Eleven Months

Dear Evan,

How is it that this is the last month before my baby turns into a toddler??  I'm not ready for you to be 1!  Just like I do with Em, I am going to start requesting that you stay little forever and stop growing up.  You'd be happy being 11 months forever, right?  :)

This month you have been really enjoying your mobility.  Today, in honor of Mother's Day, you took your very first step!  It was just 1, but I know more won't be far away.  You love walking behind your walker and can get going pretty fast when you are on the tile.  You are able to stand completely on your own for a few seconds before falling down.  Also, in the last few days you have started to do a bear crawl (where your legs stay completely straight and you only touch the floor with your feet and hands).  You prefer to stand and cruise around, rather than crawl now.  You also do really well at walking when we just barely hold on to your hands.

I can already tell that you are going to be all boy.   I'm seeing so many differences between you and Em.  We have to watch you all the time!  This month you have discovered the stairs and enjoy going up them.  Once you are on them, you cry because you don't know how to get down.  You have also discovered the toilet and the kitchen cabinents.  I have found you splashing in the toilet (yuck!) and quickly realized you can't be unaccompanied in the bathroom anymore.   When we were outside last weekend, you decided to eat some dirt.  It must have tasted good because you tried to keep eating it after we told you no.  You've already had 2 incident reports at school for bumping your head into things.  I see lots of bumps and bruises in your future.  You love to tackle your sister and pull her hair.  I know it's only a matter of time before your bigger than her!

You still love your food, little man!  You are down to 4 6oz bottles each day and you don't always finish them.  I'm hoping this month we can work on cutting out those 2 during the day, as you won't get them once you move to the toddler room at school.  As for meals, you are still having 3 meals consisting of all table food and several snacks throughout the day.  The main foods you eat are grilled cheese, cheese quesadillas, chicken nuggets, pasta, pears, grapes, peaches, bananas, apples, green beans and carrots.  For snacks your favorites are cheese puffs, yogurt melts and goldfish.  We usually let you feed youself during meals because you are so impatient if you have to wait on us to feed you.  In fact, if you see us in the kitchen getting a meal ready, you start screaming because you want to eat it.  Patience is not your best virtue right now.

This month was a big one as far as your health.  You got tubes put in and aside from being sick the weekend after you got them, I'm happy to say you've been healthy all month.  I'm hoping we never see another ear infection from you again!

You haven't said any new words yet.  It's still just mama and dada.  I think I can say that mama comes out more than dada now.  I'm pretty excited that I might be getting my mama's boy.  :)  I've noticed both you and Em seem to get jealous of each other if either one of you are sitting on my lap.  This is usually the only time I see the jealousy.  But let's just say there are often times I'm sitting with both of you in my lap just to keep you both happy.  Since you can't communicate with words, we often find that you just scream when you want something.  I'm still trying to decide if the screaming or crying is worse.  I just never remember Em screaming like you do! 

You continue to be our early riser, although I'd say it's becoming a little later than it was in prior months.  Yay!  You usually wake up around 6:30 now.  Most mornings you will sit and play in your crib for a while before you start crying for us to come get you.  Naps continue to go well at home.  Not so much at school.  On the weekends, you will take around a 2 hour nap in the morning and usually around 1.5 hours in the afternoon.  You still tend to get fussy and will sometimes need a catnap in your swing early evening.  Yep, you still fit in the swing!  :)

Starting this month you now cry every morning when I drop you off at school.  It makes it very hard for this mama to leave you!  I'm sure you're just getting me prepared for what's going to happen once you move to the toddler room.  That was the hardest transition for Em, so I'm expecting the same for you.  Luckily as soon as 1 of your teachers pick you up, you stop.  I think it's just your way of getting what you want.  Haha.

Your favorite thing to do is push stuff around at home.  It can be anything. . cars, chairs, Em's princess vanity.  It doesn't matter if there are wheels on it or not.  If you can make it move in order to make it a "walker" for yourself, you do.  I constantly find Em's little chairs all over the kitchen.  You also love the remote control.  I'd say this would be your favorite toy if we'd let you have it.  Unfortunately for you, your sister gets very upset when you find it because it ends up in her tv show being changed.  You also continue to love your little blue chair.  We moved it in the gameroom, right next to Em's chair and the 2 of you just sit side by side and play.

Little man, it makes me so sad that you're growing up so fast, but I know we have so many fun times to look forward to!


11 Month Stats

Weight: No appt. this month
Length: No appt. this month
Eating: 4 -6 oz of Enfagrow each day.  Having 3 meals a day of only table food and several snacks.  You drink water out of a sippy cup.
Bedtime: Around 7:30 pm
Awake: 6:00-6:30 am
Naps:  Usually you take a morning nap around 9-9:30 and an afternoon nap around 1:30 or 2:00.
Diapers: Size 3 Pampers.
Clothes: mainly 6-12 months, some 9 month stuff
Favorites: eating, trying to walk, your little blue chair, tackling Em, pushing things around, your paci and lovey.
Development: cruising around furniture, taking steps, standing without holding on, dances (bounces) to music
Teeth: 4 - the 2 bottom middle ones are all the way in and the upper 2 teeth on either side of the front teeth are coming in.  We think the 2 front teeth may not be far behind.