10+ things for 11 Months

It has been a little while (thanks to moving madness) since I have done a month-birthday update.  Asa turned 11 months old over the weekend, so I thought I'd make a list of our what our sweet boy is up to these days!

• According to the specialist's scale, Asa weighed 17 lbs. 11.9 oz. on Friday, May 21!  If he keeps this rate, he'll be just under 20 lbs. for his birthday.  Conventional wisdom says a baby should triple his weight by his first birthday. When you consider Asa got down to 7 lbs. as a newborn, he'll be awfully close to triple his weight--an amazing feat when he didn't double it until this spring!
• Asa is about 27" long.  His height is taking a little longer to catch up than his weight did, but he still grew 2 inches in about 6 weeks!
• wears size 3 diapers.
• growing out of 6 month clothes, can wear some 9 months.  Sometimes I thought I'd never see the day his size didn't have a 3 in it (he was in 0-3, then 3, and now finishing 3-6 for sooooo long)
• crawls EVERYWHERE and SOOO fast!
• pulls up on EVERYTHING!  He doesn't need a ledge to pull up on anymore either (and hasn't for awhile).  He can crawl to a straight, vertical surface (like a door or wall) and push up to a stand
• cruising anywhere he wants to go:  around the coffee table, along the front of the couch
• transfers while cruising: goes from couch to coffee table, Mom's leg to bookshelf, etc.
• still LOOOOVES peaches, but his 2nd food love is green beans, and he also likes pears, sweet potato, butternut squash, baby oatmeal, scrambled egg yolks, Cheerios, Rice Krispies, baby banana puffs, saltine crackers, an occasional (not very often at all) Ritz cracker, and we tried tiny pieces of cheese, goldfish crackers, and Cheez-Its, but the cheese-based products seemed to coincide with some fussy nights and tummy trouble so *I* can still eat dairy, but Asa is back off of eating dairy directly (I've been back on since 9 months--hooray!)
• has signed "all done" and "more."  We are now working on please and thank you.  I think I want to find a sign for "up" also, so he can ask to be picked up... maybe we can circumvent the constant tugging and crying that can often accompany toddlerhood if he can ask to be picked up instead :)
• loves his musical table
• LOVES cars, especially after spending 2 weeks playing with his cousin, Sam. He even makes them roll back and forth
• likes to pound on things (but not hard) with his hands or clap 2 toys together
• loves the Sesame St. sound toys
• loves his Mr. Owl.  At every nap and bedtime, I make Mr. Owl kiss Asa goodnight, and Asa smiles as soon as he sees me pick up Mr. Owl out of his crib.
• plays peek a boo with Mr. Owl (covers his face with Mr. Owl while he's nursing, then uncovers it and laughs)
• finally drinks from a cup!  He has his very own little Camelbak water bottle he takes sips of water from. :)
• naps about 1.5 in the morning and in the afternoon (9:30-11 and about 2-3:30/4)
• has 4 teeth (top and bottom middle teeth)
• LOOOOOOVES Sammy dog.  Nothing makes him laugh and smile like seeing Sammy run around
• is learning to pat and pet Sammy, instead of grabbing her fur
• apparently has Mommy's body chemistry when it comes to mosquitoes.  One made it in his room one night, unbeknownst to me, and ate him up!  He was covered in huge welts for days. :-(
• Is a sweet, delightful, laughing and grinning, curious but cautious blessing in our lives!!