Colin is 11 Months Old!

Only 1 more month left before Colin can be officially considered a toddler.  A TODDLER!!!  Can someone please explain to me just HOW that is possible?!?!  Well, one thing is for sure...and that is that he is certainly starting to toddle!  He is gaining so much confidence now, and is determined to do things on his own.  He loves being able to be on the move, and explores everything he possibly can.  "Busy" has been our favorite word to describe Colin at this stage!  But it's very evident that pretty soon, crawling and cruising around the furniture won't be enough to appease our little adventurer.  While my mom was in town visiting during the week of Halloween, she gave Colin an early birthday present - a push toy with an activity center and a handle so that Colin can stand up and walk it around the room!  He was so excited at this new-found skill...and we were a little on edge with the speed at which he zipped around the couch!  Colin also loves to stand up and bounce the yoga ball in the playroom.  He's got pretty good balance, too.  But when he does lose his footing and falls to the carpet, I'm so impressed with the way that he picks himself up again (and without any fuss, I might add!), and goes right back to it!  We've also watched him crawl up a few stairs and stand on his own for a few seconds at a time.  It won't be long now before he takes that amazing first step...and I spend the rest of my days chasing after our busy toddler!

I'm also amazed lately by Colin's fine motor skills.  He's perfected his pincer grasp, and can use his thumb and forefinger to pick up tiny peas and cheerios at meal time!  He has also learned how to take the lid off of a cup and put a ball inside, shake it up, then do it again.  The first time he did this, he discovered it all on his own...and I was such a proud mommy!  I'll attach a video of this for you to marvel at :)

Little Man has also popped out four of his top front teeth!  Luckily, teething didn't seem to affect him too bad this time.  He's using his new chompers to explore a wide variety of new foods as well.  He is basically over the baby food and ready to move on to more interesting tastes and textures.  So far, I haven't found too many things that he turns his nose up at.  And this will also be our last month of formula and bottles...our baby is growing up SO fast!!!

Colin is the absolute joy of our lives.  He is funny, charming, clever, and sweet.  He loves being tickled, silly faces, and rough-housing with Daddy.  He loves splashing in the tub and exercising his voice.  He loves music and books, and has a blast at baby story time at the library each week.  I taught him to clap his hands a few weeks ago, and I love how he uses this gesture to show his excitement!  We play patty-cake and peek-a-boo, and lots of other rhyming games.  But the best part of my day is waking up in the morning and bringing my cutie in bed to snuggle.  I cherish these moments, and plan to cuddle with my little buddy for as long as he'll let me!  Cheers to the last month of babyhood!

Here's the latest chalkboard wall update!