Dear Asher,

Today you are officially 11 months old. I guess turning 11 months is kind of like turning 20 years… too young to get into bars, but too old to hang out at high school parties. In your case, too young to walk on your own, but too old to be crawling everywhere… Despite all that, you still managed to accomplish a lot over the last month.

A couple weeks ago, I taught you how to use your walker-toy-thingy to help you walk. It’s now your favorite thing in the world to do. You haven’t quite figured out how to turn the thing once you get going, so you just push and walk until it slams into a wall. Then there is much pouting and grunting until your mom or I turn you around so you can do it all over again… It’s really helping you with your balance, and on June 26th, you took your first steps!! 2 Tiny steps for you, but 2 huge, proud steps for your mama and papa! You still can’t go more than 2 steps on your own, but it’s only a matter of time before you’re running around the house conquering and destroying. I’ll be so thrilled when you can finally walk, because if you can walk, it won’t be long until you can skate!

Learning to walk means that you’re also learning to crash. I know I’ve told you this before, but you are one tough kid! Nose-dives into the carpet, face-plants on the concrete, head-bangs into doors and walls… but, you never cry for more than a couple of seconds. Sometimes I wish we could wrap you up in toilet paper padding like those old commercials from the 1980s, then you could jump off the roof and land like a feather. The other day I was cleaning the office and you crashed into a big pile of daddy-junk. We fully expected a giant tear-fest, but instead you laid there quietly like you had just discovered the most comfortable place on earth. So, we did what any good red-blooded American would do in that situation. We ran as fast as we could to get the camera to take your picture.

We also took you swimming for the first time ever this month. We visited your uncle Wes at his apartment and hung out by the pool. You didn’t especially love it in the water, but I think it was because the water was a little too cold. It didn’t help that we brought Zoe along too… I swear she’s half otter, and she freaked you out a bit with all her barking. We had a fun time, and we’ve visited several pools since then. Each time, you are getting more and more comfortable in the water. It won’t be long before your standing on Zoe’s back, riding her around the pool like a dolphin trainer.

I have to admit I’ve been a little obsessed lately with meat. No, not meat for me, meat for you (although I do LOVE me some meat!). You’ve probably figured out by now that your poor, depraved mommy doesn’t partake in the eating of flesh. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t understand it either. I can tell you this: no matter how much you want her to eat meat, and no matter how hard you try to get her to just ‘take a little bite’, it’s NOT going to happen. Since you were born, I’ve been rather paranoid that you would grow up to be a vegetarian by association. I don’t think I could handle living with another ‘no-meater’. I’m happy to report that as of this past month, you are officially a carnivore! Your mom actually fed you some turkey and rice baby-food and you loved it. I am so proud. Together, we will rule the Yarbrough household with a big, bloody, medium-rare steak.

Let the party planning begin. Your first birthday party is still a whole month away, yet your mom has already started the planning. Guest lists have been written. ‘Reserve the date’ emails have been sent. Talks of cake and decorations have commenced. Presents have been purchased. Insanity has taken over. It’s going to be one hell of a party… too bad you won’t remember ANY of it.

Your sign language is coming along nicely. You’ve now devolved to one universal sign… More. If you want to be picked up, you make the sign for ‘more’. If you want a drink? More. Toy? More. Done? More. Eat? More. More? More. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out exactly what it is that you want. Maybe next month you can trick it up a little and learn the sign for ‘less’.

Love,
Papa