Graham: Eleven Month Update

Wow! Only one month to go until we have a ONE year old on our hands! Our little G has such a cute  personality these days, and is so fun to watch...like a hawk. He has earned his nickname of 'Scavenger', and is into EVERYTHING, loving demanding to do whatever big brother C has going on. True 'baby' toys are a thing of the past, and G mostly plays with the toys meant for bigger kids. I suppose this is pretty typical of any kiddo with a big sibling! Thankfully, for the most part, C is good about sharing (except when it comes to trains), and he is also good about knowing when G gets his hands on something that is too little after hearing me tell G he can't play with a particular toy. It's nice to have an extra set of eyes around looking out for our little G who puts EVERYTHING in his mouth!

THE STATS:

Age: 11 months

Diaper size: 4

Clothing: 18-24 months

DEVELOPMENTAL ACTIVITY:

We are all convinced that G could win a speed-crawling contest. He can get from the bedroom to pulled up on the bathtub across the house in about three seconds when he hears me running bathwater, or to the stairs faster than we can blink an eye when I open the baby gate for C to play downstairs. He is pulling up on furniture, legs, walls, etc, but has yet to take any steps on his own. He has done a little furniture cruising this month, and will transfer from couch to coffee table. He has got climbing the stairs all figured out, but hasn't yet figured out how to go down once he goes up, so we live in a perpetual state of unrest since our lower level stairs have no way to attach a baby gate, and G is a pretty adventurous little guy. At the park, G is all about going on the slides...something his big brother C still refuses to do, and has no fear scooting himself right up to the edge of the slide to go down. So far, he has enjoyed going down both head and feet first!

SCHEDULE:

G's schedule has stayed pretty consistent this month, and he continues to go to bed between 7-7:30pm most nights, and sleeps until around 7am the next morning. Nap times are around 9:30/10 to 11/11:30am and then again at around 1:30/2-3pm.

FAVORITE TOY:

Anything big brother C is playing with. Usually this means attacking C's battery-operated train when it is going...much to the dislike of C. He has really been enjoying C's old trike this month as we've been outdoors more, and loved floating around in this pool float while we were on vacation. Other than that, he's had fun tasting near all of C's matchbox cars, and we've done a finger sweep of his mouth more times than I care to count after he got his little fingers on spilled corn from C's corn box. G is definitely our little wild one!

STORYTIME:

Little G has become quite the avid reader this month, and goes from 100% full throttle to sitting calmly before nap and bedtime to listen to a story. He does best with shorter stories in the board book format, and pretty much loves whatever book we happen to grab off the shelf.

CUISINE:

G now has THREE teeth, and is convinced that he has a mouthful. He demands to eat whatever the rest of the family is eating, and 'stress cries' until we cave. I mean, you should hear this kid whine when he thinks he is missing out on something on the dinner table! He is quite the little scavenger, and has eaten his fare share of grass, leaves, and dirt this month, along with such delicacies as mac & cheese, pizza, cheeseburger, Jimmy Johns sub, blueberries, bagels, pancakes, etc. He has really backed off the pureed baby food, and mainly is interested in table food, so unless we are away from home or out and about, he typically just eats whatever we are eating.

ELEVEN MONTH FAVORITES

Riding on the tricycle

Bike rides
Table food - cheeseburgers from Dukes!
Scavenging
Crawling through tight spaces
Playing in the water
Swinging

ELEVEN MONTH LEAST FAVORITES

Having to wait for food
Not being able to see what is going on in the kitchen

OH THE MEMORIES:







First multi-night overnight away from mom. I went to visit a good friend of mine in Chicago, and left T in charge for a Thursday afternoon-Sunday afternoon 72 hour stretch. T & I had only been away from the boys one night back in April, so this was the first time that T was in charge when I left. I was so excited to finally get some girl time to myself with one of my besties (a.k.a. let T experience what my 100% parenting all day every day is really like) that I really didn't give leaving a second thought. The boys...mostly T...were completely spoiled the entire time I was gone, and miraculously, T only had them to himself for a few hours one evening, managing to golf, not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES while I was away. I mean, I'm glad it went well, but seriously. What I would do to get three hours to myself three days in a row to do something I wanted to do without kiddos around! Next time I leave it'll be in the dead of winter when T doesn't get around-the-clock help!



G figured out how to flush the toilet this month. Oh joy! If he's anything like his big brother, this means our water bill will be going up this month!



We took a day trip to Sioux Falls this month on a rainy cold day. The boys had a great time shopping at Target. G was mostly interested in scooting himself around so that he could play with his big brother, but overall, the trip was a success.



Arnold's Park opened this month, and G has enjoyed tagging along on our visits. His favorite part of the trip tends to be sharing a slice of pizza and some ice cream after the park, but he has had a chance to ride the train, and he loves all of the people watching.



We got out for our first boat ride of the season this month! G loved it, and enjoyed watching the water and crawling up and down the interior of the boat.





With the arrival of summer, our favorite local coffee shop, Arnold's Perk, opened up it's doors for the season. G pretty much has enjoyed all coffee shops we've taken him to, and this was no different. Lots of people watching and crazy coffee shop decor made for a fun trip! New summertime morning hangout spot for sure!