pearson {11 months}

**Sorry if there are typos. I didn't have time to re-read this post!!


Dear Sweet Pearson- 

Oh my goodness, how in the world are you 11 months old today? I seriously can't believe that we are going to be celebrating your 1st birthday next week.  Crazy!! I think I've been in denial that you are growing up and becoming less and less of a baby.  This picture was a little reality check for me because you look SO big.  How did you grow up so fast??

We had to let you have a toy in this month's pictures because you were all over the place.  These pictures are impossible to take without the help of Daddy.  You would literally leap out of the chair if we let you.  You have no fear.

You are so curious these days.  You love to open and close doors and cabinets.  You love to explore the house.  You love to look under things.  You love checking out the dog cage and your stroller.  You are especially interested in checking out remotes, phones, iPhones, computers and the printer.  I love to see your little brain spinning when you are playing with your toys.  I wonder what all is going through your head?

You are definitely starting to understand what no means.  You've gotten better at getting away from the TV stand when we tell you no. When we take something away from you or pull you away from something after saying no, you do this little high pitched scream.

You are so observant when it comes to sounds.  If you hear the printer, you immediately go to it.  If you hear the microwave beep, you look up at it.  If you hear the doorbell ring, you crawl to the door, and if Izzie barks you look all around to see what is going on.  You are so smart!!

You a speedy little guy.  If I turn my back on your for one second, you are across the house.  I still think you might be a ways from walking because when we try to stand you up to walk with you, you usually throw your arms up and your head back.  You would really just prefer to be on all fours since you are so fast.

You are a pro at cruising around the furniture.  You've even gotten a little brave and transferred to different pieces of furniture without going to the ground.  Every now and then you will completely stand on your own.  You don't do it for long, but you can do it.  You still love to walk with your walker.  Your are pretty wobbly and out of control.  Again, this is why I think you might be a ways from walking.  I have a feeling it will be after your first birthday.  

You are still doing LOTS of babbling! The only "word" you are saying is dada.  I'm pretty sure you know who dada is.  I'll be glad when you finally say mama.  Your new thing this month is to crawl around the house and say "ah-ah-ah-ah-ah" over and over again in this cute high pitched sound.  We often go back and forth playing copy-cat.  You love to make the same sound I make.

Your new trick this month is that you can dance.  Most of the time if you hear music, you start to bounce up and down.  Sometimes we have to say "Can you dance?".  It's the cutest thing ever.  My favorite is when you hear the music on Ellen when she dances and you start dancing with the crowd!!

After your top teeth came in at the end of March your sleeping at night has been fabulous.  You literally have not made a peep all  month.  You usually sleep from about 7:30pm-7:30am  I'm really dreading the next round of teething.  Speaking of teeth, it's so funny to see your top teeth.  You look so grown up with them.  When they first came in, you did a little experiment with them on me while we were nursing.  Thankfully you didn't bite me too hard.  I just flicked you a couple of times and you haven't tried to use them anymore!!

Something clicked with you when you turned 10 months because you have napped wonderfully this entire month.  I'm almost afraid to brag about you for fear that you will quit napping.  It's been so nice to have a little time to actually accomplish things during the day while you nap.  The only problem is that you wake up at the drop of a hat.  I have to be so quiet during the day, which is weird because you can sleep through anything at night.  

I don't have to rock you at all anymore for nap time.  I just lay you down and you usually cry hard for a minute or two, then you talk or fuss for a little while and you usually fall  asleep after 15-20 minutes. Sometimes it takes you 30 minutes, but you never cry the entire time.  This month you have been napping anywhere from 1.5-2 hours.  It's fabulous!!

The only bummer about your naps is that you are napping in your Pack N Play.  (more on that later) We are trying to transition you out of the Pack N Play and into your crib for naps, but it isn't  working out so well.  Oh well, atleast I'm getting you to nap!! You usually take your naps around after breakfast around 9am and  after lunch around 1:30. 

I am still nursing you.  I nurse you 3 times a day--first thing in the morning, after your afternoon nap, and before bed.  I give you a 6 oz formula bottle after your morning nap.  Depending on our schedule I sometime switch when you get a bottle, but you always have one bottle a day.  And actually I don't even give you a bottle anymore.  You always have a sippy cup.  You are less mess and drink it much better from a sippy cup.  Such a big boy!!

I'm not quite ready to start weaning you.  As long as you want to keep going, I'm not really going to even think about it until after your first birthday.  You do not like to cuddle and you barely sit still for a second so when I nurse you that is my only time that I really get to cuddle with you.  I'm just not quite ready to give that up.  But, Mommy and Daddy need a vacation so we will definitely be weaning sometime after your first birthday!!

You are still eating 3 meals a day around 8:30, 12:30, and 6.  You are doing really great with table food this month. You are on almost all table food, but there are still some days that you just decide you don't feel like eating finger food and you'd rather just have baby food.  Everything we have given you seem to like, but your favorite foods are avocados, broccoli, bananas, pineapple, waffles, and cheese.  This month you have tried (and liked) strawberries, chicken, rice, baked potatoes, grilled cheese, turkey lunch meat, watermelon, corn, green beans, and goldfish. 

You and Izzie have started to interact a little bit more this month.  Izzie is loving all the crumbs that you drop when you eat.  If you are eating in your high chair, Izzie is always right underneath you ready to catch anything that might come her way.  You have realized that she eats your crumbs so sometimes you will drop something on purpose and look down to see her get it.  Izzie loves it when you eat out of your snack trap because you always leave a little cheerio trail behind you as you crawl through the house.

We went to the pool for the first time this month.  The first time we went you weren't very sure about it, but now you love it.  It is definitely a weekly activity on our schedule because you always take great naps when we get home from the pool.  

During the day, you don't really like to play with your toys all that much.  You like to be on the go or exploring.  At night after dinner and bath time you like to play with your toys.  Of course you play the best by yourself while Daddy is home.  He doesn't get a true picture of what my "day-job" really looks like!! I spend most of my day chasing you around the house. 

Because you are al over the play, I have kind of turned into a Stay-At-Home-Mom that doesn't really stay at home.  We get out of the house atleast once everyday whether it be an play-date, out to lunch, a trip to the grocery store, Story Time or the pool.  Even on our days that we "stay at home" all day, we make a trip to Sonic for Happy Hour.  You love going places with me and I love have a little buddy to go with me!!

You are truly such an easy baby and I am so grateful for that.  How did we get so lucky? You bring a smile to our face each and every day. You make our lives SO fun.  What did we ever do without you??

Happy 11 months little man!!

Love-

Your Mommy

{11 month Stats}

Weight:    22ish pounds

Length:  30 1/2ish inches

Eating: nursing 3 times a day and taking one bottle a day (around 7:30am, 11:30am, 3:30pm, & 7:30pm) along with 3 meals a day (around 8:30, 12:00, & 6:00)

Bedtime: around 7:30pm

Awake: around 7:30am

Naps: usually 2-1.5-2 hr naps around 9am and 1:30pm

Diapers: size 3's & size 4's at night

Clothes: 12 month and 12-18 month

Favorites: exploring, play with real things, goldfish, the pool, the walker, looking out the windows
Latest Tricks: cruising fast, dancing, saying da-da

Look how you've changed.