all done.

You had your first Christmas experience this month. We were very excited for Christmas and excited for your excitement. Little did we know that there would be absolutely no excitement on your part! You were very over the whole Christmas and wrapping paper thing within about 2 minutes. You were more into the Christmas balloon (you're obsessed with balloons this month) and with the cheap toothbrush that was in your stocking. Wish I would've known that $5 presents were the way to go! Your big present was a red wagon from Santa. You also got a couple stuffed animals, some musical instruments, books, little people farm, some dishes and lots of other random items! You had a very good first Christmas (that you're not even aware of!) thanks to wonderful friends and family. Next year will be better, but I am fine with next Christmas taking a lifetime to get here. It's crazy to think that this time last year I was rubbing my belly with all the questions of what life will be like at next year's Christmas; our first one with you.

You're getting close to walking but taking your time, which is perfectly fine with me. You're an expert at standing and have even gone from being in the middle of the room, holding on to nothing and gone from sitting to standing. You can likely stand for minutes at a time and can dance while standing. You walk along furniture with one hand and you've taken 2 steps without falling. One time you took 2-3 steps and stopped, continuing to stand before you sat down. You're getting very good at using your leg strength.

You love all foods and prefer vegetables over meat. You love scrambled eggs and bananas most (still). You like feeding yourself and like chewing part of your food, taking it out of your mouth, inspecting it and then putting it back in your mouth to swallow! You're a very curious guy.

I'll save the sappy paragraph and put all those thoughts in the blog I have started about what I've realized in my first year of motherhood. I will post it closer to your first birthday. Just know that I love you so very much and if I could save these moments and pause time forever, I would.

Love,

Mommy