Paper and Ink and the note we wrote: A letter to Luke at 11 months

Dear Lucas,

I'd like to start this letter by saying that I LOVE 11 months. You are so much fun! There's a lot going on around here.

First of all, you are communicating a lot. No real words yet except besides Mommy and Daddy, but every once in a while we here you say stuff that sure sounds a lot like a word. like the other day you were staring in the mirror and said "baby" and twice yesterday after I said "bye" to someone, I would hear you say "buh" like a little echo. But so far there's no consistent enunciation. You do have a wide repertoir of pointing however. It's amazing to me how you never seem to tire of it. From the moment you wake up in the morning until the time we put you to bed your little hand is emphatically gesturing towards anything that interests you.

Speaking of pointing, it was so fun to watch you when Titi Cyn and Uncle Alex brought your cousin Claire to visit. You guys LOVED being around each other. You particularly loved pointing things out to her. You'd get so excited about it as if there was just so much that you had discovered and you were just waiting for someone littler than you to come along who you could share it all with! She was a very appreciative audience for you. She would obediently look at whatever you drew her attention to. It was so cute hearing you two talk to each other. We had no idea what it was you were saying to each other, but you guys seemed to think it was hysterical. All of us parents couldn't believe all of the new stuff you both started doing in the week that you were together. I guess that interaction spurred both of you on.

Nursing time.

I think you're wondering why Claire isn't standing up with you.

The only downside was that you seemed to have a fondness for Claire's delectable plump feet. You bit her pretty hard once and after that we had to watch to make sure you didn't go back for another nip!

We've been enjoying summer in the city. It's been HOT. To cool off a little we've headed to a kids fountain near the harbor that lets you run in and out of the water. You love it because of the water, but also because there are a ton of kids running around and you love to watch them.

Practicing lunges

We had a wonderful surprise this month. One Sunday Grandma, Nonni and Grandpa came up for a quick visit. You were very sleepy when they first got here. Can you tell?

Once you took your nap you felt a lot better. Then we all went for a walk by the harbor.

Yep. All better now.

Something else you love to do is make messes. you really prefer things that present a bit of a challenge to get into. Case in point: This box of straws took a good 15 minutes for you to get into. There was a little window on the front that you kept sticking your hand into. You would reach in, get a handful of straws and then cry out for me because of course your hand was stuck in that small opening. It's very hard to convince an 11 month old to let go of things. This happened a couple of times until you decided there must be a better way. You realized the top opened and Voila! the mess was made. This one took quite a while to pick up. Those little straws are slippery!