Aidan is Eleven Months Old

Just one short month, thirty short days until our baby is a whole year old.

At eleven months old, Aidan is a very happy, passionate, active, vocal, curious baby boy. He is constantly on the move, rarely stopping to play with any one item for more than a few seconds. That is, unless it's something he's NOT supposed to be getting into. Then he'll sit there for as long as we'll let him and he'll happily play with whatever the off-limits item happens to be.

Aidan loves to pull himself up on the furniture, whether it's the coffee table, the couch, my legs, or the dog. He cruises like a champ across the furniture, but he still isn't showing much interest in walking on his own. I'm certainly in no rush to get him to do so, anyway! That would be yet another reminder that he's growing up! And, fast, too!

Aidan's favorite activity these days (besides eating) is emptying containers. Whether it's his dump truck full of oversized legos, his block sorter, or the tupperware cupboard, if you let him empty something, he's in his glory. I guess now we just need to teach him how to put back the items he's emptied!

His vocabulary is ever increasing. In addition to his favorite words (Mama, Dada, Papa, and Baba), he's now saying "Hi," "Bye," and "Hello." I've even heard him mutter "Uh-oh" once or twice. And he knows what each word means -- if we ask him where Daddy is, he'll point with his little fist. Same with Mommy and Noah. And if you say "Hi" or "Bye" to him, he'll lift his hand and wave. It's the cutest thing!

He is looking forward to his first Thanksgiving this week. Like I said, his number one activity is most definitely eating, and boy, is he good at it! We still haven't found a morsel of food that he doesn't like, which I think is a great thing. Thank God he didn't inherit my pickiness.

He continues to be a joy in our lives. Sometimes I'll just look at him and wonder what life was like without him. And then I'll remember, Oh, yeah. I got sleep. And I got to do housework without a 24 pound growth attached to my hip. And I got to eat a hot meal every night. I was able to sleep in every once in a while... But I never knew how amazing it felt to have your son come at you with a big, sloppy kiss. I never knew what it felt like to have chubby little arms wrap tightly around my neck. I never knew how my heart would swell with pride as I watch my son learn how to wave. How to feed himself. How to talk, to call me Mama. I never knew I could love someone so fully, with my whole entire being. With every fiber in my body. I never knew what it was like to be a mother. And, you know what? Those sleepless nights, those cold dinners, those weight-lifting housework sessions... it's the least I could do when you compare my so-called sacrifices with the unconditional love my son and I share.