Say it isn't so!! Nolan is eleven months old.... ONE more month until the big F-I-R-S-T birthday! How can time possibly fly this fast!? Nolan has been busy, busy, busy this month! He has continued to show that he is all boy and is into everything. He has mastered walking and is on his way to running! He is all over the place and getting faster by the day. He has finally learned to pull himself up on things, and can also move himself from laying down to the sitting position. Because of this, he is basically 100% mobile, and can maneuver his way from laying on the ground completely to walking position... sometimes he just has to get creative if he's not around anything to pull himself up on! He gets extremely frustrated when he can't pull himself up, or more recently, he tries to stand up alone with no assistance, and just doesn't quite have the strength to do so yet. We're working on it... but those tantrums sure come quick when he fails!
Speaking of tantrums.... whoa! Nolan has shown his stubborn side this month and continues to grow into a little toddler, throwing fits over the slightest things and throwing himself on the floor, carpet, tile, whatever it may be. He's turned into a headbanger, (whether on the ground, against his crib, or in his highchair) which freaks me out, but everything I read says is completely normal for his developmental age. I try to limit these tantrums by choosing our battles... which only works sometimes! Of course he is still my happy, fun loving baby... but he definitely has both his parents' stubbornness and his mama's dramatic flair. We're working on learning how to deal with these tantrums better, because we know they won't be going away any time soon since toddler-hood is upon us!
Nolan has learned a few more words since last month, and can now say Duck, Baba, Bird, Ball, Bear, and Book (but only when he wants... sometimes he repeats but sometimes he doesn't) along with the previous words knows from the last few months. Sometimes they don't always come out clear, but we know what he is saying and the meaning comes across in context. He also knows how to use sign language for "more" and "eat". I'm not even sure how he picked these up as well as he did, because I didn't work too hard with him on signs, and only used them randomly and non-consistently, but I must say it is awesome when he uses them! He loves to babble and "talk", and still screams with excitement and can get insanely loud. He's very vocal!
Nolan's stranger danger has subsided, and other than "playing shy" when he first is around new people, after a few minutes will warm up to you and will usually accept other people holding him. He has started to "love" things, and it melts my heart when I see him give hugs to his stuffed animals, other people, his dog-dog, and the absolute best feeling- his mama and daddy. :) He has started to cuddle and will cuddle in bed with us and watch T.V. in the morning for a few minutes. When being put down for his naps, he usually cuddles into my neck and will lay his head down on my shoulders to signal when he is getting tired. I'm soaking up every second of this stage because I know soon enough he won't want anything to do with cuddles and loveys!
Along with giving hugs and kisses on command, Nolan can also follow other directions very well. He will give you something if you ask, "Can I have that?" and will also follow directions when you are playing with him, like putting balls in his toy chicken and throwing his toys into the bathtub when asked. If you tell him to follow you, he will follow along like a little puppy. He definitely understands "No" and "No touching", but doesn't always follow those directions as well!
What else our big 11-month old has been up to:
Height, Weight, and Sizes:
No well-check again this month, but Nolan is probably right around what he was last month, about 21 pounds. He came down with an extremely nasty stomach virus this month, which lasted for a whole week! He acted completely normal, minus his appetite. Between not wanting food and pooping up a storm (and mom doing laundry 24/7....ew!), this poor little guy definitely lost some weight due to his illness. Now that he's been better for about a week, I think he's put on the weight again and is probably right where we left off.
No well-check again this month, but Nolan is probably right around what he was last month, about 21 pounds. He came down with an extremely nasty stomach virus this month, which lasted for a whole week! He acted completely normal, minus his appetite. Between not wanting food and pooping up a storm (and mom doing laundry 24/7....ew!), this poor little guy definitely lost some weight due to his illness. Now that he's been better for about a week, I think he's put on the weight again and is probably right where we left off.
Nolan added two more teeth to the mix, cutting his 6th tooth (top right incisor) and 7th tooth (top left incisor) on December 8th and 9th. Now we're just waiting for number 8 to come in to complete his front teefies!
As far as sizes and clothing, Nolan is in 18 month shirts, onesies and pajamas, while his bottoms are still about 12 months with his tiny waist. He continues to be in size 4 diapers. Now that the weather is cooled down, he wears shoes all the time. His favorites are his moccasins that mommy spoils him with, because they are the easiest to walk in (but Daddy isn't a fan of how these look!) Sizes vary so much for these so it's hard to record.
Feeding:
Nolan is still on the same eating routine as before, with solids mostly and purees to supplement. New favorites that he's been hooked on lately are jelly sandwiches, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, black olives, whole milk yogurt, waffles, chicken and pizza!
He continues to drink 4 bottles of breastmilk a day (22-26 ounces) and we still have a good amount of freezer stash left to get him to his birthday! I'll be starting to research how to wean from bottles, how to move from 4 to 3 servings of milk, and switching from breastmilk to cow's milk once our stash gets a little bit lower.
Sleeping:
Nolan's sleep schedule is pretty much exactly the same as last month! With his recent stomach virus, he was tossing and turning much more than normal, and was just exhausted some days when he would wake up. This is what initially started his morning cuddles, but even with a good amount of sleep under his belt, he still wants to cuddle and watch T.V. I won't argue that one, I'll take those snuggles any day!
Firsts & Milestones:
-Mastered walking everywhere!
-Can move from laying to sitting position unassisted
-Pulls himself up unassisted
-Thanksgiving
-Meeting Santa Claus
-Cut 6th and 7th tooth (12.8.14, 12.9.14)
-Move to convertible carseat
-Signs for "More" and "Eat"
-Can say Duck, Bird, Ball, Bear, Baba, Book
-Gives hugs and kisses
-Follows directions (follow me, give me, understands NO)
-Reaches and points for things he wants
Likes:
-Attachment to toys (must carry around something all the time, i.e.: a certain ball, teether, sippy cup, etc)
-The "Toe Game" (silly song, Toes, Toes, Toes on your Nose)
-Taking his socks off after waking up from his nap
-Winnie the Pooh
-Christmas lights and all things Christmas!
-Singing songs
-Throwing toys into the bathtub
-Giving hugs
-Opening cabinets
-Reading books
-Walking everywhere!
Dislikes:
-Being put into his convertible carseat
-Being put into his convertible carseat
-Being told No (sometimes will make pouty face and cry)
-Taking something away he is not supposed to have
-Scotch tape
-Sitting still for pictures
-Santa Claus (the live version)
-Being left alone in a room (even for a second!)
Happy 11 Months, my almost one year old!!
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