WGL, 11 Months

Dear William George,

You became eleven months old back on June 11th. This has been a big month for you. You began practicing a couple of steps here and there, and you worked on your modest two step maneuver for 3-4 days. The following Sunday you started walking 6-8 steps at a time, covering the entire expanse of any given room. The next day, you were walking all over our home. You are on your feet constantly, and you walk quickly or run.

You move so fast that I had to take your photo this month in sports mode.  Completely forget any manual efforts!  I worked on your photos three separate times during the day. I even tried a shock-and-awe strategy by waking you up from nap and immediately photographing you. You frowned angrily for the first five shots and then ran around the room. The outtakes are funny, but not exactly the stuff of good portraiture.

You are talking more and more. You will repeat most words with minimal prompting. Your disposition continues to be sweet and agreeable, but you do have a temper -- a very short fuse. 


As for your activities and preferences, you are mostly interested in walking these days, and you especially love your new ability to track down your sisters. You try to confiscate any toy they may have. We use musical instruments often, and you especially enjoy the rhythm sticks. You always try to grab whatever instruments your sisters have, and we are working on taking turns.  Speaking of music, you really like to sing "Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee," although you still prefer "You Are My Sunshine" above anything else.

As for your culinary preferences, you are enjoying more vegetables. You have had fresh squash, green beans and corn. Your favorite treat is a saltine cracker. We say that's your heritage since my family lives a good cracker. 

Lauren asks all the time, "Mommy, aren't you glad we have George?"

We are. We are so very glad you joined our family.

Love,
Mommy

PS:  I forgot to mention that you broke your swing.  You logged many, many hours in that swing.  You took naps in the swing, and you often slept in the swing.  When we went on vacation, we took the swing (and it's not exactly compact).  The swing accommodates children up to 25 pounds; however, as I have often said, the manual does not state that it will continue to adequately swing a 25 pound child.  The swing did continue to function on its highest speed setting and with fresh batteries, but your heft was beginning to tax the motor.  Then you started reaching up and grabbing the mobile, and you realized you could stop the swing.  Your continual grabbing and stopping the swing caused the motor to stop working.