photo of our big, almost-eleven-month-old by our pal jenny.

there is so much exciting news in aldenland that it's hard to know where to begin or how! let's bullet his recent achievements.

• he can stand, unassisted for up to a minute AND has on a few occasions, risen to standing without pulling up on anything.
• he makes the squirrel sound from one of our favorite music together songs! on command!
• and last night he meowed like a cat. but only once.

those are the biggies, i guess. alden is working on the concept of sharing with other babies. i know. i know how that sounds! i'm crazy, right? but i think he is. or at least, he's beginning to understand that he isn't supposed to grab things away from them. it's a start! i'm not saying he doesn't grab anymore, just that i can see his moral compass spinning under the magnet control of desire for a foreign toy.

he has also, however, taken to throwing stellar temper tantrums and is experimenting with biting. he's bitten me once, as i strapped him into the stroller on our way home from the park and just now, as we were finishing up lunch and getting wiped down, he lunged at my arm, mouth wide open and screaming, but stopped when i said, "no biting, alden." hopefully this won't become a trend. i would really rather not have to deal with him biting other babies. yikes.

and speaking of a taste for blood, alden is no longer a vegetarian. we tested out a few bites of chicken and turkey bacon (all organic) and they were a resounding success. we picked up our first csa share on saturday, which was so exciting, and purchased some raw cow and goat milk cheeses. we were sure als would love the cow one, it's soft and sweet and creamy, but so far, it's a no. we just had hot dogs for lunch and i made him steamed spinach, blended with a little cooking water and a whole tablespoon of butter. he ate the first bite happily, but once the hot dog was introduced, subsequent bites of spinach were rejected with much drama and fanfare. the boy likes meat and bread and yogurt and everything else is just tossing material. alas. of course, this trend is new as of the past couple of days, so we're hoping it won't last.

in the mean time, we want to learn to cook meat properly so that we won't be lured into the convenience of processed things like deli slices and hot dogs. i'm suspicious of all of that stuff, even the supposed organic varieties we've gotten from natural food stores. there are a few good butchers in williamsburg who specialize in local, organic animals and we're planning to organize our meals a bit better and make weekly visits.