eleven months.

It's the final countdoooooown. 

Brooks is 11 months old today! One more month until he is the big O-N-E! My sweet sugar love is inching his way toward toddlerhood.

(Side note: These photos are real life, folks. Brooks has been sick for a week and the faucet on his nose has not stopped running, his eyes are constantly watering, he has a gash on his temple from a tumble over his push toy into the corner of the baseboard, and he wanted to be doing anything other than taking pictures this morning. These pics are the best that I could do sans Johnny boy, unfortunately).

And speaking of love, do you remember when I said that my boy never wanted to be held, cuddled, or kissed? Well, that little nugget who wanted to be a part of the world, leaving his daddy and me in the dust, is now the most sweet, gentle, snuggly baby. He gives us "love" now without even asking for it, blows kisses, and wants nothing more than to be in our arms. It melts my heart good.

BUT, that's not to say being attached to us doesn't have it's disadvantages. For instance, Brooks is not a fan of the church nursery. He cries when we drop him off and is still crying when we pick him up. He used to leap into strangers' arms, but now holds on to us for dear life. And when I put him down to play? Yeah, temper tantrum central. He grabs my legs and reaches his arms up for me to pick him up while bawling his eyes out. It can be quite tiring at times. With all that being said, even though he has some attachment issues, JBB is getting better at solo play.

Want to know what else can be tiring? Reading Brooks book, after book, after book, after book, from sunrise to sunset. He is OBSESSED. And he won't sit like a little angel in a quiet corner and flip through them. He has to be sitting in our laps. He will climb over to us and point at his books and say, "booh! booh! booh!" until we pick one up to read to him. At that point, all is well with the world.

Brooks has a book that makes animal noises. The only two animal sounds he knows are "ouh ouh" (ribbit ribbit), "boooooo" (moo), and "ooh ooh ahh ahh" (the monkey sound, of course). He also has a book of trucks and when he comes to the page with the tractors he says, "dor" for "tractor." He says "tee tee" when playing with his choo choo train and "ssst ssst" when we change his dirty diapers. We call them "stinkies."

I have also noticed that he likes to poo in privacy. He finds a quiet little corner or hides behind a basket or piece of furniture. It is hilarious. When he disappears and the house gets quiet I know what's going down. I like my privacy too, buddy. Wish you would give me some...

So yeah, Brooks likes to join us in the bathroom. I'm not sure how it took him 11 months to discover it, but the toilet paper roll is F-U-N, people! You've gotta keep an eye on that little booger or else all the toilet paper that was once on the roll will be piled up on the floor.

On to food...

Brooks decided that purees are for the birds (unless it is fruit mixed in with his yogurt at breakfast, So, on October 14th we gave him his first big boy meal of all solids: chicken, steamed carrots, watermelon, and melon. He devoured it! We haven't turned back since, unless we are on the go. In that case, we just pull out a pouch of deliciousness. I am still making his fruit purees. Every morning for breakfast he has a puree mixed with yogurt and a pancake or waffle. If I feel like he isn't eating enough vegetables, I will make him a veggie puree. Surprisingly, he will eat it if I distract him with some finger foods too.

Brooks is a bottomless pit at dinnertime. I don't know where he puts it all! He honestly eats more food than I ever have on my plate. Just when we think he is all done, he will sign "more." There are evenings when I am rummaging through the fridge and pantry just to find something else to feed him! He also smacks his lips when he is really hungry. Our little piggy is too cute.

Along with three meals, and two snacks with sippies, he is taking two bottles--in the morning and at night. We are about to do away with the bottle in the morning and substitute the sippy cup.

Because little JB is eating solely solids, we decided it was time to start brushing his teeth. On November 5th we brushed those two teefies for the first time. He loved it. I think that it felt good on those teething gums. He actually cried when I took it out of his mouth! Poor thing.

So yeah, he loves having his teeth brushed (just like his momma). He loves lights. He also loves the "If You're Happy and You Know It" song. Whenever I start singing it, he starts clapping, stomping his feet, and raising his hands. He also says, "pa-pee" for "happy".

Another love of our boy is the weather channel. For some reason he is mesmerized by Al Roker and the weekly forecast. Maybe we have a future James Spann on our hands? He also loves to hold the remote like daddy and point it at the T.V.

A big day in the Bryant house was October 30th, when I noticed Brooks standing up a lot on his own when distracted by a toy, a snack, the cats, etc. Once he realized that he was actually standing he would plop down on his bottom or grab for something nearby. Just this past week, on November 11th, he started standing up on his own for the majority of the day. His balance is getting really good and he can now walk holding on to only one of our hands, like a big boy!

And lastly, when we ask Brooks if he is sleepy or ready for a nap he rubs his eyes. It doesn't matter if he just slept for two hours, he associates "sleepy" with the eye rub. It is soooo adorable. But, let's be honest, I think that everything he does is absolutely adorable. Because he is the most adorable honey boo in the entire world! MMMM, I could just eat him up.

Happy 11 months John Brooks. One more month until you are a year old. I am really looking forward to re-living that miraculous day when the Lord answered our prayers and blessed us with you. It was one of the best days of my life, angel. We love you!