I think it's safe to say that I'm in denial about my baby turning a year old next month. Just the thought of that makes me want to cry. My sister (whose kids are 7 and 9) said that I should be happy that we will have many more fun months ahead instead of being sad that the first 12 months are over. I know she's right, but I've been so deliberate about cherishing every moment and I just don't want to let the baby stage go yet. Here are a few highlights from Natalie's 11th month:
-First costume party (10/23)
-Natalie took a few steps using her push toy (10/25). Now she can take off behind that thing!
-Waves bye-bye more consistently
-started wearing size 4 shoes (and is already outgrowing them! Gee whiz, kid!) and wears more 18 mo clothes
-Said "Layla" (she loves her doggie!)
-Takes only 1 nap a day instead of 2 most days
-Ate french toast, fried chicken, refried beans, fish, coleslaw, turkey
-Loves to pull tissues out of the box, so I put scrap fabric in an empty wipes container and kept her busy for a good long time. Now she shows no interest in it whatsoever...
-Gets into dog food, crawls further away from us into other rooms, so we're constantly on our toes!
-First tooth finally popped through on 11/4! I'm so thankful that teething has not been difficult for Natalie. Other than her drooling for the 2 weeks prior, she has not been fussy or had difficulty sleeping with that first tooth. Alex just happened to stick his finger in her mouth and felt the tip of the tooth poking through her gums, otherwise we wouldn't have even realized it had happened! She did bite my finger very hard a few hours before we made "the discovery"...that should have been a big clue!
-Second tooth popped through the gums on 11/13. This one caused more fussiness and a nearly-sleepless night (she woke up at 11 and stayed up til 1, then woke up at 5:20 and 6:30).
-Took first steps on 11/14!!! My mom came over spur-of-the-moment, so we decided to let Natalie stay up a few extra minutes to see Grandma and, low and behold, she took 3 or 4 steps towards Grandma, twice! She'd been playing with Alex on the floor and he told me to look quickly because she was standing on her own for an extended period of time. Them my mom arrived and Natalie raised her arms up in the air and said a "word" that started with the "g" sound, so it was like she was saying "Grandma". So cute. Then mom sat on the couch with her arms outstretched and the magic happened and baby girl was on the move!
-First sickness/fever 11/18-11/20. She was so pitiful after waking up with a fever. We sat on the couch and cuddled all day and she took 4 naps! Then the next day she seemed more like her normal self until early afternoon when the fever struck again. A day after her fever broke, she broke out in a rash on her trunk and face (roseola) which lasted two days, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it.
-Started weaning, so now she nurses between 3 and 5 am, at breakfast (around 9 am), and at bedtime.
This child has the biggest smile and the sweetest personality. One minute she is giggling while petting and hugging the dog and the next she is dancing to music and smiling a huge grin from behind her paci. I can't get enough of her! She loves her daddy and immediately reaches for him when he wakes up in the morning and when he gets home from work. I'm so thankful for the bond that they share. She was in her high chair eating her dinner when Alex walked in from work the other night and he went in another room to put his laptop away and she started crying and would not take another bite of food until he came back to get her. So sweet. They usually have lots of tickle and play time in the living room while I finish cooking dinner. That's the best "music" to listen to while you're working around the house!
Another cute story (because who can resist those!?): Alex and I were scooping out some ice cream for ourselves after dinner, so he sat Natalie on the counter right there next to the ice cream. She grabbed the lid and held it up to her mouth and licked the ice cream off! Girl knows where the good stuff is!
I think we have some attitude issues to deal with, but I feel lost dealing with an 11 month old. Any suggestions are welcome! She just screeches or screams when she doesn't get her way (usually when she's tired or in the middle of the night, but sometimes during the day when she's wide awake and just being rotten). I've been giving in to her during the night because I want to get sleep myself and with her being sick, I wanted her to get as much milk from me as possible to boost her immune system. Part of me wants to cut her off at night and make her go 12 hours without nursing because 1) I know she can last that long because she has done it when she's slept with us and I'm right next to her. I know she's just using me as a pacifier when she sleeps in her room and wakes up at 3 or 4 or 5 am wanting to nurse, 2) I'm just ready to get a night of uninterrupted sleep and 3) I want to wean her shortly after her birthday, but it seems like at this point she's never going to give up that early morning feeding and it's easier to just feed her and be awake for 15 minutes than let her cry forever! The child will cry for 2 hours. This mama's heart can't take crying for 2 hours.The last thing I want to do is give in her every demand and teach her that this behavior is ok!
