I'm so totally 11 months old now...

So, Mr. Jude has made it 91.6% of the way through year #1. I'm not sure if he's necessarily older and wiser, but he is at least older and more sure of himself. Or more sure of what he wants. Jude seems to always be acutely aware of what's going on around him these days... he has a better sense of how for--and how quickly--he can reach for things. He has developed a near-psychic sense of where his pacifier is, reaching blindly behind his head and grabbing it instantaneously. Unfortunately for us, this also means that take-it-away-and-he'll-forget-it-immediately trick doesn't work so well any more.

Oddly, for such a determined baby, Jude seems to enjoy being stationary. He is learning how to master his world within a 2ft. radius: no crawling or walking yet. Given his headstrong nature (which I suspect is inherited from his mother) this is almost certainly a good thing. As soon as he decides to go mobile, I think we're all in trouble.

Ole!

Jude is a bit of a stealth baby, though. This morning I put him down on the rug sitting in front of some toys. 10 minutes later, he was facing the same direction, sitting up just as straight, playing with the same toys... on the hardwood floor 3ft. from where he started. We've never observed this alleged scooting in real time, but dude moves. I have written inquiries to Animal Planet in search of some of those hidden wildlife cameras they use to film snow leopards, but have received no reply.

Never the less, 11 months into this whole thing it is still great to have such a wonderful baby. It is fascinating to see him develop from little sausage-baby, to a mush-with-personality, and now becoming a little guy who is starting to figure out how to modify the world around him to be the way he wants it rather than just responding to whatever comes his way.

Just so you know he's still the same cooperative Jude he's always been, though... yesterday he was tired, getting very fussy, starting to be cranky as bedtime approached. Kara and I were going out to dinner, though, and a brand new babysitter was coming over. The sitter arrived, and Jude suddenly turned into a happy cooing little boy, smiling and making cute faces at the sitter. Only 11 months old, and he's already learning to show off....