Grayson's 11 Month Update!

 **Originally written on December 2, 2015. Lots has changed since this post was written, but this is how Grayson was doing right at 11 months! Next month will be the last update I post for a while. I will probably do an 18 month update, but the monthly updates will be completed. I know you all are very sad about this! ;)

Grayson is 11 months old! I know I say this every month, but I can't believe another month has passed and he is almost a whole year old! This has been the best year of my life :) Grayson is such a blessing and we are so thankful that he is so loved by many. 

 

Weight & Height: Not sure of Grayson's current weight and height! He goes in for his 12 month check-up next month, so we will get all his current stats then.

Feeding: Grayson is doing a great job with food! He eats more than ever in quantity and variety. Grayson loves yogurt and peanut butter with a passion...if all else fails, feed him these and he will eat them. He is eating more and more table food and really likes meats, casseroles, and pastas. He still eats 1-2 pouches of baby food a day and at least 1 yogurt a day. He is doing well with picking up food and is actually getting it in his mouth! At the very end of the month, I stopped pumping and we started giving Grayson a bottle of formula while I am gone at work. It only equals out to 3 bottles of formula a week, but it is helping slowly wean him off breast milk. He isn't the biggest fan of the formula, but he will take it if he's really hungry. (We only did this for about a week, then started transitioning him to whole milk!) We plan on starting him on whole milk at 11 months, so we will be incorporating that into his meals and offering it as an alternative to formula/breast milk while I'm at work. Right now, he has 2 breast milk feedings a day and 1 at night, but I plan on cutting the 3rd feeding this month and really getting more strict with the weaning process. We will see how he does! There are definitely times where he wants breast milk, but much less than ever. If he is well-fed with solids, he usually does fine without the milk. It's such a strange thing to think that breast feeding is coming to an end. I mean, I've breast fed and pumped at least 3 times (or much more) a day for almost a year now! It is such a part of my routine and life and it will be such a weird change to not be doing it anymore. On the flip side, I am definitely ready. Exclusively breastfeeding for an entire year is a huge commitment and a lot of work, but I'm so very glad I have been able to do it. I do get sad when Grayson goes long periods without wanting my milk and not being "dependent" on me in that way anymore. It's such a bittersweet thing, but I am so grateful for our bond because of breastfeeding.

Sleeping:  Sleep is the same...enough said :) He still gets up once a night (10 min. max.) for a feeding in a 12-13 hour period and goes right back to sleep. He does seem genuinely hungry when he wakes, as opposed to just needing it for comfort. Grayson takes awesome naps most days. He still does best with 2 naps, but usually only takes 1 nap on days he has Mother's Morning Out.

 

Clothes: He is still in a size 4 diaper and is in 9 - 12 month clothing. His clothes are such "little boy" clothes now and I love dressing him!

 

Mood: Grayson is full of so much life, giggles, and curiosity. He is chatty, independent, silly, and about as determined as they come. He does everything in his own way and is probably the opposite of a "textbook baby". He likes to keep us on our toes! He is constantly talking and babbling...really practicing his words and syllables. Grayson's smile lights up a room and his little body can barely contain his big personality. He gives the best hugs and kisses! He is so sweet, loving, and smart! Grayson had pneumonia this month and he dealt with it like a champ! His mood and activity level remained the same...happy and very active! Grayson loves being out in public and is always extremely well-behaved while out. I honestly think he gets bored at home, but when filled with all sorts of new and exciting stimulation, he is wonderful! We are definitely getting closer to toddlerhood as he has been dabbling in tantrums lately when he doesn't get his way...so excited for that! ;) Grayson is still opinionated! He lets us know when he is done eating or doesn't want something by waving his arms in the air, almost blocking the spoon from himself. I actually like it because then I know that he's full! He also growls at us when he wants more of something or isn't particularly happy about something. Ha! 

Teeth:  8! He got his 8th (bottom) tooth at the beginning of this month. Teething hasn't been nearly as bad with these last few teeth.

