11 Months

Age:  11 Months

Getting you to sit still is becoming quite a challenge!

Favorite activity:  Walking!  You took your first steps a few days after you turned 10 months old.  Now, you're walking more and more often.  Crawling is still your preference when you want to get somewhere fast, but your walking is getting better with every day.

Slides are awesome, MAMA!

Honorable mentions:  Can we talk about your obsession with soccer balls?  You love any kind of ball.  We have many.  When we go to work with Daddy, I see your little mind whirling at all the soccer balls around.  You go up to strange children who have a ball and YOU STEAL THEIR BALL!  If we ask you where your ball is, you look at it or go and get it.  This morning, you saw a ball that I had washed sitting in the sink to dry and clearly said, "Ba."  Not your normal "ba ba ba" but the "ba" that is the first part of the word "ball."  It's very clear to us that you mean ball.

Yes, this is another soccer ball.  I love them all.  This one sings, Mama!

Lately, you are also quite the chatty Cathy.  You are constantly chattering about something.  We're looking forward to the time when we can actually understand what you're trying to tell us.

You also love pushing the stuffed animal bin around the living room.  Most days, I come home from work and it looks like a stuffed animal bomb went off in the living room.  You're so pleased with yourself as you push it around the room.  It's exciting for us to watch your problem solving skills and your determination.  If you can't get the bin to move, you keep trying until you get it to move.  Sometimes, that means you lose your cool, get frustrated, and start screaming at it, but you don't give up.  I hope you keep that determination as you grow older.

Least favorite activity:  The temper tantrums have begun.  You are a mellow, happy, easy going kid...until we take something you want (and can't have) or make you stop walking.  Oh heavens the screaming.  Luckily, you seem to forgive and forget quickly.  I could do without the screaming and crocodile tears though, ok, buddy?

This swing is super fun!

Milestones:  Uh, WALKING, of course!

I'll just move this over to the other side of the room.  See you soon.

Words:  Still no Dada.  Your favorite word right now is "ma-me."  We keep working on Dada though.

I'm playing with Catch Me Kitty, Mama, what do you want?

Sleep:  Naps are hit and miss.  Bedtime, however, is sacred.  You usually fall asleep between 7 and 8pm and we don't hear more than a peep from you until 6-6:30am.  The last few days, you've been "sleeping in" until 7:30am.  It has been delightful.  Of course, the time change is coming up in 2 weeks...we know we're on borrowed time.

The Wombat eating a wombat.  (This one's for you, Grandma!)

Best Moment: Those first steps may have been the best moment this month.  When you sit in my lap and grab my hands so that I will clap (and do patty cake) is also pretty wonderful.  However, when I'm singing to you at night and you lay your head on my shoulder and wrap your arm around my neck, my heart melts.

You look so grown up...even with no shoes on.

Worst Moment:  The temper tantrums are not fun.  I fear this is just the beginning.

No, Mama, I wasn't just eating this book.

Eating: We are slowly trying to give you less purees and more finger foods.  However, YOU are more interested in squishing said finger foods between your fingers.  You will eat the little bites when I put them in your mouth.  You have recently learned that feeding Mama is much more fun than eating your dinner yourself.  Hooray, now Mama's eating dinner twice.

You're also fascinated with spoons.  You haven't mastered the spoon yet, but playing with it is lots of fun.  You'll get it someday, Little Guy.  Don't give up!

I'm not getting any food this way, Mama!

Teeth:  Seven and counting!  We think you're teething again, but we haven't been able to see any white spots (no sticking our fingers in your mouth...you bite!).

I refuse to open my eyes until you stop flashing that thing in my face, Mama.

Pumpkin Carving

Last night, we carved our first family pumpkins.  Well, to be honest, Daddy carved the pumpkins.  You and I just made a big mess.  It was so much fun!

Before

What is this?  It feels...icky.

So I'm supposed to take all this stuff out?

I'll just use this spoon, ok, Mom?

Chicken.

Hmm...what's this?

I wonder what it tastes like...

Ack!  Not good!  Not good!

This is just the first of our new family traditions.  We can't wait to start more new traditions with you, buddy. 

Pumpkin Patch

This afternoon, when I got home from work, we went to the pumpkin patch.  It wasn't a big pumpkin patch, but since you're so little, we figured a big pumpkin patch with lots of people wasn't a good idea.  This one was perfect.  Not crowded, low key, and just big enough to keep you busy.

We're off to the pumpkin patch!  (We had to wake you up to go...it took you a minute to wake up.)

First, we took a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. 

We saw cows and chickens during our ride.  You loved watching them.

Hey Mom, what's this thing?

Ooo...I like these.

PUMPKINS!!!

I want this one....and this one.

