Eleven Months!

April 25, 2011

Kellen is 11 months old today!

I don't feel like Kellen has changed too much this past month. He is a great crawler, can cruise around all the furniture and can use is alligator walker to run around the house but I don't think he is close to walking on his own, there is just no motiviation to do so. He new obsession is crawling up the stairs. If we put him down anywhere in the house, he makes a b-line for the stairs. We are working on teaching him to slide down on his stomach which he thinks is part of the game. Now that the weather is getting nice, we decided to baby proof our 2nd story deck. It's not necessarily pretty but now I feel much better about having him outside with us.

He is getting bigger, if that is possible. Yesterday he was measured for the Great Cloth Diaper Change and was 30 1/2 inches long. He has grown out of a few 12-18 mo. items and his new spring/summer wardrobe is all 18-24 mo and 2T. His feet are also growing and we have had to get some new shoes for him to wear (I'm super excited that he should fit into his cousin Adalynn's lime green size 4 Keens for the summer!). Kellen's hair is growing in thicker and is blond and curly! We also have a new tooth this month so the current count is eight.

One of the most confusing parts of having an almost 1 year old is feeding solids, nursing, and weaning. I'm at a loss as to what needs to be done and when. My general feeling now is that our routine is working well so why change it. I plan on focusing more on 3 meals a day and cutting back on nursing when I'm done with work for the year and can be home with Kellen. I am still pumping at work and using frozen milk to supplement when I don't pump enough. Currently, he is nursing/taking bottles 5 times a day (6:00, 9:30, 12:30, 5:30, 9:30) and eating 2 meals a day. Cereal/fruit and a protein/veggie combo for brunch and a meat, veggie, starch combo with some yogurt for dinner. I am encouraging him to eat some texture, which he hates but will do if I dip it in yogurt first. Kellen LOVES yogurt and gets excited when I pull it out of the fridge. Kellen has no interest in self feeding. It doesn't matter what I give him, if it is food he will not put it in his mouth. I keep trying as I figure someday he'll be interested.

Some fun facts about Kellen...

He likes his tongue and sticks it out when he is concentrating on something. He likes to play in the bath. His favorite toys are the dog toys and enjoys watching the dogs play fetch (and throwing the ball for him). Books are ok to read but awesome to eat! He can put the colored rings on his wooden stacker. Kellen HATES having his teeth brushed but we brush them every morning anyway (it helps to know so many dentists!). We still struggle with taking naps and he is not good at taking them in his crib. We compensate with an early bedtime of 7:30. Kellen loves the cats and we swear even said the word cat the other night mimicing us. Luckily, the cats are very tolerant of him unlike the dogs who avoid him and freak out when he touches them. Kellen can wave and clap when you encourage him to do so but doesn't do it on his own yet. He's so easy going, he doesn't demand many things. On the rare occasion when he is crabby, we can put in the Baby Signing Time DVD and his mood will change immediately. It's pretty cute that he likes it so much and it is helping Steve and I learn some signs to use with him. I'm working on milk, eat, more, and all done but haven't had much success yet. Overall, as long as Kellen can play and move around, he is happy.

I am so looking forward to the end of the school year and the summer. We already have a lot planned so it should be fun.