11 Months

Today (officially yesterday I guess) Darek turned 11 months old. I can't believe we're a month away from his 1st birthday! Although I just did an update on him, I'll post a few more things about him.

Darek is still not crawling. However, he is SO close. He now will get on his tip toes with his hands on the ground and try to figure out how to move. He has been able to move forward a couple of times, but nothing drastic and nothing you'd consider crawling. I'll be shocked if he hasn't crawled by the end of next week.

Darek is a mover! Anyone who has held him recently understands what I mean. You will get a great arm workout trying to hold on to him. He loves to do his sway from side to side. It looks like you are forcing him to do it, but I promise he is the one moving. Today he practically jumped out of my arms.

Darek loves kids. He will sit and watch "big kids" and everything they are doing. He cannot get enough of his big brother. The only downfall is that he really wants to do all the things that the big kids do, so he gets a little frustrated when he's watching them.

Darek is eating better. He is starting to love baby food more now. We've gotten him to the level 2 foods now. He loves carrots, sweet potatoes, all fruits and any of the chicken and rice/noodles/vegtables. He still does not like anything with too much texture. So usually any green foods are out (ex. green beans, peas). He can't handle any "people food" yet because of texture, but we're slowly working our way up.

Darek's smile melts your heart. He has a few different smiles. He has a cheesy grin that he uses when he's ready for a nap or just up from a nap. Another smile when he's somewhat amused and then his huge grin when he's really happy to see you or very amused. I think he has a special smile for each member of his family. I love the way his whole body gets happy when he sees his Daddy. He has a really sweet smile for me. And I think he just gets giddy when he sees his brother. I don't know anyone that can get Darek giggling like Alex can. It's always been Alex's mission in life to make other kids laugh and he sure has it perfected with Darek.

A few misc. things:

I love that Darek knows his name.
I love that he pats people now. Usually on the back, face or head. So sweet!
I love that when you say "YAY", he immediately starts to clap.
I love the way his whole body moves with excitement when you show him his bottle.
I love that Darek still mostly wears 3-6 month clothing although he is 11 months old. :)
I love the rare moments when he just wants to cuddle.
I love that he loves being sung to.
I love the cooing sound he makes when I get him out of bed in the morning and the immediate "love pat" he gives me.
I love those big brown eyes and the way they suck you right in.
I love being his Mommy and the joys I've experienced through him.