11 months

My baby turned 11 months (a couple weeks ago).  I can't believe we'll be having his first birthday party in 2 weeks!  Where did the last year go?!? 

It's safe to say that Felix is no longer interested in taking his monthly photos:

 

"I will eat your face!"

"I said enough with the photos!"

"Did you really just pants me?!?"

"I'm so embarrassed!"

We will have a new height and weight at our next doctor's appointment in a couple weeks, but it is obvious he is still plagued with my short legs and long torso.

Milestones/happenings:

• Has a total of 4 teeth (2 top and 2 bottom), with at least 2-3 more coming in.
• Eats finger foods at all three meals (i.e., cheerios, sweet potatoes, peas, corn, avocado, chicken, pasta, rice, small cheese doodle size baby puffs, yogurt bites, banana, grapes, blueberries, pancakes, scrambled eggs, etc.).  Still gets his baby food to make sure he gets enough fruits, veggies, proteins, but eats a lot of finger foods along with it.
• Loves his yogurt.  I have been trying to introduce cottage cheese as an alternative to yogurt as well, but he's not taking to it as well as the yogurt (who can blame him).
• Looks like he may be exclusively on sippy cups during the day.
• Stands up on everything and walks from one thing to another while holding on.
• Stands up, sits down and squats down with ease.
• Walks while assisted (holding hands, using a toy with wheels, or just pushing something around)
• Immediately gravitates towards everything we don't want him to get into.  We finally got a decorative cover for the fireplace, which helps.
• Hates the final diaper change of the day.
• Finally christened.
• Hates when daddy touches mommy.  Will begin screaming the second daddy touches mommy and doesn't stop until he walks away.
• Has formed his own jibberish language and talks incessantly (LOVE it!)
• Loves to turn the pages of his books as we read to him and loves story time before bed.
• Learned how to high five this week.
• Waves bye (when he wants to).
• Crawls very quickly.
• Knows what a doorknob is and tries to reach it, but can't.
• Throws/rolls balls and other toys back and forth (i.e., plays catch).
• Loves bathtime and has started crawling around the tub during his baths.  Occasionally falls in face first and gets super shocked for a moment.  Loves to take his bath toys and throw them outside the bath to mommy.
• Loves to eat bananas right out of the peel (takes bites entirely too big for him).
• We finally retired the jumper a couple weeks ago.  Now that he can move around on his own, he wasn't nearly as interested in it and it freed up a lot of space in the living room.
• LOVES music.  If he is ever crying on the car ride to or home from daycare, all I have to do is sing ABCs and Mary Had a Little Lamb on repeat (mostly because it's the only ones I can remember off hand).
• Has two big boy car seats now (infant carrier has been retired).
• Loves riding in his smart trike when we go out.  Giggle constantly while riding in it, but screams bloody murder if you ever stop.  Usually ends up with mommy running laps around stores while daddy shops.
• Loves anything that is an adult toy.  His favorite toys right now are an empty M&M container and the empty tin heart from Valentine's Day.
• Still loves trucks and anything with wheels...such a boy!

10 months

This kid...

 

...always makes me smile...

and is getting increasingly difficult to photograph!

 

More pictures...really Ma??!!

 

My favorite this month

Weight: 20 lbs 5 oz (just under 50th percentile)

Height: 28 in (just under 50th percentile)

Milestones/Happenings:

• In the last week, you've started crawling (where you used to roll and scoot everywhere) and started taking steps while holding onto our hands (you can now do laps around the room like this).
• You learned to clap.
• You have started saying what I think is "yah" all the time now.
• I think you've started dreaming...you seem to talk in your sleep sometimes now.
• You LOVE riding on Daddy's shoulders.
• You have 4 teeth coming in, the first of which finally cut about a week and a half ago.
• You reached your highest temperature (and 3rd ear infection in 2 months) a couple weeks ago. 
• You now feed yourself puffs and small bits of food (i.e., banana, soft cooked carrot).
• You WANT to feed yourself everything and will sometimes get so irate that we don't give you the spoon that you will refuse to finish your dinner.
• This past week, you have HATED going to bed, even though your exhausted.
• You have also started hitting and throwing little tantrums when you want/don't want something...and we must find a way to break you of these things ASAP!
• The last couple days, you have started a new trend of screaming bloody murder when I lay you on the changing table.  You then proceed to lock your legs straight, lift your whole lower body and try and roll off the dresser.  
• You are FINALLY getting Christened this weekend!
• We are in the midst of planning your first birthday party...I still can't believe you're almost a year old.
• You no longer nurse, but are still taking breastmilk in a bottle 4 times a day, which means Mommy is 2 months away from no longer being tethered to the pump!  It has all been worth it, but I long for the day when I don't have to schedule my hours around the pump.  I've reduced to 4 times a day and intend to go down to 3 times a day by next week (in preparation for my trip to the Superbowl!).

And one last thing...you love your Uncle Matt and Aunt Kate!  They came over to watch you so Mommy could go for a much needed massage this weekend...

Play Dates!

Felix (and Mommy) had his first play date just after we returned from Ohio.  We got together one afternoon with Kate, Sara and Lexi.  We need more of these!

 

Starting off a bit timid...

Here, let me show you how this works...

Yay, toys!!

Kisses!

Adorable!

Mom, give me my pants!

Working on his truck...

Christmas in Ohio

**WARNING: Picture intensive post**

I know Christmas is most definitely off of everyone's radar already, but I wanted to give a recap and post some incredibly adorable pictures from our trip.  As you know, we spent Christmas 2011 in Ohio with (most of) Scott's immediate family.  It was so nice to see everyone and I loved seeing Felix and Grayson interact.  I think by March when we see them agaoin (hopefully) the age difference will be even less apparent.  

By the time we got to Christmas Day, Felix was a pro at opening gifts...or eating the wrapping/tissue paper.  Scott and I limited our gift giving to each other to stockings this year, since we decided to purchase our new desks for the home office as our big gift to each other.  It worked out perfectly.  We've both decided that our money would be better spent buying something "house" related on holidays/birthdays, since neither one of us really needs anything big at this point.

Let's talk about driving...we decided to leave in the middle of the night to drive to/from Ohio, which worked perfectly for us.  We times it so that our first gas/bathroom/breakfast stop was right about sunrise when Felix would be waking up for the day.  Surprisingly, we were able to keep our stops to no more then about 1.5 hours each way.  Our saving grace...a headrest holder for the IPad and a ton of toys in the back seat.  We have a child that gets bored very quickly at time, so we had enough stimulation to switch things out every 10-15 minutes.  We'll see how he handles the next big trip!

Without further adieu, here are some holiday memories from Christmas 2011...

 

Hanging out with Uncle Dan

 Adorable!!

 

Trying out Uncle Scott's boots

Birthday suit fun!

Kisses!

Christmas morning

 Felix's big gift from Mom and Dad this year (FYI...no need to lug the big gifts that take up half the trunk!)

 

Hanging out with Daddy

 

He looks thrilled!

The boys with Grandma and Pepere

Felix trying to head back to his cousin on the trip home...

I'll leave you with a video of Felix having fun with Grayson's new drum set...

9 months

This kid is getting HUGE...and silly...

Felix's next doctor's appointment isn't until we get back from Ohio next week, but he's hovering right around 20 lbs based on our last "sick" visit to the doctor.  Speaking of...Felix had his first ear infection a few weeks ago...right around Thanksgiving.  He's also FINALLY teething.  I can see those two little bottom nubs just begging to break through...or maybe that's just wishful thinking!

Here are some of the milestones/tidbits I can remember, but they're becoming so many, it's hard to remember them all.  I need to start making my notes again every time I see/hear a new one!

• The last couple days, he has become much more mobile.  He has been rolling/scooting around the room for awhile now, but he's gotten fast lately.  
• He's SO close to crawling, but still not sure he'll do it.  I still say he'll get right up and walk away one day.
• He grabs my fingers, lifts himself to standing and then sits back down again and repeats.  At least he won't wind up screaming when he doesn't know how to sit down from standing
• I'm convinced he says Momma and Dadda with more purpose now...Momma whenever he gets hurt, doesn't feel good or is hungry or tired and Dadda the rest of the time.
• We are trying to get him on more of a schedule as far as his eating is concerned.  Since he was born, we've very much just followed his cues on eating/napping.  Napping is still completely up in the air, but getting better, usually getting a nap every morning and afternoon on the weekends (time varies widely).  Daycare is trying to help us set up an eating schedule.  Not sure I like how it is now, but it's all trial and error right?  Right now, during the week, he has a bottle at about 6:30am, oatmeal/cereal and fruit at about 830-9am, bottle at 11 am, lunch (fruit and veggie mix) around 12-1pm, a bottle at around 2-3pm, dinner (veggies/meat) around 6pm and a bottle just before bed around 730-8pm.  Kids a big eater!
• He loves anything "adult."  Whenever we're out and a tantrum comes at an inopportune time, you just need to give him something adult...a bracelet me or scott is wearing, a sealed bottle of seltzer, etc.
• Felix HATED santa.  We took him to sears where there were a lot less kids/less of a line and a GREAT santa.  Santa walked around, introducing himself to all the kids before the photos started.  Felix stared at him for a good couple of minutes, not sure what to make of him, before going into total meltdown mode out of nowhere...made for a great picture though!
• He's much better at opening presents then we thought he'd be.  Takes him some time, and you need to take away each piece of wrapping paper as he rips it off, so that he keeps going, but not bad.  I still wrapped all his presents in tissue paper for christmas, just to help him out a bit.
• Felix never took a pacifier, but has taken to sucking/chewing on rags instead.  He can't go to sleep/nap without one.
• HATES having his nose wiped.
• He got his first big boy car seat.  We still keep the infant seat in my car, since he only drives in it to/from daycare (and not even every day, if Scott is working from home).  It's been great for Scott's car so far.  Took a little getting used to, since he can't really see us in his headrest mirror anymore because the seat is so much bigger and sits so much higher.
• Babbles ALL the time...love it!
• He claps his feet...he's been doing this for awhile, but it's still hysterical.
• He makes kissy/fish faces.
• He blows kisses or smacks his lips together.

That's all I've got right now.  We're leaving at 2am tomorrow morning (tonight) for Ohio for Christmas.  We're hoping Felix will sleep at least 3-4 hours in the beginning...IF we can get him into the car without him waking up! 

Happy Holidays everyone!!