Photo shoots get difficult around eleven months, yes?
And yet (wait for it), this is such a fun age!! Also, he still seems like my itty bitty baby since he is not mobile yet.
I know. Eleven months and he isn't crawling at all, so it's a bit awkward when people ask me if he is close to walking. Um, nope. I did talk to the Pediatrician about this at our (very very belated) nine month well child check and he isn't too concerned. I mean, P-man has good tone but he is so freaking unmotivated. Actually, he is starting to get angry and semi-care that he is immobile instead of just being blissfully content so maybe that is a good sign. (hilarious video of CC and I encouraging Porter to crawl found here). It's ironic that Porter has two Physical Therapists for parents and yet neither of us has ever worked with pediatrics, so we have no real clue how to crack the whip on our lazy baby boy. The doc said we will talk again next month at his year appointment if he still isn't crawling and we might have to take him to PT which would be kind of fun/nerdy-interesting for me and probably very helpful for my capable but stationary baby.
He'll pull to stand if I help him and he gets to all 4's with help but absolutely NOT alone. He can roll from back to tummy but really doesn't roll tummy to back. He attempts to push up from his stomach into a plank but he can't hold that position at all. He's very good at scooting when in a sitting position, spinning in circles and he will push himself backwards when he's on his stomach trying to move forward. Oh, Porter, I don't want to wish away this immobile time because it's very very convenient to have an stationary third baby in the mix. BUT, I also want to make sure nothing is seriously wrong with him, since this really isn't about me (shocking!).
Come on, buddy!!
Gah, okay, you are too handsome.
My Mom Worry Gene is in full force with all of the kids lately, something that should probably warrant it's own blog post, but yeah. I'm sort of getting worried now about Porter and his lack of moving. Nate is not worried at all and neither is the doc, so I will try to relax for a bit longer. Eager to read some 'my kid didn't crawl until 11+ months and is fine now' comments after this post, dear readers!
Besides being immobile, Porter is basically pure perfection. He is happy, sleeps well, eats well, is a highly vocal kid, and extremely handsome. Extremely.
LOL. Not interested in what you are trying to make me do, mom.
This face = entirely too much.
Temperament and Communication Skills: He loves being around people but especially loves mommy, reaching for me if he sees me across a room (don't hate it). He will wave 'hi' and 'bye' to any and everything, including the picture frames in our stairwell and other babies we see when out and about. He can actually say 'bye' and 'hi', too---I count 'hi' as his very first word since it really is appropriate. Bye is just as cute, especially when he waves to his crib as we walk out of the nursery after a nap. His wave is just the cutest, I can barely handle it. He likes to dance and will do so on command, but he also likes having a dance party with myself and the other kids. This is when we crank some tunes and jam out by running around and jumping, I'll hold Porter and he will just be in HEAVEN. He also likes to be upside down so I frequently tip him backwards so he can enjoy the view. Then he won't let me stop and keeps pushing back from me. Strange child.
Forgot about the doorway jumper, found it in the attic. Is fun for Porter but Cecelia actually loves it the most.
Lower lip thing he's doing a lot lately.
He enjoys placing everything in his mouth for a thorough inspection, and he babbles non stop. His new thing is to point at something and with an inquisitive inflection, ask 'gah?' or bah or dah....as if to ask 'what is that thing??' He will look directly at me, throw food off his highchair tray, and then shake his head 'no'. I have yet to see him shake his head 'yes' to anything! He will fake cough at us then smile, and likes to feed me his food by jamming it into my mouth. He gives open mouth kisses now and also smacks his lips in response to me blowing him a kiss. If I ask him where Henry is, he looks around for him and will eventually point if he spots the furry beast of the house. He really can say a lot of words but obviously not many of them (if any) actually mean anything (except Dada is legitimately for Nate, Mama is reserved for random babbling at inanimate objects, hi and bye). For all that lacks in the motor department Porter makes up for it in the verbal department, that is for sure! My favorite video of him talking ever. Okay, wait, second favorite here.
Random thought: we like to imagine Porter as an adult being fat, happy, sitting down (very stationary) and ordering people around somehow. He will probably talk a mile a minute, eat a ton of food, but hate to exercise. I cannot wait to see this little personality emerge even more!
So much personality already!
Sleep: Bedtime is a solid 7:30 these days and he wakes around 7:00 or slightly earlier. Still so awesome, Porter, thank you for sleeping through the night! This past month he did go through a period of waking up around 3-4 am STARVING so we'd give him a bottle in the crib and he'd pass out again until 7-8am. He also cut his FOUR top teeth this month, so I'm sure that was somewhat related to the morning wake ups. All four! Insane!!
