Eleven Months

Riley is only one short month away from turning one year old.

I simply cannot believe it.

He’s as chunky as ever, weighing 28 pounds and measuring 30 inches tall with an 18-inch head. And he definitely has quite the personality: smart like his daddy, stubborn like his momma, and with a charm that’s all his own. We love him so, so much.

Here’s what I want to remember about this past month:

• He’s still doing great with eating, and he likes lots of different foods, although I did give up on the stage 3 dinners. Those weren’t worth the fight! So now he’s getting mostly what Kenny and I eat (including his first fast food – Wendy’s just yesterday, complete with french fries and a tiny taste of Frosty), and he’s doing fine with that. I’m having fun continuing to discover what else he likes, but so far he is definitely a veggies and fruit kind of kid. No issues with getting him to eat his broccoli and carrots, not to mention strawberries and mango!
• He still drinks water from a sippy throughout the day, and he is taking three 7-oz. bottles of formula a day, but I’m hoping to get him completely off of the bottles very soon, especially since he’ll be able to drink cow’s milk once he’s 12 months.
• He is still sleeping great, both during naps and at night.
• He is waving bye-bye fairly consistently.
• He is doing so great at standing on his own, trusting himself more and holding his weight for longer periods of time. I just know that he’ll be walking very, very soon. He did take one step two days ago but immediately fell to his hands and knees.
• He loves listening for airplanes, as well as tilting his head back to watch ceiling fans spinning, and he discovered light switches this month. He can’t quite flip them on and off on his own yet, but he sure does try.
• He still loves to push things around on the floor and to climb up and down the stairs.
• He gets frustrated if he can’t do something right away, like open a closet door or reach a toy under the couch, and he’ll whine until I help him. 
• He kicks his legs hard if I pick him up to get him away from something I don’t want him to have.
• He babbles to himself all the time, and he’s starting to make more complex sounds, even though I have absolutely no idea what he thinks he’s saying. 
• He studies things constantly: his toys, his food, my ring, anything that captures his attention.

Eleven months old.

Happy almost birthday, my sweet boy.