11 Months!

Nate is 11 months old.  He is happier than ever and oh so cute.  He is learning all sorts of new tricks and getting really close to talking.  He understands some commands and walks to his highchair at the mere mention of food.  He signs a few words (hot, more, and food).  He loves to eat, and he can rarely wait for something to cool off before digging in.  So that's how he knows the sign for hot and he blows on his food.
He is really good at imitating sound.  He will make blowing noises if you blow your nose by him.  He does the sharp intake of breath that I do often when I see him hovering inches away from danger.  He laughs when we laugh, but it's a fake one.  He still makes the car noise and tries out the annoying sounds that Jake and Allie do.
We have finally called a truce on the nap battles.  I won.  I love it.  We have a little routine for naps.  He pulls the cord on the blinds to close them.  I turn on the fan.  He pushes "play" on the cd player and waits with a smile until the music starts.  Then we walk over to the light and I watch as his cute little finger tries to push the switch down.  Then, in his crib, he lays on his belly wiggling around till he's comfy (while making cute little contented noises).  He wedges himself up into the corner, wraps one little arm around his teddy bear and one arm around the soft blanket and he is settled.  Even if he doesn't fall asleep right away, he is happy to look at books in the bed. 
I have my sanity back.  There are very few things that can make a momma more crazy than a kid who won't nap.
Life is easier now that he is sleeping well too.  When he is awake, he is happy.  He plays well with his toys and doesn't follow me around crying. 
As for other accomplishments, he has mastered the stairs. He has also returned to crawling on his hands and knees to push a truck around the room.  There were a few weeks where I was sad that he wouldn't do that anymore.  Once he started walking, he wouldn't crawl anymore.  Not even for fun car play.
Well, enough talking...here are the pictures.

Jake:

Allie:

Nate:

He is such a messy eater, but he really likes to do it all by himself.  So I let him make a mess and then try to clean him up later.  I really think a disposal in our bathtub would be a great idea.  Then I wouldn't even have to clean off the big chunks before putting him in there.

He is so happy!  We all love him.  He cheers us all up when we are sad.  I put him on the kid's beds to wake them up if they are sleeping in.  How can you be mad and grumpy when this kid wakes you up?

When one of them is crying, there is nothing like a little Nate on their lap to dry the tears and make them laugh again. 

We are so lucky to have him.

Happy 11 months Nate!