11 Months with Ford
FORD IS 11-MONTHS-OLD.
…AND WALKING, TALKING & INTO EVERYTHING!
My little baby looks (and acts) more like a toddler by the day. He no longer crawls and prefers to walk. He’s gotten quite good at it! He has a little personality including telling me “no” by shaking his head. He loves to point out animals like, birds and dogs. He is starting to say “ba” for bird and “da” for dog.
We just got back from our first vacation to the beach with Ford and it was SO MUCH FUN. I was honesty dreading the trip for awhile because it was a long travel day (we survived the flights though!) and I felt like it would be more money and stress than it was worth…but I am so glad we went. Ford loved the beach - was a little nervous at first about the ocean, but totally found his comfort each day. He loved playing in the sand, pointing at all the seagulls and spending so much time outdoors. Little man loves being outside - he definitely gets that from his Daddy.
GROWING & LEARNING
We have finally found our groove with daycare. He no longer is upset or a total wreck when we pick him up or drop him off. I think the social and learning environment has been so good for him. He will soon be moving up to the toddler room, which makes me sad but I know will be better for him being so active!
Everyday Ford learns something new. From being aware of what things are to attempting to say words, it’s so fascinating watching him. He recently went through the Leap of Programs, meaning he understands that there is an order to things and when to expect what is coming next. He definitely associates bath time with bedtime and if I run the water with a bottle out, he starts to say “ma-ore” for more or maybe milk? It’s hard to know.
I honestly love this age so much. I love teaching him new words and taking him on new experiences. We are trying to do “Phone-Free with Ford Evenings” where I put the phone away and we enjoy a fun activity. It doesn’t have to be anything over-the-top, from exploring the backyard to blowing bubbles or going somewhere new, we’ve been having so much fun just having quality time together.
SLEEP
Minus a rough sleep pattern while we were on vacation (he was waking up around 4:45am), sleep has finally been more consistent. He is an early riser - prefers to wake up around 6:15am-6:30am, but I cannot complain. I don’t mind the early wake-up as long as it’s not before 6am. That’s rough.
Our bedtime routine hasn’t changed much: book, bath, pajamas, bottle, bed. He is starting to wean the bottle so we give him less and less formula each night, but he definitely still wants some milk before bed.
We no longer put him to bed in any sleep suits/sacks and he just wears his long sleeve and foot-covered pajamas. It’s cute how he curls up into a ball and always sleeps on his tummy, no matter what.
Also, he now NAPS in the crib! It’s a miracle. We struggled with nap time for months, so it’s nice that he now will take a 1.5 to 2-hour nap in the crib. I can tell he is starting to go to one longer nap a day vs. 2-3 short ones. I honestly prefer it that way!
FEEDING
We are done breastfeeding and weaning formula.
It’s crazy to think that we are done breastfeeding and now have to start weaning formula since he is almost one-year-old. There is always something new to figure out! But I swear, these babies are resilient and can handle more than even we can. I was definitely more emotional about ending breast-feeding than him!
We are weaning the bottle and trying to give him less amounts of formula each day. We have already successfully cut the first bottle of the day, which he used to get right when he woke up. We also give him less during the day. However, he still is on a schedule at daycare and it’s hard to know how much they give him until the end of the day when I pick him up. I think the hardest bottle to eliminate will be the nighttime feeding. I’ve read to cut that feeding so that they do not depend on milk/food to sleep and it gets bad for their teeth.
The good thing is…Ford loves solid foods! He will pretty much eat anything and everything, but isn’t a huge fan of eggs or cheese. We give him basically whatever we make for our meals or a modified version, which makes feeding so much easier. He loves his veggies, especially peas, broccoli, corn, sweet potatoes and carrots. He LOVES fruit and would live off blueberries and bananas if we let him. He also recently discovered apples and loves to suck on them - it must feel good on his teeth! For protein, he loves beef sausage, black beans, chicken and sliced turkey. We try to mix each meal with veggies, fruit and protein. We save snack time for puffs, teethers, toast with peanut butter, etc.
FAVORITE THINGS AND GROWING OUT OF…
Ford loves…
Being outside - exploring our backyard and playing with our landscaping rocks
Toys he can push and make noise (cars, walkers, his toy vacuum, etc.)
Listening to music (the Simple Nursery Rhymes station is on repeat)
Animals - pointing at birds or petting dogs
Going on long walks when the weather is nice
Visiting new places and being out-and-about with us
Eating and exploring new foods
Swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School
Pop-up or touch-and-feel books
Bathtime
Ford is growing out of:
Once outfits - I put him in a lot of tees/shorts now
Anything that keeps him confined
Toys that aren’t interactive
Baby food (purees): he wants the real deal and has the his pincher fingers down!