eleven months

Ah, month of January. What a month. I say this in all of these posts but this was a month of huge changes and it's like we have a different baby headed into February. For real. Someone make time stop slipping by so quickly. Eleven months? Gah!!





(this whole monthly photo shoot thing is becoming QUITE challenging...)


I literally made a list on a post-it note full of things Truman is doing this month. I also write in his baby book and in a paper journal occasionally and I feel like I'm still forgetting things on my list. Bottom line is that this child is more like a toddler---a grown up with feelings and emotions and personality and OPINIONS!!---and less like a baby every day. I tried to hold him like a baby one day when I felt especially sappy and he looked at me like I was a crazed lunatic. 'Mom. Please. You are embarrassing me and I'm too busy for this nonsense.' He either said that in so many words or shot me a death glare and began arching his back in defiance---I can't remember.

(lots of these pics are from our trip to MO in the beginning of January. So much fun!)




EATING:
Truman still nurses first thing in the morning and then takes three or four 6 ounce bottles during the day (one before each nap, possibly one before dinner, and one before bed). With approval from our Pediatrician, we started mixing a teeny bit of whole milk into the breastmilk bottles very slowly this month and he doesn't mind at all. I am only pumping three times a day at this point and am considering dropping a session very soon because we still have a freezer stash, too (and for the millionth time I HATE BEING A SEMI-EXCLUSIVE PUMPER!). I could go on and on about breastfeeding, pumping, and bottles because they still consume a large part of my mommy brain but I think I'll just do a 'working mom breastfeeds late in the game' post at some point instead. Dude loves his milk though, for sure. He can even hold his own bottle and guzzle it down when he feels like it which is both awesome and heartbreaking at the same time---talk about not being needed anymore!



Because he loves to keep us on our toes, Truman will adore solid foods one day and despise them the next. Sometimes he'll chow an amazing meal containing 'real' foods like veggies, meats, and fruits and other times he has a monogamous relationship starchy carbs like puffs, graham crackers, and Wheat Thin Sticks. We are still struggling to find table foods that he likes for longer than .2 seconds and Henry is absolutely bonkers over Truman's high chair now. He anticipates the food toss to the ground with a wagging tail and Truman always obliges. Gotta love when my cooking goes to the dog!



But I guess this moody foodie behavior is normal at this age and he's still a healthy, growing boy at 23 pounds which is back up to 65th percentile. Not sure about length but the kid seems super long these days. He's in all 18 month clothes and even some 24 monthers although I still try to squeeze on his 12 month outfits because I'm obviously having a hard time letting go of the babyhood. Pretty obvious when those small onesies' snaps are popping off his crotch like gunshots. Point taken. Embrace the toddler days.



(airport fun)


SLEEPING:
People, I am insanely grateful that this category is totally not a big deal anymore. When I think back about how Truman didn't sleep through the night until almost 9 months it makes my head hurt just remembering the lack of sleep. But now? Still all good at 11 months. He goes down at about 7 or 7:30 and started to wake at 5:30 this month after a nice stretch of 7:00 wake ups. Basically as long as he makes it until 5:30 I'll get up with him but anything before that is just ridic. And I'd love the nice 7 am baby alarm to return, but really---can I complain about him sleeping for 10 hours in a row as he wakes at 5:30? No. A little greedy on my part and I think I should just go to bed earlier, and enjoy that extra time with him in the mornings. Coffee assists me with this mindset a great deal, obvi. He still naps twice a day, usually totaling about 3 hours or less. So basically, sleeping gets a fatty 'check mark' for now. Instead I get to fill my worry jar with whether or not he's eating enough food or developing fast enough. Blasted worry jar!