I just can't with this face.
I've started reading books to Porter before bedtime (about time, I know!) when Nate is doing bedtime for the other two kids. P loves to touch the pages and gets very entranced by any touch-and-feel books especially. Then I will sing him a song and force him to lay in my arms like a baby, most often resulting in him arching his back away from me, super annoyed at his mom. But sometimes he lets me sing and snuggle and he'll even rest his head on my chest. And then I die a little inside and repeat my mantra that 'three kids is enough, three kids is enough, we don't need a fourth.' Dang it.
We are teetering between dropping his morning nap and holding onto it for dear life. Many times in the past month I have forgone the morning nap (it's so inconvenient lately!) and it was fine to do a longer one around 11:00. But most of the time I try to lay him down at 9 and 1 even if the first one is just a quick 30 minutes. I would say he still naps for a total of at least 2 hours if not 3, but somedays he protests longer naps all together.
Mr. Personality.
A large belly day.
Eating: Porter is a fatty and enjoys food thoroughly but he's recently shown sign of the picky eater gene, a la Truman. He definitely prefers all carbs to protein or fruits/veggies but he goes through phases with this. We still haven't giving peanut butter, eggs, or honey but the kid has pretty much tried everything else. If he doesn't like something it's very obvious because he will toss it on the floor for Henry and then whine for whatever item of food he prefers at the moment. Current favorites: graham crackers, pretzels, greek yogurt, freeze dried strawberries, and these weird spicy dehydrated peas that my mom brought. Still drinks about 24 oz of formula a day and we are starting to practice drinking out of a sippy cup, but of course he isn't a fan. Takes too much effort for my piggy to get his beloved formula that way! So sometimes he will tolerate practicing with water if we are lucky, and I know with the other two kids I started mixing cow's milk in with their breastmilk. I could see Porter's transition from formula to cow's milk to be very touchy for awhile---kid doesn't like you to mess with his bottles, for real.
Stats: He weighed 22 pounds (75%) and measured 29.5" (61%) as his appointment last week. He lost a full pound when he was so sick last month but gained that back and then some in the past three weeks. Like I said, he is not a slim/trim guy right now and isn't exactly burning many calories by moving all over the house either. Wears size 18 months, size 4 diaper, and likes to blow them out at least 50% of the time.
Those thigh dimples.
Triple Well Child Check, success!
Other favorites: Porter loves to take a bath and had his first real experience in a pool this month, too. Splashing is like his own personal heaven and he gets kind of wild in the bathtub with absurd amounts of water strewn throughout the bathroom. He also loved the pool and I *think* I can successfully manage all 3 kids there alone this summer, if every visit is like our first. After water I think his favorite thing in the world might be ceiling fans---and pointing to them with a 'gah!' thrown in there for good measure.
Ports loves watching his siblings and the look on his face when he first sees them after waking up is the stuff mom-dreams are made of. Waving, smiling, giggling at them---it all makes me melt into a puddle of obsession with this baby. He has 'accidentally' yanked some of Cecelia's hair right out of her head when she is all up in his grill and he will now cry when she takes a toy from him. Ah, sibling conflict begins! Truman and Porter are buddies without any real drama between them just yet but CC and Porter are basically attached at the hip, since she thinks Porter is her real life baby doll. I wouldn't say she smothers him or bosses him around but kind of;)
Porter loves being out and about--swings at the playground, attempting to chow on wood chips there, running errands, being in the car (never thought I would say this when he was 0-3 months old!!!!), being in the stroller, and being in the Ergo on my back are all big hits. He's a grabby little baby and likes to pull my earrings, my necklace, my hair, and sticks his hands in my mouth when I carry him around.
Eatin' some dirt, NBD.
I think his ultimate favorite thing in the entire world (aside from his family and food) is his Ducky. It's a soft little lovey blanket and just like his two siblings, he loves the crap out of that thing. We lost Ducky for a few days and when we found him, he literally nuzzled his face into it and wouldn't let it go for some time! He likes to carry Ducky out of the crib after a nap and it's super sweet to see him already attached---just like CC loves her Froggy and Truman his Monkey.
Nicknames: Ports, Port Sport, Portie, Portsies, Porter-P, P-man, and Bubby. He is such a Bub.
We love you more than a blog post could ever express, Porter boy. Seriously, you make our hearts happier than we could have imagined. Don't get me all emotional with this growing up business, okay?
xoxo, Mommy
Truman at 11 months
Cecelia at 11 months
