Eleven Months In...

Dear Hayden

Mommy is very late writing this letter to you. I have been so caught up in enjoying every moment with you, Daddy and the girls when I get home that I have been decidedly "unplugged" from the computer and technology to increase our quality time together. It has been a great decision! I am writing this letter now because I am home sick from work with strep. You are at school. The last day and half has STUNK! Daddy has had single parent duty and I can't be around y'all. It hurts my hurt!

You continue to delight us and make us laugh constantly! You are growing so fast and will be one in just a few short weeks...

• We went to Chicago a few weeks ago. Daddy and his friends, along with Uncle Jake and Aunt Kristi, went to the Northwestern vs. Iowa game while you and I hung out with Jessica, baby Kaden and Grandma and Grandpa Frohling. We had a blast! Grandma and Grandpa just couldn't get enough of you! All of our sweet friends love you so much. I know that you and Kaden will be best buds - you are only five months apart in age!
• Your top FOUR teeth are in now. You now have six teeth. WOW! You are adorable and are learning that Momma's shoulder is not for biting.
• We went and had family pictures made and you did awesome! It was hard to narrow down the choices because you are so cute!
• You now say "Mama" when you want me and if you want Momma's milk. I love it! You say "Dada" and "Dagee" (doggy) too. You said Mama and Dada before, but now you know what it means.
• You are still an amazing eater. You pretty much eat ANYTHING! You prefer to feed yourself over us feeding you. This means you get a LOT more baths now.
• Speaking of baths, you are now in the "man cave" bathroom. You are too big for your duck tub and the faucet upstairs doesn't work except in shower mode. You now get to take baths in Dada's bathroom and you LOVE it! His tub is MUCH bigger and you love to splash. You would stay there for hours if we let you.
• You also love to brush your teeth. You reach for the toothbrush and stick in your mouth. You do a great job!
• Your favorite way of getting around now is booty scooting. You scoot all around and will army crawl if you need to. You like to have something in each hand and way it around while scooting. I love it!!
• You love to pull up on everything, so we spend Thanksgiving break rearranging the living and dining room to make it safer for you.
• We also put up the tree. You LOVE balls, so it was no surprise when you pulled the (plastic) Toy Story balls off of the bottom of the tree and started playing with them. The bottom foot of the tree now has no ornaments.
• You still love to dance. You also love any music on TV.
• We got you a Baby Signing Time DVD and you love it! The frog is your favorite.
• I took you for your second flu shot at the new pediatrician and you now weigh 22 lbs. 8 oz. You are a healthy boy and we are grateful for that!
• You are about to be in size four diapers.
• You are now in 12-18 month pj's and one piece outfits. Depending on the shirt, it is either 6-12, 9-12 or 12-18. In pants, it's pretty much 6-12 or 9-12. You can wear 12-18, but they are a little long. You have a really long torso.
• We leave for Texas on Thursday and everyone is SO excited to see you!!
• My laptop crashed so I have lots of pictures of you I need to upload. :) I know people on Blogger and FB want to see you. :)
• You still manage to amaze us each and every day with you delightful little laugh and happiness. You are a great baby and we are always getting compliments on how handsome you are and how sweet you are. You are our greatest blessing!

Love,

Momma