Max is 11 Months Old

::Sigh::

Where is time going?

11 months? ELEVEN MONTHS?!

How did this happen?

WHEN did this happen?

I’m not incredibly sad about Max being thisclose to turning one year old. Every time he learns something new, says different words, imitates us, calls for the dog, etc etc all these wonderful and fun things, I am loving that he’s getting older. (Talk to me in about five years when I’m really upset about his age.)

I just honestly can’t believe how swiftly time passes. In the blink of an eye I have an (almost) one year old. It’s a lot to grasp. At the same time, it feels like eons ago that I gave birth.

But enough about me! Let’s talk about what Max has been up to in the past month! He has started imitating us and understanding commands like “brush your hair” and “brush your teeth” and so he does those things as best as you can expect from an 11 month old. He also has this toy with a removable phone that he’s taken to picking up and putting by his ear and mouth as if he’s speaking to someone. I’ll say, “Who’s calling?” and he’ll grab the phone and lift it to his head.

He understands the concept of stacking blocks, but he’s way more interested in destroying the blocks than building them up. And, somehow, I’m able to reason with him some of the time. If he’s sitting in his high chair and is holding a piece of food over the edge as if he’s about to feed the dog, I’ll say, “No, no. Either eat that piece of food or put it back on your tray” and most of the time, he picks one of the options I’ve just given him and then just looks at me as if to say that he’s listening. Maybe he is.

With food, he’s more ravenous than ever. He’s eating so much, way too much to name them all, but some are: Brussels sprouts, apples, steak, chicken, turkey, tons of fruit, carrots, kale (loves sautéed kale!), pasta, mushrooms, squash of all kinds, oranges…basically everything Mike and I have for meals, he will do the same. The benefit to that is we aren’t necessarily having to prepare multiple meals to satisfy everyone. The initial shock I experienced with his eating habits is, because he eats so much!, we have to go to the store often and rarely have leftovers.

All this food has turned into fuel and he’s a complete maniac nearly all the time. He loves to crawl around and pet the dog and then play with toys and bring me books to read and oh, let’s grab a ball and throw it everywhere so we can make the most noise possible. And then he took about two steps, unassisted. I didn’t capture it on video, but he was very proud of himself! He’s been standing without holding onto anything so I’m sure full-blown walking is just around the corner.

Perhaps my favorite thing of all is that he now gives “Max kisses.” He’ll pucker up and make the kiss noise when you ask although he hasn’t connected actually puckering up to my cheek for a REAL kiss. All in due time and still incredibly adorable.

Now excuse me while I go back to finding decorations for his first birthday party!