Parenthood.14

It's hard to catch a close-up of the back of a baby's head, but can you see the chunk that was cut out of his hair by some mysterious person? (My money is on the 4-year-old who has been hanging out with him a bit this summer.)

We love this crib--it's small and folds up easily so we can move it from his room to our room when we have guests. But because it folds up, I guess, there are no chew guards on the end. So baby teethes on his crib.

Best toy ever, made by Uncle #1tomatolover. Baby Leopard loves hardware and this makes him very happy.

10.5 months 

The baby loves wheels. He is a bit scared of big balls--he plays with them, but then comes crawling quickly over to me. But since he was very little, he would hightail it over to any wheels he saw, and turn them as fast as he could. Stroller wheels are probably his favorite. I remember the look on his face when a car drove slowly past us and he realized that there was a GIANT wheel. He likes wheels on little cars, too. Suitcase wheels are good. Walker and wheelchair wheels. It turns out that wheels are everywhere and Baby Leopard wants to spin them all. 

nearly 11 months 

He's saying, "Hi!" enthusiastically to everyone, including my parents' cat and the people behind us at mass. His waving is more sporadic.

11 months 

Today he started balancing on his own for a few seconds at a time. He loves to do this and probably did it 75 times today. He especially loves to do it while getting ready for bed. (I think the mattress is nicer to fall on.) I can't make it all the way through a book without him excitedly standing up, balancing, falling over. And you know what they say, a new skill means no sleep...

The beach. He loves his family, especially my dad. In fact, he bypassed me repeatedly to crawl past me to my dad, all the while saying, "Ma-ma-ma." 

It's the end of the summer and I'm nostalgic--not wanting the school year to start, not wanting Baby Leopard's baby days to end. Both school and toddlerhood are imminent.