11 Month Updates

11 months! 11 months! This has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding years we've experienced. We just love our little guy and his huge personality :)

So this month he had his surgery. We were hoping it would be the magic "fix" to end all of our sleeping woes. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. He still is not a great sleeper. Putting him down for the night and keeping him down continues to be a struggle for us. The good news is, now we know it is not pain causing the "up-all-nights" so we are in the process of "training" him. Sleep training has NEVER been something I thought I would consider as a mom but when you have a near 1 year old who can't self-soothe in the slightest, you are simply doing that child a disservice by holding him all night, every night (that's what I am telling my mommy guilt anyway...).We are on week two of sleep training and it is going well. We are sticking to our guns and are hopeful that soon, we have a sound sleeper.

This month he has taken HUGE strides toward walking. He regularly takes 5-7 steps at a time or stands without holding onto things. He is very brave and will be walking full speed well before his first birthday. Videos to come soon :)

As far as eating goes: he is down to 5 bottles in a 24 hour period. He typically gets his first at 7AM and takes his last at bedtime. This month I will cut that down to 3 (hopefully) and by his first birthday the goal will be to take one in the morning and one at night. We will see!

Luke is now eating lots of solids! He is totally over pureed food (other than pureed green beans and peas). While he still has a bit of a sensitive gag reflex, it is NOTHING like it was 2 months ago. He hasn't vomited in weeks PTL! He is eating solid veggies like green beans, peas, and carrots and fruits like strawberries, bananas and apples. He also loves to eat broccoli and chicken off my plate. Luckily we are all eating pretty healthy these days because he wants to eat whatever it is that we are eating! Just like with X, Dustin homemade all of Luke's baby food with organic fruits and veggies. We are just about over that stage so Sunday evenings will soon be spent doing other things :)

Making Lukey food :)

Luke now has 6 teeth. His top two teeth came in this month. It was rough! We think it is smooth sailing until molars at this point.

Unfortunately, Luke is using his teeth to do something X never did: biting. A few weeks ago, I was picking Luke up from school when his teacher made a comment about him "chewing" on a friend. She giggled and we laughed and moved on. The next week, I had to sign a report that stated Luke had bit a friend and left a mark. Ugh :(  We are working on this, but what can you do?! Hopefully this stage passes sooner rather than later.

Luke's current favorite things are:
-Wrestling with Xavier...they are so rough!!
-Sneaking into the bathroom and stealing toilet paper or getting in the toilet (we have to keep the door shut!)
-Disobeying in general :)
-Playing in Xavier's bedroom
-Going for walks
-Being outside
-Playing in the dog's water bowl (and spilling it everywhere)
-Bathtime
-Doing anything that he thinks will get a reaction out of us...he is a ham!
-Daniel Tiger

Luke's dislike:
-Getting his diaper changed
-Not being held when he is tired
-Sleeping
-Sharing
-Pureed baby food (other than green beans or peas)
-Following rules :)

Love this precious baby <3

Oh, this fat tan baby!