Caleb – 11 Months

The clock is ticking. Caleb turned 11 months old today, which means I have only one month left with a baby in the house.

As you can see in the picture above, he’s starting to get a few wispy hairs on the top of his head. If he follows the pattern of his brothers, in six months or so he’ll have nice locks of hair to compliment his smile.

This month Caleb has become a bit pickier about his eating habits. He refuses to eat purees off the spoon until after he’s had a chance to feed himself. He eats chunks of fruit, veggies, meat, and cheese. He always eats the cheese first. Only after he eats on his own does he allow me to feed him homemade fruit or yogurt purees. He also really likes to eat larger things like we do. He chews on rejected pizza crusts or half bananas as happily as can be. He still doesn’t know how to bite the correct size, though, so even though he has never actually choked on anything (he is good at spitting out things that are too big), I have a heart attack every time I let him practice.

Caleb likes attention. (Who doesn’t). I always know when he thinks I’m not paying him enough attention because that is when he gets himself into trouble. He goes for the toilet paper or the garbage can, the knives in an open dishwasher, the cat food, and best of all, trying to pull the nightlights out of the sockets. He is like a magnet to danger. We’ve been very careful about the gates on the stairs, but Nathan accidentally left one open earlier this evening and he was up about four steps in a flash.

This month Caleb has really been working on his standing and his cruising. It still seems odd to see him standing up like a big boy, even though he does it all the time. Imagine his glee when he discovered he is just tall enough to reach the piano keys.

Standing has opened up a whole new world to Caleb, and I’ve noticed him interacting more with his brothers during play. He’s a part of the gang now.

Being a part of the gang has been both fun and frustrating for Caleb’s big brothers. Caleb has also seemed a lot more interested in toys in the last month. Simon has experienced a lot of frustration from Caleb taking apart his duplo and magnatile creations.

One thing nice about being the youngest of three is that Caleb already knows how to stick up for himself. It’s tough in a house full of boys, but this picture sums Caleb up pretty well:

Don’t worry. Simon (who is being whacked in this picture) doesn’t have any trouble getting himself heard either.

We are still having trouble settling into a routine with Caleb’s naps. Luckily he is pretty chill. All the moms at the school pick up marvel at his willingness to just sit in the stroller and watch the big kids.

Caleb has gained some new skills this month, much to the delight of his brothers. He points, he claps, and he high fives. Caleb is also getting better at drinking from a sippy cup.

We are so blessed by his presence in our lives!