Calan turns 11 months old!

This month went so fast, it seems we’re on the express train to having a one-year-old. It’s really hard to believe that in just a few weeks, Calan will have his first birthday!

We didn’t see a lot of new milestones this month, but plenty of practicing “old” skills. The most significant advancement however came when we “stood” Calan up against the front of the couch and let go. It was a site to see this tiny guy staying up on his own two legs and feet without our help. He doesn’t seem to mind at all, as long as his bum is pressed against whatever surface can support him. In fact, he usually begins verbalizing in these moments. His grandpa termed it “orating”, and it became a treat for us to watch Calan orate after propping him up. His speeches are in his own language of course, but his accompanying hand gestures do help a little. Needless to say, this is one step closer to walking.
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Calan still doesn’t crawl as of his 11-month birthday, but sits up on his own, rolls, pivots, scoots, and gets around really easily. Over the last few weeks, we have turned a mobility corner – we can no longer just plop him down in a play area and dash away for a moment. He’s bound to be on the other side of room exploring an outlet or cord if we do. Even so, I think our transition to toddlerhood and the stage of constantly running after the baby, is going smoothly. Calan is very easy on his tired old parents:)

He’s also still “talking” up a storm. No words that we recognize, at least attached to their proper meaning, but LOTS of exploring sounds, syllables, and inflections. He’s also getting really silly and extra fun to play with:)

The big event of the month was our trip to Oregon to see Mommy’s parents. Aside from an airline snafu, things went really well. We didn’t do as much as we had planned while we were there, but instead spent a lot of nice, relaxing time at home with the grandparents, playing, barbecuing, enjoying the beautiful company, weather, and scenery. Mommy and Daddy (and Grandmother and Grandpa!!) planned and thought so much about the trip to make sure that Calan would be comfortable and stay on schedule, and he did great! The only thing we didn’t see coming was a sudden fear of the shower/bathtub. It started when we had to spend the night in San Francisco. Something about the shower/tub in the hotel room really scared him. It was so sad, but every time he took his bath after that, he became terrified. For his last bath in Oregon, though, we pulled out all the stops – filled up the tub with extra bubbles, had his toys and bath book, plus his favorite star playing songs, AND Mommy got in with him (Daddy also nearby), and we read and sang, and he overcame his fear:)

Speaking of “fear”, Calan also started to show some very mild stranger and separation anxiety on and just after his trip. It was fleeting and very mild, so we feel lucky. Otherwise, our little guy is a happily and easily social little man, always interested in meeting new faces, recognizing and flirting with familiar ones. 🙂

Well, it’s on to the final stretch of baby-hood. Little C is getting bigger and more grown-up every minute. See you next month!