Kippy || 11 Months Old

Today, Kippy turns 11 months old!! Holy cow! We only have a few short weeks left before his first birthday. I've said it before, but really, this year was the fastest of my entire life. I cannot believe we will have a one year old in just a blink. Wild one!

Kipling at Eleven Months 

Weight ??? (20 lbs. 3.2 oz. at 9 months)

Height ??? (30 inches at 9 months)

Personality: Introverted, curious adventurer

but here is how most of this photo shoot looked:

Byeeeeeee!!!

Likes:

His remote (real, no battery. see above)

Bath time, especially loves the yellow bath stacking cup and yellow blow fish tub sticker

MOMMY! Oh wow, he got clingy to me big time this month

Pushing wheel toys on the ground

Food. Hummus, yogurt, and cheese are his faves.

Barney (there is one old school episode on Amazon)

Dislikes:

When the food he loves is gone

Not getting something he wants (oh lord, have tantrums started???)

Diaper changes or getting dressed (it's a real struggle every day)

When mom walks away from him or is not within eyesight

Wearing:

12-18 months. Still blasting through clothes

Size 4 diapers 

Things I want to remember about Kippy at 11 months:

 - How you started off with fisted clapping (one fist into open hand) and then progressed into real flat palm clapping 

- Your mega clingy phase you are in right now. Sometimes it can feel really exhausting for me to be needed so much and with so much whining from you if you aren't touching me, but I'm trying to embrace it knowing it will be short and soon you won't want anything to do with me

- How you started sticking your tongue straight out when you are doing something you enjoy

- How you "feel" the music and rock out shaking your head and moving your whole body

- Fake crying. It's kind of constant with this clingy phase and I'm not a fan, but it's something from this month to remember

- How you started dropping food out that you don't expect or no longer want (not spitting just opening your mouth and letting it fall out)

- How cute and flirty you were on the plane ride home from Kansas. You were smiling and waving and being so cute with the people near our seats

- Your waving and even saying "die die" which we think is your attempt to say "bye bye"

- One legged crawling. You push one leg up and crawl with one foot flat on the ground
- Cruising along furniture and sometimes standing with one hand or none (for a few seconds)
- When we hold your hands to get you to practice walking. You get so excited you just jump up and down and then lift your legs so you can't stand. Little turkey.
- Your favorite way to play is pushing toys along the ground or knocking things together in your hands. You just discovered how to put things inside of other things.
- How much you love music
- Your giant top front teeth growing in
- Your lip pucker you do, pushing air out of your mouth so your lip moves (like a silent raspberry)

Bubba, this was a busy month for you. We had a visit from Auntie Jessy and took a ferry ride to hang out at Governor's Island. You also "rode" a surry bike. You got your first cold and toughed through it so well. You started gaining confidence with standing and although you likely have a ways to go before walking, I'm just fine with that. Stay small!! We have already experienced some glimpses into the toddler years with your increasingly loud demands which resemble tantrums. Oh boy.

You went on another trip to Kansas and added three more flights to your record. You had your first 4th of July and saw your first Kansas summer. You met many new dogs and don't seem scared at all. You've discovered so much this month and along with that came some insecurity with separation from me. You love your Momma and like to have me close at all times. You seem to have somewhat of an introverted personality and take some time to warm-up to new people and places. You went to the beach for the first time and also had your first experience in a swimming pool! Ooh, and you had your first taste of chocolate and it may be too soon to tell, but you seemed like you liked it!

Sleep:

Well, that 8 month regression never resolved and I fear we created a habit. Kip continues to wake up at 5/5:30 am to nurse (he used to go until 7 am). I put him back in bed after that first feed but he doesn't always go back to sleep. He still takes 2-3 naps a day, about 45 minutes - 1 hour each. Sometimes we luck out with a 2 hour nap. During our trip to Kansas he really only napped well if we were in the car. Stroller naps on Sunday while at church are more difficult now too. I really wish we could be more consistent with napping at home but it is really hard when we also want to be out doing things. Fortunately, Kip still does well at night and goes down easily around 6 pm and stays asleep until 5 am.

Eat: 

Kippy is still a champion eater but he has started to spit food out that he doesn't want and throw mini fits if what he loves is gone. We are trying some Feeding Littles strategies for raising a non-picky eater which offers some challenges for us as parents. Coming up with variety and mixing presentation with novelty is HARD! Can't we just serve yogurt every morning?? But, it will be worth it if he remains adventurous with food and willing to try new things. He has tried utensils with limited success and can drink from a sippy cup or a straw cup. Kip still nurses/bottle-feeds three times a day. Once when he first wakes up, once after his afternoon nap, and the last is before bed. My original plan is still to finish breastfeeding at one year but we'll see what happens. I want to be done pumping but I'm not sure I'm committed to being done nursing. Complicated decisions. 

Play:

Kippy just really loves play time. He is getting so great with independent play and will just sit and play with something as simple as a sorting shape or a small car. He crawls around pushing any toy and he especially loves his remote. It's a real remote with no battery, and it's basically his comfort item. He really loved the large dump truck at Grandma's house and he is also getting into books more and more. It's so fun to just sit nearby and watch him explore. He loves knocking things together or shaking them. He also figured out how to put smaller things inside of bigger things and tote them around or shake them. He is really attracted to wheely toys and it's so funny to me how he gravitates to "boy" toys even though we offer him things like dolls. He still adores bath time and any water play. He is a speedy crawler and still gets into plenty of things he shouldn't.

I'm feeling so conflicted about Kip's first birthday approaching. I want him to stay my baby but at the same time I'm excited for the developments ahead like imaginative play and the ability to really communicate with him. This time last year I was so big and uncomfortable and just so anxious for the pregnancy to be over and for life to "start." It's been a year of transitions and I'm feeling nostalgic for it all to be ending. Happy 11 months sweet baby! Let's soak in every last bit of this last month of babyhood.