So...you say I can choose any of these?  Decisions, decisions...

Hey!  This pumpkin is my size!  I bet I could eat it.

Time to go already, Dad?  Five more minutes?  Please?

There was a lot for you to take in, Wombat.  But we all had a good time.  You enjoyed playing in the dirt, licking the pumpkins, and watching the other kids running around.  We left with three pumpkins: a Daddy pumpkin, a Mommy pumpkin, and a Baby pumpkin!

Daddy and I look forward to starting all kinds of new traditions with you.  This is just the first of many.

Tomorrow, we carve our pumpkins!

Nighty Night

Every night, we read Llama Llama Nighty Night  (and let's face it, a couple other books, too).  We've read it so many times, I can recite it from memory.  For the past few weeks, when we get to the end of the story where Llama Llama is snuggling with his Mama and going to sleep in his bed, you take out your binky and try to put it in Llama Llama's mouth.

It's just about the cutest thing ever.

It's the little things you do each day that make me stop and appreciate just how wonderful you are and how much we love you.

We love you, buddy!

Saucy

We're starting to give you less pureed foods and more "real" food.  You love real food.  Plus, it takes you longer to eat each piece, which allows Mama to eat lukewarm food instead of cold food.  Hooray!

I bought some little Gerber raviolis for you to try as well as some meals with things like raviolis and mixed veggies or chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans.  We tried the plain raviolis first.

You look so suspicious!
Would Mama steer you wrong?  (Daddy says "yes.")

You were not a fan.  You started making faces before the ravioli even entered your mouth (you're just like your daddy).  You spent more time squishing the raviolis in your fingers than eating them.  

Epic ravioli fail.  However, I didn't make you something else for dinner because I don't want you to learn that you can dictate what you eat (though it concerned me that you would be hungry).

The following night, we went back to the regular pureed dinners we'd be doing and you did just fine.  The next night, we tried one of the meals (raviolis in tomato sauce and mixed veggies).  You loved the raviolis!  You just needed some sauce.  Your daddy was so proud.

I'm not making as much of your baby food as I had hoped, I just don't have the time.  So right now, I'm focusing on getting you to "real" food so you can stop eating the prepackaged junk and get the good stuff.

Next, we're going to work on drinking from a cup!

My sweet baby is growing up so fast.  Don't get too big too fast, ok, Little One?

Acorn, Tree

Today, we went to breakfast because I didn't have to be to work until 11.  We broke our tradition and went to new restaurant to our area (but a favorite of mine) with a porch and lots of rocking chairs.  I tried one of their new "healthy" breakfasts.  Turkey sausage, egg beaters, tomato slices, fruit cup, and cheese grits.  It was pretty good.

Of course, it took a while to get our food so we fed you first.  You slurped up your fruit and grain breakfast pouch and I was forced to start doling out the puffs one puff at a time.  Silly Mommy forgot to pack extra puffs.  You had a ball watching and talking to all the people passing by.

Mama!  You brought all these people here to entertain me?!  You shouldn't have!

Once Daddy and I got our food we ate quickly...which is normal these days.  I shared my fruit with you.  The fruit cup had strawberries and pineapple in it.  I'm still nervous about giving you strawberries since there on the list of common food allergies.  So I cut a pineapple chunk into Wombat size pieces.  You are a definite pineapple lover.  You couldn't get enough.

Once you finished your pineapple, I figured I would give you a small taste of the cheese grits.  I put a tiny bit on a spoon and put it in your mouth.  Oh. my. word.  I have never seen a food come back out of your mouth so fast.  You started gagging and spitting and blowing raspberries to get that awful stuff out of your mouth.  You were so unimpressed.   Daddy and I were giggling hysterically the whole time (we're no help).

You are your father's son, Little Man.

Beaver

Someone has stolen my sweet, adorable little boy and replaced him with a beaver.

A few weeks ago, I came home from work and Dad asked me, "Would you like to see what your son, the beaver, did today?"

There was a spot on your crib where you had taken off the finish.  Daddy wrapped a sheet around the spot and we were ok for a few weeks.  Then I noticed spots on the opposite side and on the front of your crib.  So we went to the fabric store, bought some fleece, and I made some crib protectors for the rails.

Your Mama is not a crafty person, Wombat.  Crafts and I don't get along.  Give me a computer and I can digitally craft like a boss.  Actual crafting...no.  Anyway, two of the protectors came out fairly good.  The third, well it was kind of a mess.  It's too long.  I tied it on anyway and hoped for the best.  Judging by what I found the other day, I need to remake the protector.

The beaver strikes again!

The good news is tooth #7 is already poking through your bottom gum and I think I see the beginnings of #8 on the other side.

We love you, Little Beaver.