Ryan at 11 months

Ryan continues to pick up new tricks and show us more of his personality. He knows how to clap and is standing unaided for a few seconds at a time. He has discovered the lazy Susan in our kitchen and loves to empty it. He can turn the TV on and off and fights me for my Xbox controller. He likes to play guitar with daddy but often insists on a solo. One of his favorite spots is under our computer desk where there’s a wonderland of cables and lights.

He has discovered doorknobs, the lever on the toilet and the oven burner knobs. We’d prefer he didn’t know about any of these. He knows the sound of the bathtub faucet and makes a bee line for it. He has learned the maniacal delight of knocking over a stack of blocks. He’s not happy unless he’s pulling his socks off. Give him a shelf full of books or CD’s to demolish and he’ll make short work of it. He pounces when he knows the dishwasher’s open, so I have to take him into seclusion in his room until Gina’s done loading the dishes.

He holds the phone up to his ear and has interesting conversations. He surprises and scares us with his strength, like when he hoisted a full gallon of water. Ryan still prefers daddy when he’s upset, but mommy’s his favorite playmate.

He’s more willful now that he’s mobile, but he’s still a super good baby. He continues to humor us on long shopping trips and prolonged photo shoots. He loves to spot Gina when she’s stretching on the floor. He likes paging through his books. He contorts himself when we put him in his car seat but will fall asleep in it minutes later.

We can’t believe our baby is going to be a year old soon.