Dear Ian, This week you turn 11 months old and you marked the occasion by taking several steps on your own! It's hard to pinpoint a specific day when you start walking, but based off the squeals of joy from your Grandma I'd say it was an impressive display of mobility.

You are rocking the Toddler Schedule at day care now and it's led to my no longer going to nurse you at lunch. You have a snack at 8:30, lunch at 11 and then nap from noon to 2pm before your afternoon snack. I was first sad that you didn't need me anymore for milk but it's obvious that as soon as you see me after work you can't get to that milk fast enough. So we're just cutting back a little.

I had to go away on a business trip a few weeks ago for only one night, but it was the longest night ever for both you and Daddy. You and he were up every hour walking the floors because you both missed me. It's bittersweet to be wanted and needed that much from you.

That's not to say you and Daddy don't bond plenty on your own. You both are champion zerbert performers and many conversations dissolve into "pffbt"s back and forth. It surprised me when I made a noise like that when you fell down and you made it right back at me. You also love to shake your head no as if that is Comedy Gold, though thankfully you don't understand what "no" means quite yet. You'll just shake so hard you make yourself dizzy!

You had your first illness this month - hand,foot and mouth virus that gave you a slight fever and some general crankiness. We've been spoiled so far in your constitution and I have an every growing respect for parents who worry over sickly kids.

Bath time is one of your favorite things and it's awesome to watch you stand at the end of the tub desperately trying to crawl in. You've discovered how all the cabinets in the kitchen work and we had our first accident of dropping a jar of ginger dressing all over the floor. But the stove has a lock and the breakables are put up high. I have no idea how to keep you off the stairs other than to ask you as a personal favor not to climb them. Something tells me this won't work long term. But thankfully you have no interest in going down the laundry room stairs and much prefer to slam the door shut and play peekaboo through the cat door. By the way, the cats don't understand peekaboo.

11 months seems like one of those so close and yet so far ages, where you're "not quite a year". You're not quite walking and you don't quite have teeth yet and you can't quite say any words yet. But you can definitely get around and you can sure eat everything you see and you absolutely know how to communicate and get your point across. So you're more than just "almost 1" you are completely you!

Love, Mama