 

Milestones: Grayson is walking so well! He went from us having to kind of prompt him to walk to letting go of things and standing on his own, as well as, taking steps from one thing to the next. He can walk across a room now! He is still army crawling (refuses to get on his knees) and loves to walk the walls like a spider monkey. He is an expert "cruiser" at this point and is extremely quick! He has recently started pulling up and climbing and is getting better and better at it. He does a really good job of pointing at things now, so it's fun to have an idea of what he sees and likes. Grayson also does things on command and takes instruction quite well (except when I tell him "no, which he laughs at!). You can ask him to do things and he will which is really cool! He is really studying things this month and taking it all in. He is very good at copying what you do or say. He will say "mama", "dada", and "uh oh" on command and will copy different sounds or motions you make. Grayson also goes to other people like a champ now! He does wonderful in his MMO class and does really well with other people!

Loves: Riding in the shopping cart (standing and holding on to steer), pulling up and standing up in the bath tub, brushing his teeth, sweets (surprise surprise), exploring, pulling anything off shelves and tables and throwing the objects on the ground (he has become quite the tornado), playing with anything that isn't a toy (he loves random objects and isn't as interested in baby toys, loves coasters, phones, cords, computers, books, knick knacks, Cedric's food and water bowls, TV trays, etc.), exploring textures (he will just rub his finger up and down your shirt or blanket), putting his finger in your mouth and touching your teeth (another exploratory type thing), trying to get Cedric's bone (they will play together for a good 10-15 min. and "fight" over the bone, thankfully Cedric is so sweet and docile!), beating his chest like Tarzan all the time, and jumping on Cedric.

Things I Want To Remember:

 

--1st Thanksgiving

 

 

 

--Aunt Judy visiting

Grayson's 9 Month Update!

 

I love doing these updates! It's so fun to see the progression. I know the updates are probably too detailed for most, but I treat this as Grayson's online baby book and I don't want to forget anything ;) This update was originally written at the beginning of the month (when he actually turned 9 months old), so things have changed slightly since then. Grayson has officially been out in the world longer than he was in my belly -- he is 9 months old! This month is bittersweet because I realize that his first year of life is quickly coming to a close. He's transitioning from an infant to a toddler right in front of my eyes and is looking more like a little boy these days. With that being said, being his mommy just gets more and more fun. I love my little man! 

Weight & Height: Grayson is 19 lbs. 10 oz. (33rd percentile) and 29 inches long (73rd percentile). He is starting to thin out, but he still has those chunky thighs that I love! ;)

Feeding: Grayson is down to 4 feedings a day including the bedtime feeding. It makes me sad to think breastfeeding him is almost over, but I'm happy that he is naturally weaning himself off breast milk. The solids category is still a work in progress -- but that's okay! Grayson still loves yogurt, puffs, and drinking water out of his sippy cup, but this month, he started eating more table food and doing more baby-led weaning. Grayson is a very independent child and would get so upset that he couldn't hold the spoon when I was feeding him. He prefers to feed himself, as well as, hold and drink out of his cup himself. We have been letting him feed himself more often which he enjoys. I don't know how much food he actually gets in his mouth, but he is getting better and better at it. He likes to eat strawberries, watermelon, eggs, and bits of bread with peanut butter on them. He is eating more and more off my plate and eats what we have for dinner sometimes. Grayson is still eating purees when he is in the mood, but that's more of a random thing right now. He won't eat straight up veggies, so I buy a lot of the fruit and veggie combos and he does okay with those. As a whole, I am seeing a lot of progress in the eating department, so I am happy about that!

