Immanuel is 11 months old today!

Immanuel Kendrick - we love you!

11 months old already & so serious!

11 months old - 6/17/10 JC Penney's Pictures

Before the braids were in - so cute!

Lovin' Cheerios, the shirt & the braids!

Getting real sassy with mommy - love how this shows your attitude.

By the sliding door you love to look out of with your 1st braids.

Being silly on the couch with mommy 6/17/10

With your brothers at the YMCA 6/18/10 - your 1st trip to the outdoor pool & you loved it!

One of your "kleenex incidents." You're so proud!

Where does the time go? How are you almost 1-year-old? What a joy the last 11 months have been. I love you so much. There are so many awesome things about you - your two bottom teeth & how you smile and seemingly stick them out in your grin as if you now know you have teeth down there to show off as opposed to the "fly trap" gummy grins of just 2 months ago, how you laugh when you're doing things you're not supposed to do, how you're so ticklish, how you get excited when you see cheerios or star puffs, how you squeel and stand on your tip toes at the banister when daddy comes home from work, or how you cry if he doesn't come get you right away (if anyone of us walks by you when you're happy to see us, for that matter - not that we do that often, it's just when we have to wash our hands or something first), or how you crawl away from me on the couch and then look back over your should to grin at your accomplishment & seem excited that you "got away." And speaking of getting away, I also love how latley you've gotten pretty "sassy" with me. Mama will tell you no and in response you raise one arm and make this loud, almost yelling noise back at me, obviously letting me know you disagree or don't like what I'm saying. Just a few days ago we went back and forth between mommy telling you no (you were messing with my A & P lab manuel) and you "yelling" back and around and around we went - I had to try hard not to laugh, so I called granny so she'd hear it and as soon as I did you quit - turkey. I love how you adore looking out the window from the couch or how you sit at the sliding glass door and watch the world outside. I love how you bang on the sliding glass door when Niko is outside or how you try to race onto the baseball turf during the boys' practice. I love how it scared you yesterday when you were banging your toys on Niko's box, which made him bark, which made you cry and I made you feel better. I love that you're getting brave nowadays and standing without holding anything, even though you don't realize it, while clapping, and how you're going from the coffee table to the couch almost without touching anything, how you've taken 1 step twice now and crashed, but we know it's so close. Seeing you go across the room walking behind the push toy. I love that you learned to climb the stairs this month (or at least we'd never given you the chance until now) and now you race to them eagerly at every opportunity and are obviously delighted by your own achievements in climbing. I love that we have to race in and out of the frige now because if we don't you're all over the bottle in the door - same is true with the pantry. I love that we now have to lock all the cabinets again and keep the bathroom door shut or else you're in Niko's water, and that we can't leave kleenex boxes within your reach or there's 20 out on the floor before I know it. I love that when you're near the couch and quiet we know bad things are happening - which usually means you're under one of the end tables trying to chew on cords from the laps, the phone, the laptop or you're stuck behind the end table tangled in the cords, grinning and loving it. It cracks me up that several times in the last month you'd stood at your hamper in your room and then it's fallen over with you and while you're not hurt you're also not sure what to do next or how to get up but you keep doing it. You've also graduated to the stroller without the carrier and the seat in the shopping basket at the store - so big. I love that you get so excited and reach for daddy when it's time to shower with him and how you recently started grabbing and peeking over the top of the shower door. I love how when you see something you want and are excited about but are in mid-air that you kick your feet almost like you're riding a bicycle trying so hard to get to it. I love that I tried pulling your hair up this month and how cute you are with it in braids. I even love that I have to cut your nails all the time (just did yesterday) because you hold your "bottle" (me!) so tightly when nursing that if not trimmed your fingers hurt me. I love watching you nurse, how you knead while you do, even when you fall asleep with it, how you tiny head sweats and your curls get tighter, and you sometimes cover your face and eyes with your arm so it's not bright as you nod off, how when it moves, you move, and how when it's taken away from you, you instinctively search around, open-mouthed, eyes closed like a baby bird and how when you do find it and are sleepy your eyes roll back, your body relaxes and you seem to be in heaven - it's heaven for me to see you like that. I love it when you're so tired that you're deliriously happy and drunk with sleep, teetering around the bed, falling over, grinning, sitting up and falling over again. I love watching you play with your toys - you love your stacking rings, the ducks and your small basketball the most, aside from the other "toys" that aren't supposed to be toys like the remote, cell phone, daddy's laptop, my keys etc. I love watching you with your brothers. You light up when they enter the room, squeal with delight when they play with you and how silly you all are together. There are just so many neat things about your personality. I've loved watching you the last 11 months, getting to know you, and I'm thrilled to continue to watch as you unfold before our eyes - our little booga-loo. It's amazing to me what you've been through and what a trooper you are. I'm especially thankful this month that we've made it through your 2nd cardiac catheter with the best news ever - no 2nd surgery needed for now. We don't even have to go back to the cardiologist for 4 months! No more meds! We still have to protect you from illness but you can cry like a normal baby now. Priase God for you and all you've been through. You are our miracle, for so many reasons, and I love you more than I can ever explain. Happy 11 months, sweet Immanuel, mama loves you!