Asa is 11 months old

Good thing we're coming up on a year, because I seem to be getting later and later on these posts.  Wait, coming up on a year?  What?!

Asa's eleventh month was a big one for him.  He learned how to crawl, pull up to standing, and stand on his own for a few seconds at a time, and he's become much better at communicating.  I'm still not sure whether to count anything he's saying as actual first words because he's a bit inconsistent, but I think uh-oh (more like "uh-uh-uh"), cat, and hat are pretty definite.  He has said them all in context many times, but they don't always come out quite right and he doesn't always say them when he has the chance.  This is so different from Ewan who used to learn a new word and say it constantly.  I think this is a reflection of the difference in their temperaments, though.  Anyway, Asa is signing more now, too, and regularly signs all done, light (his favorite), dog, fish, and butterfly.  (He has ample opportunities to use the latter two because they have a fish tank and many butterflies at his daycare, Butterfly Garden).  He has also signed for milk and more, but for some reason doesn't do them regularly, maybe because yelling gets his point across just fine.  Speaking of yelling, the little guy we once called Mr. Mellow can now throw a tantrum like a two-year-old.  He is also now always on the move, and diaper changing is even more challenging than I remember it ever being with Ewan.  We jinxed ourselves.

Although the high activity level and strong opinions can be challenging for us, they really are just a reflection of Asa having become so much more curious about his world and aware of his own autonomy.  He understands cause and effect and regularly exercises his ability to control situations.  For example, he has come to love being read to, but strongly prefers certain books (typically simple ones about animals) and if we try to read him a book he doesn't like, he will forcefully push it away and reach for a different one.

Asa's play has also evolved significantly, and is another example of a domain in which birth order has had a huge influence.  He totally mimics his big brother's play, for example driving cars around and even making vehicle sounds.  He is also figuring out how to do simple stacking toys and shape sorters and will keep himself entertained for several minutes at a time moving between these types of activities, until he inevitably goes after something Ewan was playing with and we have to intervene.  But the two of them also have great moments of playing together, usually in the form of wrestling or having "parties" (or "powties," as Ewan says), which basically involves getting out every stuffed animal, blanket, and pillow we own, throwing them all on a bed, and rolling around in them.  The giggles that ensue are music to a mama's ears.

Among the other changes this month are the physical ones of two top teeth, thicker and longer and blonder hair, and less baby chub.  There are noticeable changes on almost a daily basis at this point.  It is a super fun time and I am constantly reminding myself to slow down and be fully present in it, which is so hard when life feels so busy.  Of course there is nothing like the approach of your baby's first birthday to get you to cherish their babyhood while you can.  Sigh.