11 Months

Sara Kate, you are 11 months! What have you been up to??

- I think you really love going to school. When I tell you it's time to get ready for school, you get excited! I have even heard you have a little boyfriend in your class! I've picked you up a few times lately, and I'll peak in and watch you playing with your friends. It's cute. We've had a little separation anxiety when I drop you off at times and putting you in the jumper when I leave is a good distraction...you love that jumper! You're school schedule hasn't really changed much from last month, minus the week of you being a little rebel! You get to school about 7:30, have breakfast between 8 and 9 (oatmeal mixed with fruit), nap time, you get a bottle of breast milk between 10:30 and 11, lunch is between 12 and 1 (lately it's been fruit and veggie or 2 veggies), nap time, you get a bottle of formula between 3 and 4, and then daddy usually comes to pick you up.
- You have been crawling now for a couple of weeks! You get on the floor and crawl around, and when you are in the living room with us you head straight for the cat's food bowl or the dog's water bowls! When you are on the ground, you are pulling up onto your knees. Also, when you are crawling, sometimes you will get your foot under you like you are trying to stand.

- You still love food and have tried some new things over the last month! I still make all your food, minus sweet peas, which you won't eat what I made so you get peas from a jar. Here's what all you've had so far: butternut squash (love), sweet potatoes (love), zucchini (like...it purees really thin so I mix it with oatmeal and you really like it), green beans (stopped pureeing them and will heat them and cut them into little pieces so you can feed them to yourself), sweet peas (don't like homemade, like jarred), cauliflower (have started giving it to you at lunch sometimes and you don't seem to mind it, so I'm told from your teachers), mashed potatoes (like), carrots (really like), apples (love), pears (love), banana (love), blueberries (love), peaches (love), mango (like), cherries (like), blackberries (like mixed with oatmeal), and grapes (will cut them into little pieces so you can feed them to yourself and you love them). During the holidays you had cream corn (like) and dressing (like). Some big people food you've had includes grilled cheese sandwich (love), chicken salad that is 'smashed' (liked it at first but then you weren't crazy about it...need to try this again), this chicken pie stuff your Gran made (like), rotisserie chicken from the store (cut into little pieces so you can feed yourself...like), Cool Whip (like), the edge of a pop tart (not the filling part or icing part, only the edge...love), some noodles (you liked it but couldn't quite figure out how to eat it), graham crackers (love), pancakes (love), and bread (love!!!). You've had apple puffs, strawberry puffs, banana puffs, and sweet potato puffs, along with biter biscuits...you are really good about feeding your self this stuff. We are venturing out more, giving you little bites of what we eat, and it's so interesting to see your reaction to different things. So far you aren't picky and will eat about anything!

- It's been mentioned before, but you are having some formula now in addition to being breast fed. It was hard for mommy to let go of that one feeding, and I guess pretty soon you'll be completely off breast milk. I'm so proud of us that we made it 10 months and a week of exclusive breast milk. Pending any supply issues in the next couple of weeks, we'll make it to the one year mark (when we'll wean)!
- You are a pro at your sippy cup and I think you really like it. At dinner time, when I get it out and put water in it, you get so excited and start reaching for it. Unfortunately, you also like to throw it off the right side of your high chair. Always the right side. Weird.

- I mentioned your schedule at school already, but here's your schedule for the day: I wake you up around 6:15 and you nurse, you go to school, breakfast (oatmeal mixed with fruit) between 8 and 9, nap time, you get a bottle of breast milk between 10:30 and 11 (around 4 oz), lunch between 12 and 1 (a fruit and a veggie or 2 veggies), nap time, you a bottle of formula between 3 and 4 (around 4 oz), come home, you have dinner when we do between 6:30 and 7 (usually 2 veggies and a handful of puffs or a biter biscuit), bedtime routine starts around 8:30, around 9 you nurse, and you are usually asleep in bed between 9:15-9:30.
- You still LOVE bath time! You can be upset (because you are tired) but when it's time for your bath, you get so excited! What makes me really nervous is you crawling around in the tub. But I can't make you sit still! You still like to put your face in the water, too. You haven't gotten too upset lately when it's time to get out...when you get out, you like to wave to the baby in the mirror. So cute.

You like to look at yourself in the little silver mirrored thing (I have no idea what that thing is). You even like to try and kiss the baby (and no, I don't let you put your mouth on that thing!). Yes, you'll kill me one day for posting your cute little baby butt on the internet! :-)

- You are a sleeping pro, and mommy loves this!! Over the last week, you've started rolling and moving during the night. It cracks me up to go wake you up and see what kind of position you're in. But I don't hear a peep out of you at night when you are moving so you must be sleeping hard.

- You haven't gotten any more teeth. At times it seems like you may be working on the top ones but so far nothing has come through. Guess those teeth aren't in any hurry to get here!

- You are little chatter box! Last night we were carrying on a little conversation, and I had no idea what you were saying...besides 'mom.' :-) We love to hear you say dada and mama. Sometimes it sounds like you say 'hi' and 'bye,' and you have all the sounds to say 'ball' and 'dog' so we're working on teaching you other words. I think you know 'bath' and 'baby' and it seems you have your own words. You like to 'talk' when you are crawling, too.
- You love to clap and will imitate us when we clap. You will clap and clap and clap.
Clapping and bath time, 2 of your favorite things!

- You are definitely now waving. You have started the backwards hand wave and sometimes you turn your hand the right way. You wave at your teachers when we get to school, you wave at the baby in the mirror, you love waving at Meme, and you wave at people when we're out and about.
- You are still in 6-9 month clothes (like Jumping Bean), 9-month clothes (like Carters), and 6-12 month clothes (Baby Gap and Old Navy). You are still wearing some 6-9 month sleepers but most of your jammies are 9 months.
- You are in size 2 shoes, but you can wear a size 3 if they velcro real tight (even though they are still big).
- You are in size 3 diapers.
- Your eyes are just a beautiful blue, and you have lots of super blonde hair coming in. You are just beautiful...but I know I'm a bit partial.

- I say it every month, but you are just such a happy baby and we are so blessed. We are looking forward to seeing what the final month of your first year has in store!