11 Months!

Levin is eleven! Eleven months that is. Hard to believe we're only one more month away from toddlerhood. How exciting yet incredibly sad at the same time.

He is one wild little creature! Big boy toys absolutely fascinate him and he loves to act like he's already a toddler. Maybe having an older brother prompts him to want to do certain activities, but I feel like he never wants to play like a baby anymore

If you can't tell, he loves vehicles! He loves riding in/on them, playing with them and imitating their noises. It's amazing how much of a boy this little man is already. He is in love with airplanes most of all! He spotted his first one flying above a few weeks ago and it nearly made me and Levi tear up. He heard the sound, gasped, and pointed his tiny little finger at the sky. He stood there, wide-eyed and pointing, until the plane was out of sight. Shortly after coming back inside we found him playing with one of Lucas' cars, but pretending it was a plane. He was swooping it around his head making airplane noises...loving every minute of it! There's nothing greater than watching your children learn right before your eyes! His expressions and actions were absolutely priceless to watch.

He loves being outside and is really comfortable crawling around in the dirt and grass now. That cautious little baby is gone...now he's hard to keep on eye on! He is walking around and taking as many as 10 steps at a time. He loves to stand and squat. I think he's pretty proud that he can get up without something to hold onto these days.

He's also a big fan of hiking! He's always loved to be worn so it was no surprise that he would love it while hitting the trails. Nature is so inspiring to babies and I just love watching him explore his surroundings. Some of his favorites are sticks, rocks, trees, and leaves!

The biggest development this month (other than practically walking!) is his huge stride in communication and understanding. He loves to mimic our actions and demonstrate how to properly use certain items. He knows that phones are for talking on and if I say "hello" he will put it to his ear!

He will also follow commands and shake, tap, clap, and bonk items if I tell him to. He isn't talking near as much as brother was at eleven months, but I am still so proud of his words. He now says dada, mama, dog, ni-night, more,  and my all time favorite....tickle-tickle! I can't help but giggle every time he pretends to tickle. He is very attached to his green blankie and a few days ago I could tell something was wrong. He was crawling around looking for something and was obviously sad that he couldn't find it. He looked at me very pitifully and wimpered 'ni-night?" I knew he wanted his blankie (as he's asked for it a few times before) so I went and pulled it out of his crib. His eyes lit up, he squeeze it super hard and then he started rubbing his fingers all over it while laughing "tickle-tickle ni-night". It was the cutest and funniest thing I have ever seen him do!

He is also very communicative while eating. Every time I tell him to open, he says "ahh". And when you ask him if something is good he immediately smiles and says "mmm!". I probably ask him both questions like 20 times each meal because I think it's just super stinkin' cute! I'll even admit that I'm waiting for him to mix up the answers...but he never does. He's a smart little cookie!

He is still a super eater, fantastic sleeper and now a determined climber. I have such a hard time keeping this boy on the floor. He'll climb boxes, buckets, chairs, you name it!

He's almost too big to throw into the sink for a quick bath these days. His hair is starting to get so long that it's curling at the tips and he even has 3 teeth (working on #4). One of the top teeth decided to come out by themselves so he looks so goofy at the moment. I can't help but laugh every time he smiles! The other top is beginning to protrude through so hopefully it's a quick advancement. Teeth are so evil!

This last month has been so full of excitement! As big as he's getting, I love that I can still look down at him and see a tiny little person. He has the greatest personality and is such a magnet of happiness!

Birthday Relaxation

I just had the most amazing birthday weekend ever...all thanks to my awesome hubby! After classes on Friday I was sent to the top floor of the downtown Sheraton to be pampered at the Ice Spa. I got an amazing hour long massage, followed by a manicure and a pedicure. Wow! What a relaxing way to spend my day! I have never had so many services done at once and the view was spectacular! I stared out at the ocean while getting my nails done...perfection!

I got home, thanked hubby for the awesome time, and was then instructed to pack my bags. What?! Where in the world were we going? And what about the kids?

Apparently hubby had all the details figured out. We got the kids settled down and then we headed out of town. I was whisked away to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood and couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. I've always wanted to go and didn't see it happening between school and the boys. But both of the kids sleep wonderfully through the night and are angels for our sitter, so we made the leap!

Not only did he book us a suite on the very top floor, but he also made us mountain top dinner reservations for Seven Glaciers! We took the tran ride up and got to sit and enjoy a gorgeous view while we had the most amazing meal of our lives. Honestly, I have never raved about a meal as much as this one. Best food and best drinks EVER!

The next morning we went to breakfast and then decided to take a swim at the indoor salt water pool. We must have gotten lucky with the fishing weekend because we had the place practically to ourselves! It was so nice to swim, enjoy the hot tub and take a nice sit in the sauna alone with my man. Made us both realize how much we truly miss the water.

We arrived back home around noon on Saturday and as our sitter was leaving she said that she would be back around 6. I had no idea what she was talking about and I couldn't help but laugh when hubby started grinning. He had surprised me with tickets to the Citizen Cope concert but we decided to do dinner and a movie instead. It was raining and we were both far too exhausted for an outdoor concert. (thank goodness for Craigslist). We went out, dined, had a few drinks, and saw the new Batman movie. A lovely date night to top off our trip!

What an awesome weekend! My husband has never been the big romantic type and can never really keep a secret, so I was ecstatic about all the effort he put forward for my birthday. It was great to spend some alone time and pamper ourselves as a couple. I couldn't have asked for anything better!