Hellobee

Baby Y just turned 11 months old. Hard to believe I’ll have a toddler on my hands soon (yikes)! Mostly because of our recent move, life has been a whirlwind lately … so much so that last month’s update slipped my mind. So bear with me while we play catch-up:

Breastfeeding. We still nurse about four times a day – first thing in the morning, right before bedtime, and either before or after naps. I have flirted briefly with thoughts of weaning after he can drink cow’s milk in another month, but I’m torn. I am so glad we’ve made it this far and am glad I can still give him all of the nutritional benefits and comfort that goes with breastfeeding, but I would also love to be able to go somewhere for more than a few hours and start sharing more bedtime/night duties with Papa Y. Leaving a pumped bottle would be tricky; I haven’t pumped in ages and don’t even know if my body would respond anymore!

Crawling/pulling up/cruising: Yep, yep, and yep. Baby Y gets faster and bolder every day. He stands in his crib all the time now, and shortly after my last update started treating his crib like a giant teether. He even managed to chew paint off in a couple of spots before we installed some fabric rail guards – Papa Y was pretty freaked out to find white paint flecks all over his mouth one day! He has recently started to push off of things and stand by himself for a second or two before getting nervous and plopping down.

Playing at grandma and grandpa’s house in Ohio

Food. On the solids front, Baby Y eats table food pretty much exclusively now. Sometimes I’ll sneak a puree in if he hasn’t had a veggie in a while, but it’s in between bites of whatever he’s feeding himself. Recent favorites have been cantaloupe, blueberries, tofu, and pasta, but he eats practically everything. He’s such an enthusiastic eater that he gets really pissed if I take too long cutting up his meal, and then inhales large quantities of everything like he’s afraid I’m going to take it away. I used to think Papa Y was the fastest eater I’d ever seen, but Baby Y may challenge him for that title soon.

First taste of mashed potatoes in Ohio — it’s safe to say he liked them!

Play. Many props to the Fisher Price Rock a Stack, which has been Baby Y’s favorite toy for the last few months now. He stacks the rings, throws the rings, gnaws the rings, crawls with the rings, and dumps the rings in whatever receptacle he can find. Not bad for a $6 toy. I guess the classics are classics for a reason! He’s also enjoying his Tolo Rolling Shape Sorter. He’s also really starting to love books more than ever; he’ll pull one out of a storage bin and squeal with delight when I ask him whether he wants me to read it. And he is becoming quite the imitator; I started cuddling a stuffed kiwi we bought him in New Zealand a few days ago, and sure enough, now he hugs it whenever he sees it.

Baby Y is also getting to play a lot more with others when we’re out at the park/mall/wherever. He is so excited every time he gets to be around little kids! Unfortunately, he tends to get in their personal space and likes to pull himself up on them or yank on little girls’ hair, so I always have to hover – especially because he’s actually a lot bigger than some kids who are actually older. I always end up apologizing that he’s actually still a baby who doesn’t know his own strength. He’s lucky he’s cute – and the little girls tend to be especially forgiving because of that! One or two of them tend to “adopt” him wherever he goes.

Last day playing in our house in Virginia before moving

Unhappy that Dad is too tired to play, too

Sleep. Most days, Baby Y wakes up around 6:30, takes two roughly 90-minute naps around 9:30 and 2:30, give or take, and goes to bed around 7:30 or 8. He sometimes fights the afternoon nap, which is frustrating because he needs it and the later it goes, it pushes back bedtime. He slept through the night for the first time in our new place two nights ago, but woke up twice the next night. So night sleep is still inconsistent, but heading in the right direction.

“Talk.” Baby Y’s babbling has gotten a lot more varied, and he chatters away with “dadadada” often, but I don’t really think he’s saying any real words yet. I am so eager for that to happen, but I know he’ll do it in his own sweet time. In our case, it seems like what they say is true – boys are faster on physical milestones and a bit slower on verbal ones.

I can’t believe my kiddo will be one soon. I’ve always seen that as the symbolic end of babyhood – and I have always shivered in fear at the thought of the toddler years – so the next month can take its sweet time, please!

Mother’s Day brunch 2012. Papa Y and Baby Y are determined to bring back sweater vests.