Lucas is 11 months old!

Merry Christmas - Lucas is 11 months old today! We cannot believe we are only 1 month away from baby boy’s first birthday! Where the heck did this past year go? It went by in lightening speed, yet it seems like forever ago that we brought Lucas home from the hospital and we were trying to figure out parenthood (still trying to figure it out…). We cannot believe how in 11 short months, our helpless little baby has grown into an almost-toddler who is practically walking and talking.

SO MUCH has happened in this past month! I keep a list of Lucas’ firsts on my iPhone since I always have my phone with me and it is an easy way to remember what has happened and on what day.

The biggest news this month is that Lucas is really working hard on his walking skills and balance. Back in the beginning of November, we purchased this little cart on wheels from Ikea so that Lucas could walk behind it and push it. He showed no interest in it for a few weeks, so we just kept it off to the side in the living room. Well, on the evening of December 5, Lucas crawled up to the cart and decided it was time to try it. I was spotting him and was hesitant to let go because I was afraid it was going to get away from him and he’d fall flat on his face, but the little guy wasn’t about to take on anything he couldn’t handle. I noticed that he seemed pretty stable, so I slowly let go, and Lucas just took off and startled toddling around the room with a huge smile on his face! And he didn’t want to stop, and would actually get upset when he hit the couch or wall and got stuck! Since then, Lucas has started to become more confident about his standing skills. A little over a week later, at 10.5 months, he started standing from a kneeling position without holding on to anything for support. The first few times, his legs were straddled pretty far apart as he stood up in the middle of the room, but as he continued to master this new skill, his legs have moved closer together. A couple of days before he turned 11 months, he could stand up pretty easily from a kneel for several seconds, and could clap or bang together blocks simultaneously. And today, on Christmas morning, while we were opening up gifts, Lucas decided to put one foot in front of the other and took his first step!! On Christmas afternoon, he took three more steps in a row in front of an audience of family members (and he's been taking about 3-4 steps randomly throughout the day each day since). What a very special and memorable Christmas! Watch out world – Lucas William will be walking before we know it! Our pediatrician’s prediction is that he is going to walk for a day, and then start to run!

Language and communication have also improved a ton. We already reported last month that his first word was “banana” or “now na”. Lucas has also started to say “mama” and “dada” discriminately (sometimes!). I received a definite “mama” when I went to pick up Lucas from daycare in the middle of December – he was playing with his friends and when I walked through the door, Lucas stopped, looked at me and smiled, and said “mama!” before making his way to greet me. We think that the word “dada” can mean either “Daddy” or “Darby” depending on the context. And Eric and I also believe that Lucas may actually be starting to say “no no Darby” in his own little language. On the sign language front, Lucas is very good at using “all done”. After he is finished eating a meal, he will sign “all done.” And one day when he and I were shopping at Target, I told him we were going home because we were "all done", and he started to use the sign. It was super cute and he was very proud.

The little guy is also starting to develop a sense of humor. He has loved being chased for a while now, but last week, he added a new dimension to the chase. Every day when I pick him up from daycare, he gets very excited when he sees me, and will crawl up to me and kneel at my feet and motion to be picked up. That has been going on since he learned how to crawl (it is seriously the cutest thing and something I look forward to each day!). One day last week, he began to crawl towards me, and when he was a few feet away, he quickly changed directions and crawled a few more feet away from me (my heart sank! Until…). Then he stopped, turned around, flashed a huge smile accompanied by a little giggle, and then came back to me. What a little tease! So adorable! He does a similar trick at home and will crawl away, and then stop, turn around and wave before coming back :)

Other pasttimes this month include:

~ Waving when someone says “hi” or “bye”. Prior to this, he would only wave when waved to.  If you ask him where Darby is, he will wave to her if she is in the room with us.

~ Giving kisses has increased. He will kiss animals in his books while we read or he will kiss his stuffed animals. He also apparently likes to try to kiss everyone at daycare – boys, girls, teachers – everyone! 

~ Dancing. He loves dancing and thinks it's so fun! And we think that his "moves" are adorable - especially when he does them sitting down!
~ Opening drawers and emptying their contents. I've folded more clothes than I prefer because of this.

Christmas is extra special this year because we can finally share the magic with a little one. Our entire family is so happy and thankful for the blessing of Lucas this year. And what a joy he is!