Dear E,
Your eleventh month was full of some pretty dramatic changes. Before this month you weren’t really crawling; you would roll around sideways to get where you wanted or scoot on your tummy. But when I took you to Washington to visit family it was like a light turned on and you figured it out. You also figured out that you could pull yourself up into a standing position and now it’s one of your favorite things to do. Now when I go to get you up from your crib, this is the site that greets me most of the time:
It cracks me up because you’re obviously so pleased with yourself. And frankly, why shouldn’t you be?
I mentioned that I took you to Washington to visit family. I was a little nervous beforehand how you would react to everything and everyone since you had been having some stranger anxiety before we left. But trip seemed to pull you out of it right away. You were such a trooper and shamelessly flirted with everyone you saw. My mother showered you with attention and you loved it.
You also seem to be more interested in eating table foods. Your food allergies make it a little difficult to find foods that are okay to eat but I’m going to get serious about cooking meals that you can eat too. I have to admit that since I’ve cut eggs, dairy, and nuts from my diet that our dinners have really suffered. A lot of the time I’ll just end up eating a bagel with vegan margarine on it or cereal with soy milk and leave your dad to fend for himself. Your dad is a great cook (last night he made a yummy red curry) but I need to do better. I normally struggle with coming up with dinner ideas and these food restrictions just make it harder to get motivated. But I think you’re on the way to outgrowing baby food and so I need to get my game together. 
So yeah, this last month was pretty crazy. The main event was the trip to Washington. After we got home you all of a sudden seemed so much older. I can see more of the little boy in you and less of the baby. I know your dad was surprised at how much you had grown in the week we were away.
Even though I was right there with you I was surprised at how much you had grown too. It is so much fun to watch you become your own person.
Love,
Mama