Marshall: Eleven Months

Happy 11 Months, Marshall!

(I can't believe the next update will be ONE YEAR.)

Once again, no doctor appointment this month to find out your stats, but you are definitely growing taller and taller and taller. I'm less convinced that you're putting on weight--you've become a lean green bean! Looks like you'll take after your daddy, who was tall and skinny as a kid! You wear mostly 18-month clothes now, and you are bigger than all the kids in your My Gym class, even though half of them are older than you.

Firsts this month: drinking from a straw (we skipped sippy cups altogether), throwing and "catching" for your first game of catch, your fourth and fifth teeth, your first Easter (we celebrated with family in Orange County), your first boat ride out to Catalina, and climbing stairs.

The two big developments this month were pointing and handing objects to people. You point at everything and everyone, almost like a reflex. You often point and then look in another direction, which is hilarious. We usually have no idea what you're pointing at, but you sure like doing it! You also often say, "Ooh! Ooh!" when you point, which adds some intrigue.

A few weeks ago you learned to hand an object to someone, and I've never seen you so proud. Although you also stopped throwing (after only a few days) in favor of giving things to people. It's pretty adorable, though. Your favorite game is picking up Scout's toy, giving it to me or Daddy, having us throw it, crawling over to get it, and starting over again. It's my favorite new game, too.

On the ferry to Catalina!

You are doing okay with sleep, but you were sick for a while during this month. You spent a few weeks sleeping all the way through the night (ahhh...heaven), and then you went back to a few wake ups per night, and now you're lingering at one wake up. Naps got better, though! Now you sleep at least an hour per nap, which is a huge improvement from previous battles to get you down for a measly 20 minutes. Good job, buddy!

Need we even talk about food? You love it, you eat it all, you complain if you're in your high chair without food, and restaurants are no fun because you become a whiny, angry elf when you're done eating. You're still nursing, too; as of your 11-month birthday, you nursed once in the morning, once after each nap, once before bed, and maybe in the middle of the night if you're hungry (so 4-5 times per day). In your next post I'll talk a little bit about weaning, because we just dropped one of the day feedings and it seems to be going okay so far.

You're a speedy little crawler, and you're super confident in standing now. You'll pull yourself up even on unsteady supports, but still no interest in letting go or taking steps. You babble a TON--dadadada, mamamama, wowowowow, babababa, oh oh oh. No real words or connections to people/objects though. You do know some words, though: cat, dog, daddy, mommy, Scout, ball, throw, kiss, and "more". I don't think I've ever mentioned it before but you love sneezing because you love how we say "bless you!" You smile after every sneeze, including ours!

You started this new smile where you scrunch your face up. Just when we thought you couldn't get any cuter.

You love: being held, sneezing, going to My Gym, crawling, "playing with" Scout, pointing, looking at ceiling fans, eating, reading (especially books with flaps), being tickled or wrestling, climbing all over us, standing, holding objects while crawling, finding the one thing in the room I wish you wouldn't play with, playing hide and seek (well, we do the hiding, but you love finding us!), being outside, being in grocery carts, doing anything new, and pushing your own stroller (you can reach standing up, but you love being held while holding the handles).

You dislike: sitting still for extended periods, being in the car for a long time, waking up from a nap in the car, going down for naps, not eating, being tired, being told "no," being left alone if you aren't in the right mood.

We are so thrilled to watch you grow and learn every day, Marshall. Thank you for the joy you bring to our family! We love you!