Eleven Months

11 Months Old: 07/19/13

One more month.

One more month of baby.

I just can't believe it. 

Everyone tried to warn me. 

But where did the time go?

Every time I'm in Target, I go straight to the baby section.

Giddily browsing the itsy bitsy onesies and footie pajamas.

Until reality quickly pulls me from my dreamlike state.

And I move over just a few feet into the *gulp* toddler section.

But then something will happen.

Something where you need me.

A little extra squeeze when you're scared. 

Or a "maaa-maaa" when you're frustrated. 

And I'm reminded that you will always be my baby.

Always.

That being said, this month brought about some spectacular changes. 

Changes that remind me you really aren't a baby anymore. 

Exciting changes. 

Milestones. H-U-G-E month for milestones...aside from gross motor skills. 

Gross Motor Skills: We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to discuss your gross motor skills as they've completely plateaued. *We also had a super quick and casual "eval" by our good PT friend, Dr. Laura. We were on vacation, (so we wanted to spend quality time with Laura and not too much time working), but based on her initial observations, you are at a disadvantage due to low muscle tone and excessive flexibility. This simply means you're not as strong as other babies your age because your muscles can't be controlled as easily. You're just kind of...soft. However, I'm thinking we use this flexibility "problem" to our advantage. I can picture your tutus and pointe shoes now! Combine those things with the loss of tummy time for two months (when you were struggling with reflux/colic) and your laid back personality, and it's a perfect storm for a delay in the development department. More info to come...

Although we may have some work to do in the gross motor skill arena, but we are going to focus on how much you've grown in ALL other areas this month. It's quite unbelievable. 

Fine Motor Skills: Still a pro at this. You love feeding yourself all finger foods, and you pick up the tiniest objects you can find. While on vacation, you were playing with toys on the rug, only to stop to pick up a single strand of one of my BLONDE hairs. You also like to pick up toys and transfer them back and forth between hands. You love banging things together like cups, toys, and blocks, and you put objects inside of other objects. 

Cognitive Skills: You've gotten too smart for your own britches. You drop everything just to see it fall to the floor. So sometimes, Dad and I have to take things away from you and say "no drop, Lyla". But you see where we "hide" what we've taken from you. Like when we were on the plane, we took your squeaky book away from you and hid it in the seat pocket a couple seats down. You stretched as far as you could reach, and immediately retrieved the book. Or like when I took your ball and hid it behind my back, you immediately went behind me and got it back. So, Dad and I have to be sneakier about our hiding spots. You've also been imitating a lot lately. Your latest imitations are dancing when we dance, imitating our singing, making a clicking noise with your mouth, and kissing your baby. 

Language Skills: This is the area you seemed to have blossomed most this month. You're words include "mama", "dada", "ball", and "bye-bye". But it's your receptive language skills that amaze me. When we ask you to do something, you actually know what we're talking about. For example, if I say, "turn the page, Lyla" or "give mommy a kiss", you do those things. Pretty cool. Or, if someone is leaving, you will wave and say "bye-bye". Not every time, but some of the time. On vacation, Dad left to go outside, and you looked at him through the sliding glass door, waved, and said, "bye da". 

You also sign "more" when you want more food. We're still trying to get you to sign, "all done", but you seem to always want more. ;)

Firsts.  You went on your first vacation. This included your first airplane ride and your first time in the ocean! You did so well traveling. We were two proud parents. A blog post soon to come with trip details. 

Another first? You said, "dada" for the first time. It was when you woke up from a nap on the plane. You looked right up at your dad, reached out for him, and said, "da...da". I've never seen him so happy. Ever. 

Noticeable Changes. My personal favorite for this month has been your kisses. There is absolutely nothing I love more. You started by only giving me kisses, then Daddy, then everyone who asks for them! Sometimes, we're lucky enough to get open mouth or even some tongue. Haha! But you've even started kissing without being prompted. One morning I went to wake you up, picked you up, and you leaned in for a kiss. You love kissing your baby too. 

You are taking a liking to...new people. I won't go as far to say that you're not shy. But you are definitely enjoying being around other people a whole lot more. We've give you over to strangers multiple times, and you haven't cried. Big step! But you are still shy and definitely don't like to perform in front of others. Especially if it involves a newly learned skill. You just like to be confident before you show off. 

I'm pretty sure we've experienced a tantrum or two. Is that even normal at this age? You are a girl who knows exactly what you want. And if you don't get what you want immediately, well, you have been known to throw a fit. You do this thing where you arch and push back with all your strength so Dad and I have a hard time moving or holding you still. And you stretch your neck out like a little bird, your eyes get really big, and you start screeching and squawking. Even Auntie Lynne called you a drama queen when you started "fake" fussing because you weren't getting what you want. And girlfriend, you've completely mastered some big ol' crocodile tears. Something tells me we're in for it.  

Eating. I'm so incredibly thankful I'm still able to nurse without a problem. I plan to start weaning your two afternoon feedings this month, but I've been nursing you four times a day still. I didn't want to wean before our big trip so that I could calm you if necessary on the plane (boy, oh boy, am I GLAD I was able to still nurse!!!) In addition to your four nursing sessions, you eat solids of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I honestly can't even keep track of what you've eaten. You've liked everything you've had. We even gave you a lemon. Your face was quite hysterical, but you signed for more! 

Sleep. You are a professional. Even on vacation and even with your bully tooth, you sleep so well. 

Loves. You love bath time. Daddy handles the bath, and you just love it. I can hear you guys laughing, singing, kicking, and carrying on. It's so sweet. And you love being tickled. Daddy sure knows how to make you laugh hysterically. You also love squeeze packs. So much that when you finish them, you get so MAD and usually start crying. You love standing and testing out your balance. Especially with your new wooden activity play center. You love swimming. But under certain conditions of course, the water must be warm. 

Dislikes. Your top right upper tooth. I'm not kidding around here. You have been working on this tooth for 5 weeks now. We've been able to SEE THE WHITE of the tooth for 5 weeks, and it's been red and incredibly swollen. It has made you absolutely miserable. Your other three teeth did not give you any problems. At least like this. We've tried every single teething remedy on the market. Everything. The best remedy out of everything we tried? Whiskey. 

Personality. Everyone comments on how delicate and dainty you are. Like when you eat? You take one thing at a time...and very slowly. You don't like to make a mess. Or how you did NOT like the sand on the beach. Way too gritty for your delicate skin. But in addition to being a lady, you've actually become quite mischievous. Trying to make others laugh. Like when you try to get people's attention. You do this by tapping your hand or foot and making noises. You were trying to get Auntie Lynne's attention, who was taking a nap in the car with you, and you started tapping her with your foot while grunting, "eh, eh, eh". Or when you find something that makes a new noise. And you make that noise over and over until Dad or I look at you. Then you give us a giant grin that says, "yep. I made that noise". 

What a MONTH, Beans. 

I can't believe we have one more before we probably have to stop calling you things like Chunkin, Chunky, and Stinky. 

Boo. 

*This was definitely the hardest month to get you to stay still for your monthly picture. :)