11 Months

Last week PJ hit the 11 month mark of being part of the Younk-O-Fun family, he is getting big and showing new skills nearly everyday making it easy to believe this little man is going to be 1 year old soon.  Time to start planning a birthday party!
This last month PJ went from kinda crawling and pulling himself up on everything to practically walking.  He is not walking yet but he is doing everything else to prepare himself for some independent steps.  PJ uses the wall, out legs, Cheyenne, toys, cabinets, vacuum, and anything else at/or near his level that will allow him to get from point A to point B.  This past weekend he tried to take a step or two but he then lunges into your arms all smiles, very cute.
PJ is also spending a lot of time exploring beyond whats in front of him.  He discovered that there is stuff behind the cabinet doors, that the doors to rooms can open and close seeing us and then not seeing us.  He likes to put stuff in a cabinet, box, or small container and then take them back out, over and over again.  His favorite spot in the kitchen is under the sink where we store all our water bottles and thermoses.  He spends a lot of time taking them all out, putting on the lids, taking off the lids, and making the lids fit into each other.  PJ is very calculating; he likes it when its a good fit and will keep trying until the fit is just right. 
PJ has gotten 4 teeth since last month and we are pretty sure more are on their way.  He eats really well when all is calm in his mouth, but when he is teething he eats less than a rabbit.  He nibbles on everything so we know he likes what we are serving, but when he is teething only takes a few bites before being done.  Daycare has also noticed that one week he is eating everything in sight and he is napping well.  Then he will have rougher naps, need a bit more cuddles, and not be interested in eating much more than a bite or two of solid foods.  We have decided this is what teething is all about, and will endure knowing the phase is here now but nothing lasts forever. 
In this last month we have also noticed PJ become more vocal.  He is saying all sorts of sounds with all sorts of volume ranges.  He is giving us some great smiles and belly laughs.  He will try different tones to see what gets our attention and what makes us smile.  Other times he is playing with his toys, chatting away like he is telling himself the best story.  Sometimes his stories are so good he will laugh and then chat some more.  PJ has also noticed that when he says things to strangers they will look at him and maybe even talk to him.  He loves trying to get the attention of the neighboring table at a restaurant or the people standing in the grocery line. 
Clapping has also been added to PJ's repertoire of development skills.  He started clapping at the same time as he started standing unassisted.  He takes his hands in the air and then starts clapping so pleased with himself that he is standing all by himself.  Unfortunately if you clap with him out of excitement of his new standing skills he loses his balances from all the happiness and plops back down on his bum.  He has gotten a few "owies" this way, which are bound to happen but make the ladies at daycare feel quite bad.  I have to sign an "owie" report every time it happens.  Needless to say we are going to have a nice stack of reports before he turns 1. 
Just as you think he that he is growing up too fast, we are reminded that  PJ is still our little baby.  He stills needs us in the middle of the night, several times a night.  He even needed me to cuddle him for an hour because he needed to sleep and just couldn't do it alone.  In fact it seems that the busier he gets and the more we let him explore; the more he comes back to us to cuddle and take it all in for a few moments before exploring some more.  We are enjoying him discovering his independence, but we are trying to not rush anything.