Dear Joshua,

Today you turned 11 months old. I can't believe we're only one month away from your birthday. Where on Earth did the time go? You are growing up so fast now and you have become such a little boy. My little baby is growing up. Apparently, once you turn 1, you're officially a toddler. Are your daddy and I ready for a toddler??? Ready or not, here you come! :)

You are such a fun little boy. Your personality is developing so much now. I have to say, you are absolutely hilarious! You make me laugh so frequently throughout the day...between your funny faces, hilarious antics, and all your new tricks, you think you're pretty big stuff. You are actually pretty big stuff too. You are officially walking now. Even though you still fall down on your way to your destination, you're getting pretty good now. You've made it across different rooms by yourself several times, and today you even walked right to your daddy when he came home from work. Let me tell you, that TOTALLY made his day! You now also have a total of 6 teeth, and are working on two more! YIKES!

You are saying more words now. You love strings (and anything that might look like a string), and can even say the word ('ging'). Doggie is now "Dah-Dee" instead of DiDi. You can distinguish between Mama and Dada now, and can even say "papa" when you 'talk' to Papa Klaver on the phone! (I'm sure Papa Alexander will love this too!)

Josh, you are such a smart little boy. You pick up on things so quickly these days. Today you figured out how to use your car walker all by yourself and started walking all over the playroom with it. You still love the book "Goodnight Moon" and have become the best page turner in the family. Not only that, but now you love to point at the kittens on all the pages. (I'm sorry to tell you, but we're a dog family, so don't count on getting a cat, like, EVER!)

The month of July is going to be a big one for you. Granny and Papa are coming for the 4th of July weekend. They can't wait to spend time with you.
Near the end of the month, Hunker Brad and Auntie Mich are coming to visit, and then Papa, Mere and Unker Ryan are coming at the end of the month for your birthday! You're going to have a lot of visitors this month! There are a lot of people who love you! You're so lucky!

Speaking of, you also got a new cousin this month! Mikey was born on June 6. He was actually supposed to be born around your birthday, but he decided to come early. He's still in the hospital right now, but he's getting bigger and stronger and we are praying that he gets to go home soon. I can't wait for you guys to play together someday!

Josh, your daddy and I feel more blessed to be your parents every day. You are such an amazing little boy and we are so lucky that God chose us to be your parents. You are kind of sick right now. :( Yesterday you woke up with a bit of a cough and a runny nose. Today you added puke to that. Today we spent all day at home just trying to keep you happy. You didn't sleep very well at nap time, and by the time your bedtime came tonight, you were exhausted. This is the first time you've been sick, and I don't like it one bit. I hope you feel better soon. It makes me sad when you feel so yucky. You're pretty amazing though--you still like to play and you were much more cheerful that I thought you would be, even though you don't feel good. You never cease to amaze me.

We have a big month coming up, and in one month, we get to have a party for you! You get to try cake for the first time! While it's bittersweet to think that my baby is growing up, I have to admit that I cannot WAIT to see you dive into that cake!!! Trust me, the camera is ready!!

Happy 11-month birthday, little boy! We love you,

Love, Mama