11 months old

Yes this post is 3 days late, however I did take his 11 month pictures on the 26th. I just haven't managed to even open this blog in the last few days. We have been very busy here at the Maynord house. Things have calmed down a bit and we have settled down to watch a movie as a family tonight. So with that being said... here is the 11 month (belated) post.

Owen,

I've probably seen the biggest change in you this past month. It's been huge . . .

You are in full on explorer mode. (You are hearing the word "no" quite often these days.)

You say "da-da" and "ba-ba" but no "ma-ma" yet. What's the deal?

You are doing your own version of crawling (using your hands and scooting on your butt or steam rolling across the floor). It is not traditional but hey, you get around.

You pull up on everything. (crib, toy basket, coffee table, etc.)

You usually sleep 9-10 hours straight at night with 2-3 naps during the day.

You have 7 teeth last time I checked (a few days ago), but with as fast as they are coming in there may be more by now.

You eat baby food 3 times a day.

You have started to explore some table foods. (you love mashed potatoes)

You love to dance.

You love music.

You “talk” to your toys.

You went on your first vacation this month, and loved it.

You fight sleep, which is exasperating at times. (Nothing a good late night car ride cant fix.)

You have had several bumped heads recently. Learning to be mobile can be hard!

I can see how 11 months can be a milestone that is overlooked because we are so close to that big YEAR birthday. But I will always remember 11 months because I think this is really the start of you being a little boy rather than a little baby. And, wow, even writing that makes me teary. It is such a strange feeling to miss you being a baby, but love who you are now so much, and also look forward to the years ahead watching you grow and change. I guess it just comes down to the fact that I’m blessed. I’m blessed to get to be a part of your life. I’m blessed because no matter what age, you’ll always be my sweet baby.

We are only a few weeks from celebrating a year of you in our lives and I can hardly stand it. It feels like my heart might burst. You will never know how happy you’ve made us. I know I’ll try to explain it to you several times in your life, but just know … you’ll never truly know. Because I could never put this kind of love into words. There are no words. Happy 11 months, Owen!

Love, Mom

This month's photos were next to impossible to take.

 I've included some outtakes so you would see why.

Carousel Ride!

Owen went on his first carousel ride today with his Grandma and Aunt Mimi. This picture is too cute not to share!

You know you have a baby when...

You show up places with dried formula in your hair.

Your can’t see your floor because there are toys EVERYWHERE. And you would put them away but you NEED them.

Most of the furniture in your house is made by Fisher Price.

Every word spoken after 8 p.m. must be whispered.

When you get an hour alone, you spend the first ten minutes thinking about how you can clean the house, get a hair cut, go grocery shopping, watch a recorded show, take a nap, read a book … all in one hour.

You can be somewhere and have your heart be entirely somewhere else.

Your entire day is planned around nap time.

You think 5:30 a.m. is sleeping in and 9 p.m. is staying up late.

The people in your life take on new roles as grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. and you see them be amazing in different ways.

You dream about the days when your stomach was flat.

Hand sanitizer is your best friend.

The world becomes a little scarier because you have a lot more to lose.

You are very thankful for elastic.

You suddenly notice every baby around you and just how many there are in the world.

You realize that a little person needs you for everything and it makes you want to be 100 times better than you are.

There is no such thing as a day off.

Your baby has more (and frankly cuter and more stylish) clothes than you.

You often wish for time to stop, for moments to just freeze so you can breathe it all in and tell the Lord thank you.

You don’t want to think of a world without Elmo in it. It would not be good.

You now get why, when it comes to toys, the louder and more obnoxious, the better.

You cry a lot more.

You see life through a set of little eyes and it is funnier, brighter, more innocent and lovelier than you ever knew.

Florida Pt. 3

We made it home! Owen was a trooper in the car for 9 hours. We had a great time and we were sad to leave. Here are the rest of the pictures. Get ready, there are a TON!