*All other pregnancy and baby updates here.
The last month flew by because I had so much going on! I was out of town twice, I believe, and then had about a million activities (my favorite way to do life!) so it’s hard to believe we are already at 11 months when 10 seemed like last week. Such is life…but here he we are.
Man, this past month was the most challenging by far in some ways. We dealt with a long bout of sickness — still dealing with it really. I had no idea it took babies so long to get over being sick.
The doctor’s office hold line says “Babies may have 6-12 colds per year and they may last up to two week so it may seem like your child is sick the entire winter.” Great!
On to the updates!
Weight: Still 21 pounds — he’s a tall dude though!
Food: We have definitely introduced more food v. formula this past month. While I’m attracted to “baby led weaning” it really wasn’t working well for me. I’m so terrified of giving him anything that’s not like a microscopic (kind of exaggerating) piece of food…and plus I am being lazy and not cooking stuff for him. Our dinners don’t really translate well for baby so…he has pieces here and there but we have mostly been sticking with things like oatmeal, applesauce and the baby foods with chunks in them. I gave myself a hard time for not giving him more “real” food for a bit but then decided not to stress. He’s a baby, he will eventually eat more “adult” foods but no need to stress about it. Also, still can’t get him to use the sippy cup.
Sleeping: Our guy is still a decent sleeper though we still have the 1-2 nights of week of wake ups randomly where we have to go get him. When he was sick, it was a lot but now he usually wakes up crying for a few minutes here and there but isn’t really awake. We don’t pick him up unless he’s truly awake and standing up in the bed. Napping is still sporadic and not wonderful but…we can usually count on a solid 2-hour mid-morning/day nap if at home. Daycare naps still only like 45 minutes twice a day.
New Things: I wouldn’t be surprised if he walks at least one step before his first birthday — I’m told he’s very mobile for his age. Crawls like an Olympian and stands up on everything…very strong legs! He’s also very restless — has a hard time playing by himself if mom or dad are around. He wants to be on me — and always wants to be held (also not sure I will have any hair left soon!) It’s getting harder the heavier he is. My right arm and hip are suffering from it. I try to move him to the left but it’s so much harder to hold him there.
I don’t mind holding him really — I just think about the fact that I won’t be able to do that soon and I will long for the days when my little boy would cling to my neck and bury his head in my hair. It’s the bet feeling.
He has discovered screaming and employs that when a few tears don’t do the trick. It’s very loud!
Likes:
— He loves trying anything we are eating — always wants to be included!
— Finally likes taking baths and playing in the water
— Making back and forth loud screeching noises (he finds this hilarious!)
— Playing “peekaboo” with blankets, being chased by Daddy, tossed in the air, crawling around in the grass, trying to put everything in his mouth!
— Pulling all the toilet paper off the roll
— Yard work with Dad! (He wears him!)
Dislikes:
— He dislikes having his diaper changed — it’s become a nightmare where he acts like he is being tortured — so hard! Every time.
— Going to bed
— Being in the same room and not paying 100% attention to him
Other updates: He has one tiny little tooth coming in on the bottom but that’s all I can see to date! I am sure that has contributed to his crankiness lately. He’s also had a virus we just can’t kick so we’ve dealt with a lot of puke and diarrhea. It’s crazy because he has never spit up or puked like AT ALL until now. We never needed spit up rags because he literally never did it. So far we’ve had some epic puking rallies, including once midway through a 1.5 hour drive home on the highway where I had to stop the car on a random side road, change his clothes, wipe down the seat and totally change my own shirt as well. The nice thing was, three different women stopped to make sure I was okay and were so sweet offering to help, it made tears come to my eyes. Such simple acts of kindness really do go a long way!
Parent Things: I can see now why people say newborns are “easy” compared to mobile babies. It’s not easy as a first time parent but they just don’t do a whole lot back in those days. I find myself constantly saying “I have to get out of this house” because I struggle with just following him around the house. But because he’s still so young, there’s not a lot of activities we can do with him yet. I’m dreading winter so much because right now we go on a daily, 45-minute walk in the early evenings. I hope we can continue that most of the winter though as long as we are bundled up!
I sometimes do struggle with thinking about how I have so much I want to get done but can’t but then I remind myself that time is short and I need to appreciate every moment with Jacob. Usually his little grin does the trick but it’ is a conscience effort to remember to live for now.
Actually, have you guys heard the new Brad Paisley song “Today”? Oh man you gotta watch the video too…I definitely cried and it is so meant for this time of my life! Best line: “It’s not over yet and I already miss today.” That is so true!
Life as Jacob’s Mom is amazingly good and I can hardly believe in one month, we will be celebrating is first birthday. It is truly unbelievable that he’s gone from a 5 pound little nothing to this tall, 21 pound ball of energy. That first year is incredible. I remember this time last year, I had my Skeleton Halloween shirt with a baby skeleton to show I was pregnant on it — and I couldn’t comprehend that a year later I’d have an almost one year old.
From last year at this time:
Well, here we are and now I can’t imagine life without him. It’s better, more joyful, more interesting, more meaningful, more everything. I couldn’t be more blessed than I am TODAY.
Didn’t take much video this month but here’s one from yesterday: