LEYTON’S 11 MONTH UPDATE

Hi friends!  Can you believe we are already at the point of the 11 month update?!  Leyton turned 11 months on Monday so I decided to take a little break from the holiday gift guide series to do an 11 month update for you all (and for me to look back on in years to come because we all know this mom brain won’t remember squat).  Months ago I was sharing pictures of Leyton for a monthly update and remember thinking how weird it would be to do his 11 month update knowing we are only a month away from him turning one year, and yet here we are!  Last night I was going through all his pictures from the past year and I couldn’t believe I was looking at the same baby.  He was so little!  It seems like a totally different baby and yet it doesn’t.  In many ways I see that exact same adorable personality peaking through at 2 months that I see now.  As crazy as it is to be writing an 11 month update I really can’t believe that in a few short weeks we will be celebrating one year! 

To think that last year at this time we were preparing for him to come any week now (not knowing he would love his home in there, stay several days past his due date, and have to be pried out after 14 hours of trying his best to stay put inside).  I was counting down the shifts at work until maternity leave, and enjoying the last few weeks of feeling kicks, flutters, and full on somersaults.  I truly cannot believe all of that was a year ago!

Now, with every one of this monthly posts I do, I say the same thing…..he gets cuter with every passing month, and friends, it’s true!  We love each stage more than the last.  As much as we love, and sometimes miss that cute newborn, snugly stage, having the interaction with him each day, hearing his squeals and laughter, and watching those wheels turn in his head, is just truly priceless.  So let’s break it down and enjoy some of my favorite photos from the past month along the way……

What He Loves:

• Books – he’s obsessed with turning pages and pulling every book out of his bin onto the floor.
• Baby TV – old habits die hard.  He looooves Baby TV.  The second he hears The Color Crew theme song he is smiling from ear to ear.
• Pacifiers – he does pretty well without them (out of sight out of mind) but the second he spots one, he.must.have.it!
• Everything he shouldn’t have – naturally, like all babies he has toys upon toys, but only wants the piping hot cup of coffee on the table, or the remote controls, or my phone.
• His car seat – not to actually be in it to go anywhere.  No, that he finds annoying.  But to crawl in and chew the sides when it’s sitting on the floor?  Oh yea, he’s all about that life.  Same with the diaper bag.  If it’s on the floor within his reach, he’s all up in it.
• The Books, “Moo Moo Mooing” and “Roar, Roar, Roaring” – you guys, these books by Melanie Joyce are his life!  Eric and I enjoy them too.  They are cute and colorful and he gets so excited when we read them.
• The vacuum – he loves to be carried on one hip while you vacuum, and when you stop…..it’s the end of the world!  He cries real giant tears!  Special shout out to Sebastian and his fur for keeping the vacuum in business.

What He Hates:

• When you take something away – again this is all babies, but take something away from him that he shouldn’t have and ohhhh man, life ruining!
• Water – I wouldn’t say he hates it, but he’s not at all impressed with it.  We try and try to give it in little training sippy cups and he wants no parts.
• Naps – he’s actually a great napper.  That’s not the part he hates.  He hates knowing he’s about to nap.  He’s getting better, but most days as soon as we start ascending the steps to his room, the teary eyed whine starts coming out.

Milestone Updates:

• He’s doing really well with sleeping.  Overall he sleeps through the night.  From time to time he will wake up and not be able to find his paci and will start crying, but most times we can replace it, and he goes back to bed without needing soothing or rocking.
• He’s on a great nap and bedtime schedule (if you saw the 9 month update post you know we credit The Cradle Coach for all of this).  It’s been so nice to be able to plan our days and know exactly how many bottles we will need and when he will sleep.  The only slight bummer is that he doesn’t fall asleep on us and snuggle anymore because he’s so used to sleeping at certain times and in his crib (but honestly, I’ll take a reliable schedule any day over falling asleep on one of us, as cute as it may be).
• Teeth!  – He has 2 bottom teeth and 4, almost 5 on top!
• Attempting to walk – He crawls so fast I wonder how he has any skin left on his knees.  He pulls up to stand and walks while holding on to things, and as of this week he’s taken a couple little wobbly baby steps before crashing down.
• Eating – He’s eating great but I admit I have been a total wimp at expanding his foods to bigger bites.  He does great with puffs and bars and small bites of egg or pasta or anything else that’s soft, but so far that’s as adventurous as we’ve been.  Yes, I’m a nurse, (until recently a pediatric nurse), and I know what to do if he chokes, but that doesn’t mean I want to have to intervene :).  He does blow me away though.  Every time I think something is maybe too big, he shoves it in there and chews away.  He’s like, “mom, I got this!”
• Babbling Away – he says mama but it still doesn’t seem to pertain to me and is more of one long running word of “ma-ma-ma-ma-ma” but hey, I’ll take it!  He still squeals when he see’s Sebastian and just babbles all day long.  It’s so cute.  We have been teaching him to wave and high five but he hasn’t mastered those yet.  We recently started doing “sooo big!” to which he just looks at us and smiles 🙂

Cute Things:

Well naturally we find pretty much everything he does to be cute, but some things that stand out…..

• Singing – so he doesn’t really sing but lately when I sing to him or he hears music he does a really soft little babble.  So to us, it’s like he’s trying to sing along.
• Messes with us – he has adopted the habit of dropping his toys from his car seat when we are in the car and totally unable to get them for him because we are driving.  Best yet, when you catch him about to do it and you try to stop him, he smiles/giggles.  That red headed side is coming out friends! He does the same thing with trying to pull his hat off when he’s outside in the freezing cold.
• His day to day excitement – there’s just so many random things throughout the day that he does that are cute, and so many things that we know we can do to elicit the cuteness.
• He still loves when I sing “head, shoulders, knees, and toes.”  I hope he smiles every time I sing it until he’s 18 🙂

Okay friends, that’s the gist of it.  He continues to just be a sweet, happy boy, and is the best part of every day.  We can’t wait to celebrate the holidays with him for the first time and then ring in his new year shortly after the actual new year.  So check back next month for the big 12 month update and 1st birthday party fun!

xo, Jill