Month 11 Update

Eleven months. I can't believe that in less than a month, we will have a one year old! This time has flown by (except at 3 in the morning when it drags at a sleepy snail's pace)! She changes and develops so much every day, I've been looking everywhere for a pause button.

Yellow Shirt | Jean Jeggings - Similar Here

It's been crazy hard to get any decent pix of her this month because this kid is always on the move, and no matter how fast I set my shutter, she's almost always a blur. I just figured out how to get my camera to take a burst of quick-fire shots, hoping to increase the odds of getting something useable, but even then the chances are slim. And don't even think about trying to get a smile...Z will be flashing all of her chompers right up till the moment the shutter snaps shut. Dammit.

Chomps the Gator made a really good subject.  Z...not so much.

Weight: about 20 pounds (no doctor appointments this month for any official measurements)
Height: about 28 inches, maybe? Someone is super uncooperative when we try to measure her. At one point, I was certain she measured at 30 inches, which gave me a heart attack...that would have been one heck of a growth spurt!
Sizes: Mostly 6-12 month or 9 month items, though there are still a few 3-6 month holdouts. She's finally made it into the size 3 diapers, though the leftover size 2s still work, since she's such a widget.

Sleep: Ugh! If you read my last post, you know, we have been living in sleep hell. Things had been going so well, even at nap time, and then it all went to total crap. We started back at square one with sleep training and bedtime is back on track. The frequent night wakings have pretty much stopped, too. A few times a week she'll wake up once, but that's no biggie compared to what she was doing this past month.
Nap time on the other hand...my own personal nightmare. I use the same routine as bedtime, but this kid is strong-willed (no idea where she gets that!). I guess it's getting better...Z was screaming/crying for almost an hour (I check in every 3-5 minutes) before crashing, and now she's down to about 30 minutes. Improvement.

Diet: By the end of her eleventh month, Baby Tuna decided she no longer wanted to be fed by us. 90% of the time, we can't get anywhere near her mouth with a spoon. Wouldn't be a big deal if she could just use a spoon herself, but since she can't, oatmeal and yogurt blends are a bit of a struggle. When she can feed herself, she is a champion (and noisy) eater! Grilled cheese and kale (it's really just toast with melted cheese and steamed kale inside) with cut up grapes is probably her favorite meal lately. Z also loves green beans, chick peas, fish, chicken (as a long-time vegetarian, I'm totally grossed out by the chicken, but I'm trying hard to get over it), strawberries, waffles/pancakes, noodles with sauce, and sweet potato chunks or fries. She also gets a taste or two of my morning smoothies, so as soon as she's better with a straw, we may add that to her breakfast.

**A side-note about the monkey finger puppet: This thing was something we picked up at a Carter's Outlet in Georgia to keep the little lady happy while we rang up. When she licked him, we bought him, and when we got home from the trip, he went in the toy basket. She found him recently and has been OBSESSED. She even sleeps with him. It's crazy what a kid will latch on to. **

Baby Loves: Watching (and dancing with) Ellen, playing "chase me", making out with the dog (totally disgusting!), watching out the front window and playing on the window sill, splashing in the tub, monkey finger puppet, being outside, snuggling, giving hugs (arms wrapped around our necks and her little cheek smashed against ours), "reading" her books & being read to, clapping and pointing.

Clapping for Ellen!

Hugs for her puppy. Scout's not so sure. 

Baby Dislikes: Diaper changes (why won't she understand that being still will help the whole thing end a lot faster?), having the shampoo rinsed out of her hair, going down for a nap, sirens and loud vehicles.

Milestones:
Teeth: 7 and counting! This teeth-growing business started out slow, with lots of drooling and chewing for months, then two bottom teeth popped. Since Christmas, Baby Tuna has sprouted five more teeth and we can see three more on the way!

Drinking From a Straw Cup: We've been working on this one for a couple of months now, since Z is so good with a regular sippy cup, and she finally got it. She's always wanting to drink from our glasses, which she can almost do if you don't count swallowing as part of it, so I thought learning to work a straw would make that a little easier for her.

Talking: Well, not really, not yet. But Z does have some pretty serious conversations with us, with her stuffed animals, with balls, and with the dog. In fact, she has a special way she speaks to the dog now and then that is quite bossy. Her little finger starts pointing and everything. It's hilarious!
She also has very distinct "words" for the Hubs and I, and they're close to "momma" and "dad", but not quite yet.

Putting Things "In" & Stacking: Up until recently, Z was highly skilled at dumping out block buckets, emptying toy baskets one item at a time, pulling clothes out of hampers, and pulling books off of shelves. Most of the time throwing or tossing the toys/books and watching them bounce or roll. Lately, she's started tossing putting things back in buckets/baskets/bins/hampers. She's also started stacking blocks and other items instead of just tearing them all down. Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of destruction going on around here, but it still feels like a milestone. We've had so much fun watching her play and problem solve lately. She's just so smart!

Striped Dress | Leggings

Making Us Laugh...On Purpose: This might be my favorite milestone yet! Baby Tuna's goofy little personality has been slowly emerging for many months now, but this past month, she's really dialed it in. Funny faces, silly noises, fish face, and other silliness. She started making a funny sound in her throat, really hard to describe (sort of like a friendly zombie growl) but it's hilarious, and she makes a face like a vampire showing his fangs at the same time. She does it so often, she started going hoarse!

hat - H&M in stores - similar here | sweatshirt (last season - similar here)

heart onesie | gray top