Eleven months old

Yep, you read that title right... ELEVEN MONTHS OLD. We are on the homestretch to turning the big-ONE, y’all, and I feel like I am an emotional vortex because of it. On one hand, WOW! I have almost completed – and survived - my first year being a mother of two. Hooray for me! And on the other hand, Seriously? Has the Universe started moving at warp-speed? If I close my eyes, I can clearly remember being in the hospital, giving birth to the biggest, cutest baby boy in the whole world. I’m afraid if I close my eyes again, when I come too he’ll be leaving for college. So maybe that’s one positive tick-mark for not sleeping, eh? I get to enjoy every second... Especially the ones between the hours of midnight and four in the morning.

So. Luke is only a baby for one more month, and then we can technically start calling him a toddler, disregarding the fact he’s been wearing 2T clothes for a few weeks now. Oh yes, the big guy is a growing, and judging by his appetite, he’s gonna stay in the top of the growth-charts for a while longer. And while he’s been successfully chowing down on real-people food for a few months now, he and I are currently in the process of weaning. And, let me tell ya, it’s not easy. My weaning process with Taylor was sudden and traumatic, and I had wanted to avoid that shock to my system at all costs this go-round. And even though Luke and I have had some battles over the bottle in the past, I’m happy to announce that he’s starting to adapt to the bah-bah and sippy cups. And hopefully by the time I’m writing down my One year milestones post we are totally done and I can joyfully announce that I’ve got my body back to myself. Keep your fingers crossed... Because I am so OVER doubling up sports bras to go for a run.

Oh, my little man. I just hate seeing him upset at all, because it’s such a dramatic shift from his normal, jovial self. Other than showing brief vampire-like qualities, Luke really is the happiest baby in the whole world, and this past month he started getting really, really FUN! We’ve all known he’s got a knack for flirting and being charming, but the past few weeks he’s started showing his silly-side. He loves playing peek-a-boo and swinging his arms in the air when music comes on. And the kid loves BALLS! He’ll beeline across a room to grab one of his toy balls and spike it on the ground and then go and get it again. Almost like he’s playing catch with himself. Which is a good thing too, because Lord knows the Princess is too busy reenacting the entire Tangled movie to fit in a game of catch.

But even though she’s not throwing the ball to him, Taylor truly is the best, most tolerant, big sister I could imagine. Luke is totally mobile and all over everything and so into whatever she’s playing with. He’ll wipe out her tea parties and stick her puzzle pieces in his mouth, and then he’ll grab at her hair and throw things at her when she tries to protect her playthings. And she’ll just squeal, NO, YUKEY! and then continue on trying to live in her magical princess kingdom. Yeah... I don’t think Luke realizes how good he’s got it. But one thing is for certain, no one can make him laugh like his big sister does. And watching, from a distance, the two of them play together and erupting in big belly laughs is by far the most amazing, heart-warming thing ever. And to think, a year ago at this time I was worried that this would be too much for Taylor. I’m pretty sure it’s the best thing we could have ever done for her.

So in the past few months Luke has gone from barely moving to crawling at lightening speeds around the house and pulling himself up on whatever he can. He’s got that lethal combination of being pretty tall and extremely determined, so all of our table have been cleared of any sorts of choking hazzards or heavy objects. He’s totally cruising from furniture to furniture, and I expect him to be walking in the next few months. Which, just the thought of, makes my left arm and shoulder sigh in relief from carrying that hefty boy around all day.

One thing’s for sure, when he does start walking we’re definitely going to have to reassemble to baby gate to keep him off the stairs. Even now, he’ll sneakily crawl his way onto the landing and up two or three stairs before starting to squeal, MEEP! MEEP!, which Luke-speak for, Hey Mom! Look! I’m on the stairs again! I watched him from the bottom of the staircase the other day as he got halfway up, and then he turned around and tumbled into my arms. It wasn’t death-defying, but he did roll down about six or seven stairs. And when I scooped him into my arms and started soothing him, he stopped me and STARTED LAUGHING. And then he clapped a few times and tried to crawl up them again. Seriously. I guess this is what people mean when they say, He’s all boy.

But I guess this past month was just a warm-up in keeping this Mama on her toes. I watch friends of mine who have sons that are a bit older than mine, and they are constantly chasing them down on the playground and catching them as they jump off the highest point of the jungle gyms. I could keep baby-Taylor contained by just surrounding her in a circle of books and Princess dolls. I think Luke’s gonna keep my senses on high alert. Hopefully by the time his testosterone-inspired daredevil routine starts I’ll be a little more rested.

So one more month until we’re watching him bury his face in birthday cake, and feeding him peanut butter, and turning his carseat around. All very exciting things that bring me both utter joy and heartache at the same time. Oh, this year is going so, so fast. And with an upcoming beach trip with Chris’s parents, followed by a visit to Asheville from my parents, this final month before his big birthday will be the icing on the cake of our best year ever. It may be going fast, but we are enjoying every second of it.