Riley is 11 Months

ELEVEN.

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Weight: He’s heavy! Probably close to 22 lbs? It seems like he’s leaner now, especially with all the crawling. His arms and legs are super long.

Health: Healthy! I think we’re starting to venture back into teething though :(

Sleep: He’s still an early riser. 5:45am is normally his wake up. Sometimes he’ll stretch it to 6am, but it’s rare. He’s going to bed at 7:00pm/7:30pm and sleeping through the night.

Nursing: Yep! We should make it to a year easily. Then I think we’ll start cutting out daytime feedings, then before bed, and the morning one will be the hardest to drop. Somedays I think weaning will be no big deal, he probably wouldn’t even notice, then other days he’s till very attached to me.

What Riley is up to: Saying “uh-oh” “mama” “hi” “up” and waving “bye-bye.” He’s a super fast crawler, and can pull up on everything. He’s starting to creep along things to get what he wants. Doesn’t like hearing “no” and will test us to see if we really mean it. The best was a few weeks ago, he was trying to crawl on the stairs so we told him “no.” Each time he would lay his hand on the step, he would get a firm “no.” Finally, he looked directly at us, placed his hand on the step, smiled and waved with the other hand!! So hard to not laugh when he does things like that! He’s also a big fan of dog food, and getting into the kitchen cupboards. We have a few area’s “baby proofed” and a few that he’s learning about boundaries. He loves the park, and swimming. Crawling on the dogs is another hobby. And his favorite songs to “dance” to are “Happy” and “Come Get it Bae.” Silly. He’s so much fun, and we’re really loving this age. He’s eating all kinds of foods, and can stay awake for most of the afternoon with 2 naps around 1.5 – 2 hours.

PostPartum: Still working out with my trainer, and starting to see some results :) I went a few weeks ago and got some new clothes, and recently got a hair cut. I’m starting to really feel like “me” again. Or, the new version of me. It’s been 11 months of trying to figure out the parenting thing, along with trying to figure out my new identity. Starting to think about Merfbaby 2.0 and doing pregnancy and the early new baby days all over again sort of makes my tummy flip. In a good way, but also in a that’s crazy talk sort of way.

Baby Gear: He’s all about baby spoons and plastic straws. He will carry them around for hours at a time, day after day. Through eating, bath, car rides, diaper changes and playtime. He even gets anxious when he drops one. He has to carry both spoons at once and will adjust them in his hand until he’s happy with the set up. I’ve heard of kids becoming attached to blankets and stuffed animals, but spoons? Only our kid.

Thoughts: The year mark is SO close. In some ways I totally get that it’s been a year, and sometimes I feel like we just brought him home and I’m still trying to figure everything out. I think I’ll always be trying to figure it out, but it still feels so new. I love spending time with him, and family outings and trips are even more fun as he’s getting older. His personality is growing each day, and he’s so curious. I love watching him figure things out, and learn about his likes and dislikes. It’s such a crazy adventure and I’m so thankful he’s our tiny human.

** Photos by Kaitlin Kelly Photography, check out her gorgeous site here **