Eleven months already...can you believe it?!

Time does fly. I am having reminders of when Daryl was first born, because of the cold weather. There are a few differences though from last year. He is more mobile now, so I have to watch him like a hawk when the gas logs are on. He also likes to pull his socks off. When I take him outside so I can hang up laundry, I have to put shoes on him to keep the socks on. The shoes preoccupy him for a while, but he still manages in the end to pull a shoe off and, of course, the sock. His feet feel so cold, but it doesn't seem to bother him. I am open to any suggestions on keeping socks on (I draw the line at a straight jacket).

He has been crawling for about 1.5 months now, and has become quite an explorer. He also adds vacuuming and pointing out baby hazards as his specialties. He is becoming a hearty eater, but prefers what we are eating (he has discovered we eat tasty stuff). Now that he has 6 teeth, (2 on bottom, 4 on top) he is able to eat more of our food. He enjoys playing peek-a-boo. He actually holds his hands up to his face and peeks around them. He also enjoys playing with his farm animals, xylophone, and looking at his books. He likes to play with Daddy's books, but since the pages are too fragile, he gets them taken away from him (which he doesn't like). Mirrors, lights, and fans continue to fascinate him. I replaced the fan in his room with a space heater, and he still likes to watch it. He is getting gentler with the cats, but I still have to watch him when he is around them. His favorite buddy continues to be Daddy. He gets excited when Daddy comes into the room, and gets upset when Mommy takes him and he would rather be with Daddy. Daddy tosses him in the air, but sometimes stops long before Daryl is ready to stop. Daddy also sings silly songs he makes up (usually about how lucky we are he [Daddy] is around). He is getting better at sitting quietly (for a baby) in church. Last Sunday he lasted the entire first meeting (thanks to juice, toys and other people to play peek-a-boo with). He still has a bit of stranger anxiety, but it has improved once he started crawling. We are having another relapse in his sleeping schedule. Anytime there is a major change, it messes him up. The recent ones are the cold weather, and the time change. I am praying we get back on schedule soon. It is getting better, but has a way to go. As to talking, he says "da-da" and "ma-ma," but I think he is just chattering. Daryl likes to think he is calling "da-da;" I guess he is entitled to his opinion.

We are still working on the plans for his birthday party. Daryl (Jr)'s parents are coming up for the weekend, and we will have my parents over. I may invite more family, but I am waiting to see how he is doing socially by then. I don't want to make it too overwhelming for him (or me).

We are looking forward to his second Christmas. Last year was so close to his birth, it didn't really seem like Christmas. Things do change when one has children, but we wouldn't give him up for anything, not even for all the Cadbury chocolate in the world (you'd better agree with me, Daryl).