Off the charts!

At 11 months, our "little" boy is finally off the charts.  At 30.25 inches long and 28.5 pounds, Donny is now officially abnormally large for his age and his mama's back.   We did two girafferoo photo shoots this month.  The first in his retro hot dog outfit with his first McDonald's french fries, the second in the chair that he now knows how to slide out of whenever he is tired of sitting down. 

   
He is a wiggler.  He does not cuddle for more than a second, and no sooner have I picked him up (at his request), but he is climbing back down.  I feel like I have a toddler on my hands, even though he hasn't even got the crawling thing down yet.  He is rolling everywhere and scooting backwards - pulling his baby monitor onto the floor by the cord.

 
We took a family mini-vacation to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) this month. 

Donny got to see his grandparents who were there on a school field trip, watched his first OmniMax movie (Lewis and Clark - isn't Grammy Shire proud! he loved it!  bounced and waved at the screen - only the bear scared him a little), and explored the baby/toddler room.

Here he is in an eagle's nest with Daddy:


and pretending to be a dinosaur:

 
Playing in the ball pit and talking to the fish: 
   
Our big boy is the joy of our days.  Andy is at his best with his son, teaching him new tricks and playing/exploring.  I am at my most content and joyful when "playing" with him, singing to him, dancing with him.  And now he has begun to talk to me too!  Mostly babbling, but sometimes I get a real "Hi!" The babbling seems like real words sometimes.  I definitely get the emotional content of what he is saying even if I don't understand the words. The words I do understand are Daddy, Mama, Hi, Bye Bye, and Light.  And he is good about signing "all done," and "more."  He also copies us (especially Andy) when we make noises.  He has a very cute fake laugh, cough, and whistle.  

He decided he didn't want to be swaddled a couple of weeks ago, and also seems to be rejecting his pacifier when we lay him down for a nap or at bedtime.  He is an independent and busy little boy.

    
I am treasuring every minute.  What a blessing he is in my life!