Well, I think that's enough of a summary of the past month of our lives! Alex and I are still in awe of God's blessings to us. We thoroughly enjoy having Natalie in our lives and want to drink in every bit of her sweetness. Every day brings new learning experiences for all of us. There's never a dull moment!
-First costume party (10/23)
-Natalie took a few steps using her push toy (10/25). Now she can take off behind that thing!
-Waves bye-bye more consistently
-started wearing size 4 shoes (and is already outgrowing them! Gee whiz, kid!) and wears more 18 mo clothes
-Said "Layla" (she loves her doggie!)
-Takes only 1 nap a day instead of 2 most days
-Ate french toast, fried chicken, refried beans, fish, coleslaw, turkey
-Loves to pull tissues out of the box, so I put scrap fabric in an empty wipes container and kept her busy for a good long time. Now she shows no interest in it whatsoever...
-Gets into dog food, crawls further away from us into other rooms, so we're constantly on our toes!
-First tooth finally popped through on 11/4! I'm so thankful that teething has not been difficult for Natalie. Other than her drooling for the 2 weeks prior, she has not been fussy or had difficulty sleeping with that first tooth. Alex just happened to stick his finger in her mouth and felt the tip of the tooth poking through her gums, otherwise we wouldn't have even realized it had happened! She did bite my finger very hard a few hours before we made "the discovery"...that should have been a big clue!
-Second tooth popped through the gums on 11/13. This one caused more fussiness and a nearly-sleepless night (she woke up at 11 and stayed up til 1, then woke up at 5:20 and 6:30).
-Took first steps on 11/14!!! My mom came over spur-of-the-moment, so we decided to let Natalie stay up a few extra minutes to see Grandma and, low and behold, she took 3 or 4 steps towards Grandma, twice! She'd been playing with Alex on the floor and he told me to look quickly because she was standing on her own for an extended period of time. Them my mom arrived and Natalie raised her arms up in the air and said a "word" that started with the "g" sound, so it was like she was saying "Grandma". So cute. Then mom sat on the couch with her arms outstretched and the magic happened and baby girl was on the move!
-First sickness/fever 11/18-11/20. She was so pitiful after waking up with a fever. We sat on the couch and cuddled all day and she took 4 naps! Then the next day she seemed more like her normal self until early afternoon when the fever struck again. A day after her fever broke, she broke out in a rash on her trunk and face (roseola) which lasted two days, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it.
-Started weaning, so now she nurses between 3 and 5 am, at breakfast (around 9 am), and at bedtime.
This child has the biggest smile and the sweetest personality. One minute she is giggling while petting and hugging the dog and the next she is dancing to music and smiling a huge grin from behind her paci. I can't get enough of her! She loves her daddy and immediately reaches for him when he wakes up in the morning and when he gets home from work. I'm so thankful for the bond that they share. She was in her high chair eating her dinner when Alex walked in from work the other night and he went in another room to put his laptop away and she started crying and would not take another bite of food until he came back to get her. So sweet. They usually have lots of tickle and play time in the living room while I finish cooking dinner. That's the best "music" to listen to while you're working around the house!
Another cute story (because who can resist those!?): Alex and I were scooping out some ice cream for ourselves after dinner, so he sat Natalie on the counter right there next to the ice cream. She grabbed the lid and held it up to her mouth and licked the ice cream off! Girl knows where the good stuff is!
I think we have some attitude issues to deal with, but I feel lost dealing with an 11 month old. Any suggestions are welcome! She just screeches or screams when she doesn't get her way (usually when she's tired or in the middle of the night, but sometimes during the day when she's wide awake and just being rotten). I've been giving in to her during the night because I want to get sleep myself and with her being sick, I wanted her to get as much milk from me as possible to boost her immune system. Part of me wants to cut her off at night and make her go 12 hours without nursing because 1) I know she can last that long because she has done it when she's slept with us and I'm right next to her. I know she's just using me as a pacifier when she sleeps in her room and wakes up at 3 or 4 or 5 am wanting to nurse, 2) I'm just ready to get a night of uninterrupted sleep and 3) I want to wean her shortly after her birthday, but it seems like at this point she's never going to give up that early morning feeding and it's easier to just feed her and be awake for 15 minutes than let her cry forever! The child will cry for 2 hours. This mama's heart can't take crying for 2 hours.The last thing I want to do is give in her every demand and teach her that this behavior is ok!
Well, I think that's enough of a summary of the past month of our lives! Alex and I are still in awe of God's blessings to us. We thoroughly enjoy having Natalie in our lives and want to drink in every bit of her sweetness. Every day brings new learning experiences for all of us. There's never a dull moment!
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