11 Months Old

Are the weeks going by faster or is it just me? Surely, I am not about to do an 11 month old update on my little baby boy! I cannot believe how fast the minutes, hours, days, and weeks are passing. I am desperately wanting to hold on to my little boy for a little bit longer, but am also looking forward to all the next stages he's going to get to experience. These past 11 months have been some of the best in our lives. This little boy continues to bring so much joy, happiness, and fun into our lives, a few gray hairs, too, if I'm honest! I am in the middle of planning for his one year celebration, which is going to be so much fun. I can't wait! Eli is learning and doing so much now. I can't wait to see how much he has learned by the 12 month update!

Sleeping: Eli is still taking about 3 naps a day. He naps twice for Ms. Ashley when he is with her and I'm happy to say that he's not rocked when he's there. He and Hayden are placed in their pack-n-plays, given lots of love and pats on the back, then left to go to sleep on their own, and they're both doing it! WOW! Eli must know I'm a sucker though because he has yet to do that for me. Plus, I'm still enjoying my cuddle time with him at night. It's the only time I really ever get to just hold him without him trying to corkscrew out of my arms. He'll also take a short afternoon nap when he and I get home from work. He's had such a long day by then that if he doesn't sleep when he gets home, he'd be in bed by 6 o'clock every night and up at 4 o'clock every morning, and you know I DEFINITELY don't want that!

Eating: Mr. Independent is Eli's new name now for eating. If it's on a spoon and coming towards his mouth from anyone but him, he WILL NOT eat it. I don't know if it's another phase that he's going through or if we've seen the last of the baby food days, but I am struggling to find nutritious finger foods that he can eat on his own. He wants to do it himself. We've tried several new things lately...spaghetti and green beans, which he LOVED; mashed potatoes and string beans, which he also loved; grilled cheese, which he HATED and would not eat at all; and mashed sweet potatoes and carrots, which he hated because I accidentally put it on a spoon for him. I'm having to practice lots of patience with eating these days, because it's definitely not as easy as it used to be, but I do enjoy letting him try new foods. I'm hoping that our transition to table food is going to go relatively easy. I just wish he would eat the rest of the baby food in the cabinet, so it doesn't go to waste.

New Accomplishments:
-WALKING! He is walking everywhere, all over the house, in every room, following behind Josh and me like a little duckling following his mother. He has LOTS of confidence but is still lacking some skill in this area. He thinks he's a lot steadier than he really is, which has resulted in lots of wobbles and falls. In fact, we got our first "big" bump on our head the other morning when he accidentally fell and hit the side of the tub. OUCH! Poor baby! It made a goose egg immediately and warranted lots of crying and tears (from Mommy and Eli), but he was fine after a little while. It scared me to death though and really makes me want to put a helmet on him to protect that little head of his. The bump is almost gone, but we have a lovely bruise that has gone from red, to purple, to blue, to green, and to yellow. He's a chameleon baby :)
-Understanding so many words and making so many sounds like he is talking. He now knows these words and commands:
1. Bring it to Mommy/Daddy
2. Let's go! (Immediately, rushes to the person he's leaving with and starts waving bye to the other person. It's so cute to see!)
3. I'm going to get you! (starts running away from us)
4. Tree
5. Ball
6. Train/Choo-Choo
7. Shake it
8. Clap your hands
9. Patty cake
10. Maggie
11. Daddy
12. Pat it
13. Light
14. Computer
15. Paci
What's funny though is that if you ask him where Mommy is he has no clue. I guess I'm the one always asking the questions and asking him to find other people that I've failed to mention myself! We'll be working on this one, trust me!

Likes:
-Mommy (having major separation issues from me right now)
-Daddy
-Maggie
-Being outside
-Cell phones, remotes, computers, cords
-LeapFrog train
-Throwing balls with someone
-Being chased
-Eating food off your plate
-Jumping on the bed
-Taking baths
-Watching Praise Baby
-Walking everywhere
-Climbing on everything
-Riding on his Daddy's shoulders
-Being tickled
-Being naked or with just a diaper on around the house
-Reading books
-Playing peek-a-boo or Where's Eli/Mommy/Daddy?

Dislikes:
-Diaper changes
-Getting dressed
-Eating baby food

I am so so happy and feel so incredibly blessed to be Eli's Mommy. I have had so much fun these past 11 months. I'm looking forward to the next month!

Showing Mommy the tree

He loves grass.

Playing peek-a-boo!

First time eating spaghetti

He LOVED the spaghetti!