Pookie is 11/12ths of a Year Old Today!

Last week, Emrick and I were browsing the photo frames at Ikea, when a lady who appeared to be in her 50s approached us abruptly.

“How old is he?” she asked excitedly.

“Almost eleven months,” I said.

“Well he is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen,” she exclaimed, “and I’ve had three!”

I smiled and thanked her, but Emrick eyed her with alarm. He was sitting in the front seat of the shopping cart, and he looked back and forth between me and the lady, his eyes getting wider and his lips pouty-er with each second. I rubbed his back and said, “It’s okay, Pookie.”

The lady kept talking. “You’re a true Gerber baby,” she said to Emrick. Emrick stared. I kept my hand on him to reassure him, but it didn’t seem to help because his uneasiness was growing. The lady finally began to pick up on his discomfort. “Aw, you don’t like strangers, do you? It’s okay. Mama’s right here.”

“He just needs a few minutes to look someone over before he decides they’re okay,” I laughed.

The lady was nice enough, but apparently she thought she could expedite the warming up process by getting even closer to Emrick and saying something sweet. Uh-oh! Emrick turned to me, and his little mouth quivered for a second and then turned completely upside down. Tears.

The lady looked embarrassed and guilty, so I said something to try to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault. And it wasn’t. I mean, the babe is irresistible.

Pookie weighs about 20 pounds and 4 ounces. He measures about 27 inches long.

He is also a mover. Those five pictures above were all I could get before he started standing and climbing out of that chair. He doesn’t have much time or patience for this “sitting” nonsense.

Emrick will always be our Pookie Bear, but lately I have been considering some additional nicknames for him, ones that might better suit his current behavior and disposition. At the top of the list? “Mischief”, and “Stubborn.”

Oh, never mind. He’s still just a Pookie!

Pookie's new favorite thing is lifting this toy. It's heavier than it looks, and he is quite pleased with himself when he can lift it and, even better, walk around with it.

Two toys at once! Wow!

Look, Mom! I'm strong!

He put this orange ring inside the wooden box and pulled it out again about four times. Neat!

He also knows how to turn the music on and off on his electric swing.

Ah, Pookie. We love you so much. I can’t believe you’ve been with us for almost a full year, and I can’t imagine not having you in our little family. Your blue eyes, your Cheerio grin, your slobber, and your squeals. So much delight in such a small package.