11 Months

My baby boy is already 11 months old, and it seems like he is doing new things every day. Here's a quick update: A late teether, he had no teeth until Mother's Day, until two popped through. He now has five and is working on three more. Otis is getting ready to take his first steps. He pulls up on everything, and uses objects like his highchair, a stool, and a laundry hamper to push in front of himself as he walks around the house. (We should get him a real push toy, I guess!) When he gets up the courage, he can stand by himself for a second or two before either slowly and deliberately squatting down or losing his balance and plopping onto his rear. Otis is a big talker now. He babbles all the time and even pretends to read his books to himself. He can say dada, makes a throaty "kkkkkkkk" sound when he sees our cats, and can also say dog. Another sound he often makes is "O-toe", which makes us wonder if he's trying to say his own name. But cutest of all is his fake laugh. He will babble away, and every once in a while add an "aaaahhhh-hahahaha" and then go on babbling. Otis has figured out how to turn on the CD player and stands up, holding onto the shelf, and bounces up and down to the beat. Besides dancing up a storm, Otis's other favorite past time is reading. He can keep himself happily entertained by looking through his books by himself for several minutes, but he also loves being read to. I would guess that we spend a good two hours a day reading to our boy. This week he has started to bring books to us so we'll read them.

We just added pictures to the photo site, http://tootlefam.shutterfly.com. They include Otis's first swim, playtime around the house, and our anniversary/Father's Day trip to the coast. Enjoy!