James is Eleven Months Old

And just like that, almost a year has passed since this little man joined our family and made it complete.  I am finding myself reminiscing a lot these days; thinking about how much my life has changed and how much more it will continue to change in the next couple of months. 

The baby stage is almost over now and I won't be able to experience that anymore.  I am beginning to wean Jimmy and am watching him start to become more mobile -- scooting across the floor backwards on this belly and rock back and forth on his knees, ready to begin crawling.  He is saying sounds now and has definite inflection in his voice, like he is carrying on a complete conversations with us.  He eats only table foods and has for months, and before long, he will be moved out of his baby car seat and into a toddler one.

Sometimes I miss that squishy baby cuddling, him fitting perfectly into the crook of my arm and laying on my chest.  So I am relishing these next months, loving on him as much as I can before he begins his toddlerhood and doesn't want to sit still for more than a few seconds at a time. 

All of my kids were given a blanket as soon as they were born that then became known as their "special blanket."  It was the one that they always had when they were feeding and used exclusively for naps and bedtime.  We took it with us in the car and whenever we knew that they would be resting.  It didn't take long for them to make the association and then they could continue to have it on their beds as they grew.  (And I always have TWO of them, so that when one was in the wash, the other was accessible).  James has known for a long time that this gray one is his and as soon as he sees it, he buries his head on my shoulder, reaches for it and puts his thumb in his mouth.
This boy loves his bath time -- every part of it: the wash cloth, the toys, the bubbles, the splashing.  Every night, he gets his bath around 7:15ish, followed by pajamas, milk and then into his crib (with this blanket) before 8 pm.  He will often sleep until about 7 am.  The last couple of weeks, he has been waking up to eat once in the middle of the night, but I attribute that to a growth spurt, followed by teething and some wakeful dreams.

I don't think that there is anything that James does not eat.  He has six teeth right now, but will gum anything that you give him.  Very little food gets spit out and we often have to simply take the food away because he has very little self-control.  My kids are good eaters!

James is really beginning to take an interest in his toys.  We will sit and play with them now, especially if someone is there to play with him.

And there are large attempts made to reach for anything that is (purposely) placed outside of his grasp.

After a while, he does this:

This means that he is tired.  Too funny. 

I'll ask him if he is sleepy and wants to go "night-night" and he will often repeat -- "ni-ni."  He says, "uh-oh,"  "mama," "dada" and "poo."  I'm sure that there are others, but those are the most prevalent right now.  He also raises his voice and yells for the other kids when he wants them.

Samantha and her buddy.  The two of them have such a special relationship.  And I love that.

One more month and I will have a one-year old.  It really does go fast ...