Ruger at 11 Months

Our little boy is only one month away from his 1st birthday. This also means Isa is one month from her 6th birthday. It is unbelievable how fast this year went! Last month I was terrified of Ruger turning one, but something has clicked in me and now I'm actually counting down. I am excited to be able to give him milk and hopefully wean him. Nursing has become quite the burden for me as it's Ruger's only comfort, how he soothes himself and mostly how he goes to sleep. It drives me bonkers at night. Anyways, he is becoming quite the independent big boy lately.

1. He can stand on his own for a couple seconds at a time. 
2. He loves juice. He is a mess with it though.
3. He can walk when pushing something in front of him. We don t have any walkers but we have baskets, chairs and many other things. We have hard floors throughout all the living spaces in our house so the only thing that deters him are transition strips and the rug. 
4. He still has the same eight teeth. I don't believe he's cut any this month. 
5. He loves to dance whenever he hears music. 
6. We've been somewhat successful letting him cry himself to sleep. Sometimes it works...sometimes it doesnt. However it has made him more capable of putting himself back to sleep when he's wakes in the middle of the night. Well at least the first time he wakes...at 9 o'clock. 
7. He's developed quite the love for toys.
8. He only takes one nap a day. It's usually an average of an hour long. Sometimes it's only 40 minutes, sometimes it's as long as an hour and 20 minutes. 
9. He loves loves loves when his sisters get down and crawl with him. The cream of the crop is when they chase each other. It's the best. All four of them laughing...yeah...the best.
10. He's a book worm deluxe! I though Emery and Ella were bad. Sheesh. This kid is destroying our nice hard back book collection by biting and eating them! He destroyed the spines.
11. He still likes to pull things off the shelves, but it has slowed down. 
12. He's a biter! Once again, this kid is putting Emery and Ella to shame. They mostly bit each other. Ruger mostly bites me, but he'll also go for Daddy and he wants to chew on every inanimate object in the house...couches, chairs, baskets, books, fabric, any furniture, etc etc etc. 
13. He likes to go to bed for the night right at 7.
14. He has his own grunting language. He only officially says Mama and Dada.
15. He loves to explore and travel all over the house.
16. He loves to play in the toy room with his sisters.

Ruger at 10 Months

Can I admit I'm starting to have panic attacks because in just another two blinks of the eyes, Ruger is going to be a year old! Sheesh, it's just not fair how fast he's growing. Here's some things about him at 10 months:

• He's a pro at drinking from a straw and is really good at drinking from a cup. We've yet to try a sippy cup.
• He says Mama and Dada.
• He is in to everything! He loves to pull the books off of bookshelves, get in the bathroom, pull everything out of cabinets and drawers and the dryer if he gets the chance. 
• He bites all the time. He mostly bites me and a little bit of Curt, but he's started moving in on the girls too.
• He loves to pull hair. He actually seeks it out and gets mad when you won't let him.
• He has eight teeth.
• He hates getting dressed and changing his diaper.
• He totally understands the concept and how to color. He doesn't literally color though cause thankfully he doesn't know how to take lids off of markers.
• He moves all the time. 
• He's cried himself to sleep two nights in a row. We've never been able to get him to before. We are really hoping this starts to help him sleep more cause the kid doesn't sleep much.
• He doesn't like baby food much at all anymore. He doesn't like a ton of solid food either. He is mostly just good with nursing.
• He's started to notice the TV.
• He still adores Isabelle.
• He still is a homebody. The only place he's comfortable other than our house is grandma's house.
• He loves to take baths.
• He doesn't like strollers, car seats, high chairs unless he is actively eating.