My New Favorite Age

For my first six months as a mother I mostly wanted to stick my head in a hole or perhaps move to Afghanistan and not return. I just didn't think being a mom was very fun. Then month seven came around and I finally figured out why most women love to be moms.

Month seven was so exciting. JAC perfected his crawling and started cruising everywhere. He seemed genuinely joyful and proud of his new found abilities. He laughed and smiled and finally got on the semblance of a sleeping schedule. He could eat more solid foods. All of a sudden I loved being a mom. I was pretty sure that nothing could trump month seven.

Then came month 11. Month 11 has been awesome. JAC is sleeping like a pro and this weekend he took his first steps. But mainly, JAC has gotten really smart. He remembers when you try to hide things. He loves to systematically put things in their correct locations and then take them back out. For instance I watched him take every Kleenex out of a box and then carefully stuff them back in. I usually secretly watch him in the morning while he arranges all of the objects in his crib. He loves to take all of my kitchen utensils out, put them in one big pot and then take them out again. All of the sudden JAC seems a lot more like a small version of my husband and I love that guy!