And in the midst of it all, our son turned 11 months old. I can't believe it - the time has finally come. James is no longer a tiny little newborn baby, or even helpless infant. He is full on turning into a little boy with a mind of his own, and believe me if he could voice his opinions - he'd have plenty.
Since of course our home is turned upside down from moving, James decided this would be a great time to start moving around. He is crawling everywhere (on his stomach) like the army man. He is pulling up and getting into things. He has discovered our coasters and will crawl to great lengths to get them. And he gets very very put out, if they happen to disappear. He has also discovered the grill on our gas fireplace. And computer wires. So, it's been an interesting experience trying to pack these past few days. But, we don't make the schedule...James does. So as we celebrate his new explorations and progression toward true mobility, we also mourn those quiet mornings where James would play with his toys without protest. And getting to our coasters was not a matter of life or death, complete with tantrums if they do not somehow make it into his hands - pronto.
James has also realized that what goes in, can also come out. So the new game is put everything on the table. Then push it all off. Put everything in the box. Take it all out. Stack everything up. Unstack it immediately. Lather, rinse, and repeat. He also likes to gives people his stuff, then get mad because they have it. Here he is playing with my friend Glenda.
Although the mess in the living room has gotten rather extensive as a result of these games, we love being able to interact with him so much more. Good thing we're moving to a house that has a loft upstairs. Having a playroom is looking better and better.
And after we (finally) realized that James was ready for graduate spoons, he has been more than happy to feed himself. Silly parents. However, the mess is terrific - so good thing we take stock in Pampers Bibsters (not shown here - Daddy doesn't mind messy clothes as much as me LOL)
James is going to miss his buddy Ben when we move. But we'll make sure to keep in touch, and maybe next year they can play together over the summer when we make our annual California visit, running around and leaving a path of destruction in their wake. (ah the things we look forward to!)
This is James' potential girlfriend, Grace. I guess they'll have to settle for a long distance relationship, but since I'm sure any average 5 year old will soon be able to navigate Facebook and operate a laptop, that won't be a problem.
This is James & his buddy Brandon. They are 8 months apart and they are not men of many words, but I'm sure in his own way, James will miss him too.
We love our little guy. Every milestone he reaches is one to celebrate. No matter what changes await us in our new life, He is always our sweet boy, and as he grows and changes, he never fails to take my breath away. Here's to 11 months!
