Thursday, March 8, 2012

Baby Beck : 11 months

Only one month to go (not even, as I am of course writing this a week in). One more month before we celebrate a whole year of Baby Beck. This past month has been one of the best so far. There is something about 10 months that is pretty fantastic. In the last month you have really changed and I feel we are getting longer glimpses of who you will be. You are strong willed, you are tough, and you are independent. You are incredibly sweet. You have found your place in this family and you use your voice to be heard. You love to be on your own, but when you want to be held, there is no letting go. You love to snuggle and you are learning to give kisses. There is no better feeling.

Since last month:

Teeth: You are up to six and counting. These last two didn't seem to be nearly as bothersome as the first few. I am beyond thankful for that.

Eating: You are back to consuming large quantities of food. A whole waffle for breakfast, meat, vegetables, cheese and yogurt for breakfast, and for the most part, whatever we are having for dinner. Apple sauce is still a favorite as are bread and peas. You continue to eat your weight in cheerios on a daily basis.

Drinking: Milk, milk, milk. You take water when you eat or when it is hot, but you love your "baba". You drink a combination of breast milk (I discovered a secret stash!), formula, and whole milk throughout the day. I am counting the days until the formula is a thing of the past. I promised myself that the last can I bought would be the last can ever, but I am not so sure. Your iron level is still low and I just don't see how the added iron in the formula can be a bad thing. I sure do hate mixing those bottles, though!

Crawling: You are everywhere. Everywhere. The cat food is still your favorite destination, but you also make a b-line for your toy basket and any open doors. Your crawl is still very much a crawl and you are making no efforts to walk (which is so fine by me), but you are showing a rather new interest in pulling yourself up.
Sleeping: You have continued to sleep well and I have continued to be a pushover and bring you a bottle in the early morning. I just don't have it in me to mess with it right now. It really doesn't bother me and, honestly, I just don't want to deal with trying to break it at 4 am until I am not having to get up at 5 for work. Maybe spring break or summer, but not now. Oh, and I have started a new terrible habit for you of letting you fall asleep with your bottle. At bedtime you really just want me to put you in your bed so you can do your thing and fall asleep on your own. Since that means you have not had time to finish your bottle I just let you have it. You finish it rather quickly and you do not fall asleep with it in your mouth so I don't really see the harm except for every single "be a good mom" book I have read advises against it. Please don't be 12 and still needing a bottle in your bed. That would be bad.

Crying: Not unless your brother smacks you or knocks you upside the head with a toy. Unfortunately that is rather often.

Talking: You don't have any definite repeated words quite yet, but "mama", and "ball" have come up more than a couple of times. Your favorite syllable seems to be "da" and you say it often. I'm waiting for it to turn into a meaningful "dada", but I think we're a couple weeks off yet. I still claim "mama" as your first word.

Health: You are growing well (75th percentile), but your weight has yet to catch up. At least you have made it back onto the charts (4th percentile). I continue to feed you as much as possible and am hopeful for your next appointment. Certainly nobody is calling you a chubby baby.

General cuteness: You love your teddy, your blankie, and your big blue dog. You rub your face in them and giggle and it is beyond cute. You also love to move your finger over your lips (or have me do it) and make a motor sound. Cracks me up every time and I have yet to capture it on video. You love "pat a cake". Makes you forget about the aforementioned smacks from your brother almost instantly. And you clap! You can clap your hands together and have been doing so for about two weeks now. It is so great to see you have such a physical response to things that make you happy. You are so much fun.

This month has been the most challenging so far in terms of taking your picture. You escape every single time. I actually did them twice and still only have a fraction to show for the hundreds I shot. That's OK; they are what they are and they capture your spirit perfectly.

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