eleven months

I could tell you how much Ryann hates her monthly photo sessions now, but I'll just let some of the pictures do the talking :o).  How dare I put a headband on her and try to get her to stay roughly in one spot!!!

Today my baby girl is eleven months old.  Just a short month until she is a year.  She looks more and more like a toddler every single day.  I am amazed as I watch her grow.

Our (never very accurate) measurements have Ryann weighing in at 20 pounds even, and standing about 29.5 inches tall.  That is a little weird to me (and probably wrong, but whatever) because that would mean she didn't gain any weight, and grew 3/4 of an inch.  I hear they start slimming down the more they are moving, but I didn't think it was happening to Ry.  We are officially in all 12 month clothing, and she is growing out of some of her 6-12 month pants.  18 month stuff is definitely too big, but it doesn't look 100% ridiculous.  However most of her 18 month, and 12-18 month stuff is pretty summery.  So hopefully we can make the 6-12 work a while longer.  Seeing as we are still getting snow.  Ugh.  We have been putting her only in size 4 diapers, even though they are definitely big.  They aren't leaking so we are going with it.

Ry is getting four bottles a day - 6 ounces when she wakes up in the morning and from each nap, and a 7 ounces bottle before bed.  As far as solids go... we are doing a lot better, and she is feeding herself which is awesome.  But she is definitely showing a huge preference for cracker type items, and is starting to push away everything else.  We try making her eat turkey, fruit or veggies, but eventually she ends up with some goldfish, little crunchies or cheerios.  She likes to eat a little bit of waffle for breakfast.  She uses her four plus a tiny fifth teeth to munch it all.  One of her new tricks with her sippy cup?  To take a drink and then let it all slowly dribble back out of her mouth.  Lovely.  Makes for a wet baby after every meal.

We are still keeping with a two nap a day schedule.  Ryann usually wakes up between 5:45am and 6:30am.  She goes down for naps around 9:30am and 2:30pm, and sleeps for about 90 minutes each time.  The past couple days she has slept for an hour in the morning, and two in the afternoon.  That is a schedule I can handle.  :o)  She is in bed by 8pm.

 

I am pretty surprised that Ry isn't walking by now.  Not really upset or worried, but surprised.  She has been cruising so well for a while, and she started moving pretty early, so I just assumed she would be fully mobile by now.  But after watching JT wobble all over the house and climb on everything during a playdate on Friday, I'm trying to appreciate Ryann's lack of that dangerous ability :o).  She has taken a step on various occasions, but usually it is followed by her superman dive that she has deemed as the best solution for getting from a standing position to my lap.  She did take two in a row today, but only one time, and wouldn't do it again.  Ry can walk relatively well when you hold just one of her hands, so I really think she is too scared to do it by herself.  In due time I suppose!

Ryann is trying out new sounds and words all the time now.  She can say (roughly) hat, apple, waffle, all done, head, ouch or ouchie, and most clearly, up.  When she really wants you to pick her up it is a very forceful UP-PA!  So cute.  Yesterday is when she really started saying ouch more.  If she even slightly bumps something, or touches something, she will look up and say 'ouch?'  We think she is also using 'ouch' when the situation isn't exactly going her way.  She loves to see what kind of reaction she can get.  She also tries to say yuck, but it definitely isn't understood by anyone but Chris and I.  I think she is trying to say ball and book, but really any word that starts with a b just ends up as a 'buh' sound.  Oh, and bottle is 'baba'.

This little kid is getting so smart.  She definitely knows how to push my buttons and is testing the limits.  If she gets any sort of reaction from me, especially slightly negative, she tries out the behavior again just to see what happens.  Right now it usually involves sticking inappropriate things in her mouth.  Oh yeah, no more baby who doesn't eat crap off the floor.  We were in the basement doing laundry and she totally tried to eat a piece of lint.  I had to dig it back out.

Ryann is still a little book lover.  We have spent SO MUCH time, especially in the last few days, hanging out by the bookshelf.  She looks at books.  She makes me read books.  Surprisingly one of her favorites to make me read right now is Marley and the Kittens.  Her Grandma Anita brought it to her just before Valentine's day.  It is a long book but she sits through the whole thing probably three times a day.  She is also enjoying the Belly Button Book.

how she truly feels about the headbands

Chris said one of his top ten things that Ryann does, is how she giggles after she sneezes.  She loves to hear us say 'bless you!'  Sometimes when her sneezes fails, and doesn't quite come all the way, she will smile and say 'et ooo'.  Absolutely adorable.  Recently, when she toots I say "PU!" (pee you?  how do you write that?  :o) and wave my hand in front of my nose.  She thinks it is really funny, and has started trying to toot on purpose.  I hope that doesn't stick, but come on, it's funny.

Now (almost) whenever we say night night, sleepy or tired Ryann will make a cute little noise and lay her head on whatever is closest to her.  She also recognizes when someone is sleeping in a book or something of that nature, and will make the cute little noise and do her little trick.

A couple days ago I asked Ryann to give me a hug.  To my surprise she laid her head on me and just kind of leaned in.  Honestly, I about cried.  It was so nice to have that kind of interaction with her.  Sometimes she will give me a big sloppy wet kiss when I ask, but the hug?  The hug was so much better.  She has been giving hugs on and off when we ask since then.  I LOVE IT.

 

Oh my goofy little girl.  I can't believe you're almost one.  I love you to the moon and back!