Nathan is 11 months old!

Today Nathan is 11 months old! The big news is that he is walking! He took his first steps in early August and by the middle of the month he was getting around everywhere! He loves to walk, and even when he falls down he gets right back up and keeps going. He does still crawl quite a bit and he has even crawled up our stairs, with mommy very close by his side.

We've discovered that Nathan loves dogs! He just can't get enough of them. Our neighbors have a very old lab and he is so gentle and lets Nathan grab and touch and climb on him. Whenever we see a dog out for a walk Nathan starts to point and tries to climb off my lap or jump out of my arms to get to the dog.

He has an adorable smile and the sweetest laugh! He loves his sister Emma! He just wants to be near her and see whatever she's doing. He is starting to give hugs and they are so sweet to receive. He's waving now and when he hears us telling Daddy goodbye in the mornings, he starts waving his cute little hands.

Nathan loves to hang upside down. I do this carefully by leaning him backwards while he is sitting on my lap. I hold his arms and lower him to the ground. Then I pull him back up into a sitting position. He loves it so much that he will start to lean himself back, his way of telling me to lower him backwards. Sometimes I'll even do a flip with him and he loves that too. He likes to swing too, but we haven't been outside to swing much this summer, it's just too hot. We have gone to pool a few times and he loves the water! When it's bath time I still put Nathan in his bath seat, but it doesn't hold him for long. He usually tries to climb out within 5-10 minutes so then I have to take him out. He is just too wild in the bathtub and won't sit still.

Nathan still only has two teeth but I hope any day now the top front 4 will come through and give him some relief. I can feel them just below the gum, and he has been so fussy for weeks due to teething. He's learning to feed himself much better and loves to drink water from his straw cup. He eats yogurt, pears, avocados, meat, sweet potatoes, cheese, and beans. After he turns one I will introduce eggs and fish.

He is starting to vocalize a few more sounds, but no real words yet. The closest is 'mama', but he usually says "mama mama mama" a few times in a row, not just the one word yet. We can see the cute little person he's growing into, and we can't wait to get to know him better as his personality emerges more each day.