No longer a little baby, not a toddler, but somewhere in between

I don't even know how to describe him anymore. My beautiful 6 pound 15 ounce baby boy is a fast crawler, busy body cruiser who loves music, dances, he touches his head when I ask him where his head is. He points, he waves. He knows exactly what he wants and doesn't want. I can ask him who every family member is and he will look directly at that person, except for ME! That's right, he is still not saying Mama and won't even look my way when asked where Mama is. He laughs. He "sings". He is simply amazing in every way possible. He can give high-fives and smack his bottle/sippy cup away when he's done with it. He knows which books are his favorites and will make it very clear when he is finished looking at them. He loves to play his piano and dance along his laugh and learn table. His favorite fruit to eat is fresh bananas and he loves green beans, zucchini and broccoli. I ask him "where is grandmom and pop-pop" and he will look at my computer (we skype with them A LOT). In the past month or so, it seems like every day he does something new. He is very animated with his facial expressions (just like me) and you can tell what he is thinking just by looking at his face. I decided today, a little over 11 months old that I should start transitioning him from a bottle to a sippy cup. Well, being the laid-back baby that he has been for 11 months now, he gladly accepted the sippy cup and has had all of his milk from it today. Seems like I don't need to worry about weaning him off of the bottle. My one concern at this point is the B I N K Y! That's right, the binky. This boy LOVES his bink. He has even been nicknamed the binky bandit. If your baby is around JJ and they have a binky, you better hide it because he WILL take it from your child.

I'm typing this blog from Germantown, MD, where JJ"s grandfather, Bob Fitch is currently living. Bob is at in-home hospice and JJ has had the opportunity to spend over a week now with his grandfather. Although he won't remember, Jonathan and I will make sure that JJ knows as much about Bob as possible.

Dad/Bob-- I dedicate this blog to you. Because although you don't really know how much this little guy is doing, he is doing it all over the house and even around your hospital bed. And shortly, you will be in heaven looking down on him, guiding him and protecting him through his on journeys. We love you so much and we will always remember the great times that we've had together. I'm so lucky to have a father-in-law that is so caring and loving, and SUPER intelligent. There is so much of you in JJ and that alone will always keep the memory of you alive. I love you, Dad.