Sleeping:  Sleep has been all over the board this month! Grayson was doing much better with his bedtime routine and going to bed earlier. He was only waking up like once a night which is really good for him. But then we went on vacation...and that messed it all up. He slept in the Pack 'N' Play while we were at the beach and really didn't like it. He was up twice each night and woke up at 6am each morning...so much for a vacation! When we got back, he was sleeping absolutely terribly. Like worse than ever. I assumed it was teething, but it continued to get worse. We took him to the doctor and it turned out that he had an ear infection. I felt awful for not knowing it was an ear infection and just thinking he was teething, but to my defense, his symptoms were almost the exact same as when he's teething. Lesson learned. Once he got the right meds, he was sleeping more normal, but still waking up in the night. He was waking more out of habit than anything else and didn't know how to self-soothe himself back to sleep. After talking to the pediatrician, we started letting him cry when he woke up in the night and then going in every 10 minutes and patting his back, reassuring him, and walking out. The goal was to let him know we were there, but not get him out of his crib and not breast feed him for comfort. And this goes without saying, but it's been extremely tough and heartbreaking. No parent wants to do that to their child. On a positive note, it has been working. He has been sleeping so much better and is finally learning to self-soothe. He has been getting in the habit of sleeping from 730-5 or 6am without waking or waking but putting himself back to sleep which is basically a miracle to us. It's all still a work in progress (can you tell that's a theme for us?), but overall, he is slowly becoming a better sleeper and I think the sleep training is working!

Clothes: He is in a size 4 diaper and is in 6-9 and 9 month clothing.

 

 

Mood: Aside from Grayson being sick and having an ear infection, his mood has been great! He did great at the beach and was happy the majority of the time. He is so curious and interested in everything going on around him. He is on-the-go and into everything these days. A very active little boy :) He loves to explore and is entertained by me giving him random objects around the house or out of my purse (lotion caps, anything that shakes or makes noise, a hair tie, etc.)! I love Grayson's silly personality that is starting to come out! He is such a goofball. He has the biggest smile and shares it with everyone. He is doing much better about going to others and usually has good days even if mom and dad aren't around. Josh and I joke because he is so independent in a lot of ways, and yet he can be very clingy. Grayson definitely loves his mommy and daddy! Can't complain there :)

 

Teeth:  Grayson has 6 teeth! He got his 6th tooth the day we left for the beach. I am thankful teething has left us alone this month although it was replaced with an ear infection and constant congestion. The change in weather has left Grayson with a constant runny nose :(

 

 

School: Grayson is doing so much better in Mother's Morning Out and nursery at church. It just took a lot of consistency and persistence. He is happy and learning to have fun with his classmates and teachers. I'm so proud of him! He absolutely loves other children and lights up whenever they are around.

 

Milestones: Grayson now says, "Ma-ma", "Ba-Ba", and "Woah" along with a million other sounds (He is very chatty and vocal!), he also says what sounds like "Yes" and "No", he is "army crawling"!, he is cruising the furniture...I can look away for a second and he is half way across the room!, he can now throw the ball himself when we play catch, he has started baby-led weaning and feeding himself.  

 

Loves: Giving Cedric his dog treat and feeding Cedric his own food (he thinks it's hilarious), sharing and giving you what he has then taking it back (again, hilarious to him), Grayson is a giggle monster and loves to belly laugh!, loves to clap and dance, crawling to Cedric's food and water bowls, loves drumming on everything, loves watching mommy and daddy brush their teeth (random, I know!), loves people watching, swinging at the playground and being outside instantly calms him.

 

Things I Want To Remember:

First hair cut -- I held off on cutting Grayson's hair for a long time. I wanted to wait until he was a year old, but the poor baby couldn't even see, so I gave in (after a lot of peer pressure from my husband!). I am so happy with how his hair looks although it does make him look like a little man. He's so handsome though and I love this length on him! Surprisingly, Grayson did awesome with his first haircut. There were no tears, just lots of driving his "car" ;)

 

 

Grayson's second visit to the beach -- We had a wonderful week with friends and really enjoyed the quality family time together. Grayson was happy the entire trip and really seemed to enjoy the beach!

Aquarium -- We went to the aquarium to celebrate my 27th birthday (you get in free on your birthday, woot woot!) and we had a lot of fun. Josh and Grayson had never been, so it was neat to experience that with them. Grayson was loving the fish!