Eleven Months...

Well, this weekend was pretty hard. 

 

Jeff and I have been wrestling with ourselves all weekend, trying to think of something else we could have done to have spared Maverick.  But, it doesn't really help to consider the "what ifs" since it won't change anything.  We will just have to learn from this experience and take comfort in the fact that we did what was best for our family.  It's still hard though - and I can't believe how quiet it is around our house...even with a screaming child...last night, I was giving Jack a bath and I jumped about two feet in the air when Jeff walked into the bathroom.  I hadn't heard him come home.   

 

We will miss Maverick.  And let's just leave it at that. 

 

So, Jack turned eleven months yesterday.  He has changed so much in the past month.  Walking is now the preferred method of transportation - and running is preferable to that.  He can't run unassisted, but instead takes his walker and zooms all over the house.  My parents started calling him "Franken-Baby" since he walks like a drunken sailor with his arms outstretched over his head.  He walks just like Frankenstein. 

 

And believe it or not, he's starting to talk.  His "mama" and "dada" have been pretty clear for a while now, but this past week, he started saying "all done" and my mom texted me yesterday and told me that he just said "papa" as well.  Granted, these aren't clear words or phrases, but he's using them in the right context and he's got enough consonants in there so you know what he's trying to tell you.  Last night, when I was getting Jack into his pajamas, Jeff was playing with him and Jack kept saying, "dada" over and over again.  It was pretty cute. 

So, after the drama concluded on Saturday, Jack and I went to a Halloween party, thrown by one of our friends.  I wanted to get out of the house and take my mind off things, so spending time with my friends and their children seemed to be just the ticket.  Jack was actually a little shy when we first got there.  It took a while for him to warm up to everyone, but once he did, he was a maniac.  He was walking and crawling all over everyone, playing with toys, and he even got to play a few games.  I think he had a pretty great time. 

Afterwards, we came home and Uncle Alec came to spend the night with us.  I was so grateful that he was there.  I think Jeff and I would have gone nuts alone in our house without Maverick.  Uncle Alec was very sweet and understanding and totally didn't mind that I was walking around the house like a zombie. 

So, we all went to brunch the next morning at the club.  Uncle Alec and I were busy talking about Spain and then, I looked over and saw Jack and Jeff playing...

    
So Jack has learned how to play peek-a-boo, he can wave "hello" and "bye-bye" and can also give a high five.  He's also very good at clapping for himself!  So, when we got home, Jeff put Jack down for his nap and I went up to Target to do a little shopping.  When I got home, we went to meet Baby Juliet and visit her parents in the hospital.  We had such a good time, and Jack was so well-behaved.  Probably because he'd just laid eyes on his future wife for the first time. 

When Jeff and I got home, we couldn't sit still and kept wandering around the house...we missed Maverick.  Finally, Jeff just said that we needed to get out of our home for a bit, so we went over to Nana and Papa's for some play time.  It really helped snap us out of our funk. 

So, tomorrow is Halloween.  I think I'll just take Jack to a few houses around the neighborhood and let him help hand out candy.  He will probably enjoy that.  We're sending love this week to all our friends and family out on the east coast - praying that your power gets turned on soon and that you can get everything cleaned up soon...