Overdue 11 month update!
I’ll admit, I am a few days late with this update. I’ve been spending my spare time decorating for Christmas!
Nicholas is now 11 months old and in less than a month will celebrate his first birthday! I cannot believe it. Here is a list of his latest accomplishments and pictures.
* He can stand up unassisted really well! He stands for a longer period of time and can hold onto things, clap, etc. all while standing. His balance has really improved.
*Rumor has it that he has taken a couple of steps! However, Matthew nor I have seen it so to us, he hasn’t yet. 
During a playgroup this week, a friend said, “oh I didn’t know Nicholas was walking!”. I replied “um, he’s not. Why?”. She said “because he just took two steps!”. Of course he didn’t do it again, but we hope he will soon. Stay tuned for that video!
*He is running with his truck. Not just strolling around the house anymore, oh no. He flat out runs with that thing- right into the wall! Good thing his Papa got him a hard hat.
*He is clapping for real now. Before he would just do the motion and his hands wouldn’t really come together. But now he really does it. His little hands even make a clapping sound! He pretty much does it on command too, all you have to say is “yay”. It is really cute.
*He is eating more and more “real” food. Thankfully he will let meat that isn’t pureed past his lips and has even eaten some veggies with his fingers (verses a spoon). We have slowly been giving him tastes of cheese. Initially the pediatrician said to wait until his 1st birthday since he had a milk protein allergy. But since he is so close, we’ve been letting him sample it. And let me just say that I see a lot of cheeseburgers in his future.
*He says “yay” and “oh”. It is especially cute when he drops something and says “ooooh”. Or when he is clapping and says “yay!”. Matthew and I put the Christmas tree up last night and when Nicholas woke up this morning to see it, he just kept saying “ooooh” and pointing to it. It was precious!
*He knows how to turn on all of his singing friends. Between Nana, Aunt DeeDee and me, Nicholas has 4 singing friends. Well, 6 but I moved two into his room. They are all lined up on our coffee table and he plays then daily. Usually all at once for a chorus. He knows where to press on each one to make them go and once they start he does his happy dance and grins.
*He really responds to music now. He has always liked music, but he really dances to it now. He tends to sit on his knees (ouch!) and when a song with any sort of beat comes on the radio, he will start to bounce up and down. Really cute!
*He can basically put the right shapes into his shape sorter toy. Doesn’t hurt that when he does it, it makes a silly sound and lights up! Nothing like positive reinforcement.
*He loves to throw himself down into pillows and squeal. Usually he’ll do it on command if you say “ahhh, boom!”. We are planning to take him to Hopper House on his birthday. We think he will have a grand time! This video isn’t the best but gives you an idea.
All in all, Nicholas just keeps getting cooler everyday!