MOTOR MILESTONES/PERSONALITY/ETC ETC:
This month my babe learned to do all kinds of fun physical things, such as but not limited to: pushing himself from lying down to sitting up; getting up on all fours and actually crawling a bit; pulling to stand; give open mouthed kisses; fake laugh to mimic our real laughs; and he has become a dancing fool. And yes, I realize that a lot of babies get on all fours, crawl, and pull up long before eleven months but if you do recall, Truman is on his own schedule apparently. Here comes the part when I say that I'm trying not to freak out or worry about him being 'delayed' (because he isn't and our doc is not worried whatsoever), blah blah blah. He's doing what he wants when he wants. Thus is the theme of being a parent and letting go of control, right?

Also, because he is a lightning fast crawler this is the month we finally sucked it up and put latches on all the cabinet doors to 'baby proof' the house. We are constantly moving Truman away from the 'no-no' areas of the house (like the ever-popular cords and Henry's toys) and it's fairly exhausting to keep up with him. We definitely have to parent a lot more now, trying to teach him right from wrong, and teaching him what is safe and unsafe. He will stare up at us with those big eyes as he reaches for something as if to say, 'Guys, is this okay for me to play with? Cause I'm going to do it anyway.'

(first big snowstorm and sledding with daddy---the first of many times as a Wisconsin boy I'm sure)


This was the month when he really amped up his imitation skillz and seems to 'get' it when I ask him to do something. He's really starting to communicate his wants and needs to us and it's pretty amazing to see this. I tell him to wave 'bye bye' to Grandma when we come upstairs and he does it without me gesturing now. He will blow raspberries back at me when I do it first, will smack his lips like he's blowing a kiss to me, will shake his head and 'dance' on command, and definitely says 'da da' referring to Nate. Literally, when Nate comes home in the evening Truman clearly says 'Da Da!' with an excited grin and it's the most adorable trick ever. The 'ma ma' thing is coming along but not yet perfected. Give us another month and we'll be pros with that too, I hope!



Obsessions include but are not limited to: pictures and videos of himself (especially on the computer---then it's a double whammy); electronics like our phones (cannot be tricked by those toy cell phones!); pointing to and reaching for anything of interest (especially pictures of himself); opening and closing doors (slamming Henry's tail in the process scores 5 more points); throwing objects out of drawers or bins (a great one for his neat-freak mama); placing toys on top of other toys (seriously, it's the coolest to put a Little People pig on top of the barn or a cracker on top of a sippy cup----total hilarity); slugging water out of mommy's water bottle; riding horsey on our laps (the rougher the better); and playing 'chase' with mommy. He'll start to crawl away from me then look back with a grin on his face, then I am forced to say 'I'm gonna get you!' in the creepiest voice possible, and he totally loses his mind and squeals as he crawls away in a panic. Iloveitsomuch.





Basically, he is figuring out the whole 'action/reaction' thing now and loves to have objects interact--like putting things into bins then taking them out, placing objects on top of others, opening and shutting doors, holding out an object for me to take and then ripping it back away from me. I love to watch his mind at work and could just sit and watch him play for hours. Oh, but except, he is such a little busy body that he won't sit still long enough to play with anything for longer than about 5 minutes. And if I leave the room he follows me and he's so fast I'll turn around and he's right at my feet. So pretty much I have to sit on the floor and play with him to keep him entertained and even that won't always work. Yes, we definitely have a bit of separation anxiety over here and daycare drop offs have been gut-wrenching for me. Real tears and reaching for me and---ugh---I can't even type about it.

(so much hair! and we switched to the big boy bathtub this month)


Lori and I worked out a plan where I walk in, hand him over and leave ASAP and it's working a lot better than me sticking around to talk. Obviously, seeing him cry when I leave for work is pretty much the worst thing in the entire universe for me at the moment and I know it's harder on me than him, since he perks right up for Lori and has a blast with the other kids. But boy, I miss my baby even more these days especially now that he is so much fun with a definite personality. At least we have our Wednesdays, Thursday afternoons, and weekends together and I really do feel more of a work/personal life balance with home care.



Headed towards a year old---extremely mobile, somewhat exhausting, tons of personality, and the most fun stage yet. It just keeps getting better and better and I'm excited to see what February brings!