Simon @ 11 months

It's hard to believe we're in the home stretch, the last month before our baby turns one year old. All the sudden it feels like he has grown up too fast and I'm starting to regret wishing that the days would pass faster during those first few months. Our big baby is now turning into a big boy!

Here are the highlights of Simon @ 11 months:

-feeding himself and as a result, starting to enjoy food more. His favourite foods are cheese, berries, yogurt and brown bread.
-starting to stand on his own - but only if someone whips away the object that he is holding onto. Not it's not his cruel parents doing this, it's the other babies at playgroup.
-a total Momma's boy. He now cries when I leave and when I show up (if he's tired or hungry).
-getting accustomed to day care - it helps that he's the baby and as such, gets special treatment.
-mastering his ability to manipulate his grandparents.
-loves the dogs - feeding them, chasing them and petting (aka hitting) them. Oxford and Olive are a bit more tolerant than Brutus.
-wears mostly size 12-18 month clothes - although his waist is tiny so they are always sagging down
-is just getting his seventh tooth - four on top and three on bottom - the ones on the right always coming through first.
-is sleeping most nights from 7:00pm-6:30am only waking on nights when he is gassy.
-cruises the furniture like a pro but is not interested in walking with his walker or holding onto our hands.
-wears size 4 diapers.
-is totally weaned to bottles - 2 of formula and 2 of homogenized milk.
-takes two naps per day - Matt and I can't wait until he drops that morning nap so that we can get out and do more.
-loves to wave - he dropped all of his other skills in favour of his royal wave.
-bounces on his knees and waves his hands like a maniac.
-has had four haircuts - two by a professional and two at home.
-loves to help Mommy with laundry.
-loves to share his food - he puts it toward you and if you pretend to eat it he laughs hysterically.
-is such a smiley happy baby.

Simon's New Do

His shaggy mullet is gone and now he has a big boy cut - I cried when I saw him because he didn't look like my little baby anymore. No more haircuts for him!

Happy Valentine's Day

Our little Valentine

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday's Seven

My picture project has fallen by the wayside - I'll still post some cute ones of my little man but definitely not daily shots.

I'm a little late on this post but here it goes. This week we are grateful for:

1. An afternoon off to run errands while Simon napped with Grandma and Grandpa.

2. Any meal that we don't have to prepare ourselves.

3. Simon trying lots of new food - there is much more variety in his likes these days.

4. That the crib at my parent's has freed up for afternoon naps. No more rushing in and out to accommodate Simon's naps.

5. Getting Simon on to a more structured routine.

6. Sleeping through the night - well Simon is, not me :(

7. A healthy baby so that we could leave the house and socialize again. A week being cooped up indoors is not for us.

Contagious

It's contagious - baby laughter that is. You can't help but smile or laugh along when you hear it. Simon gets the giggles when it's inching towards bedtime and last night on our way home from the mall was no exception. Matt was doing his monkey impersonation and Simon was eating it up and laughing full belly laughs. Let me tell you that it's much nicer to have a laughing baby in the back seat than a screaming one!

Wordless Wednesday

Hostage Taking

Yesterday was the first 1/2 day trial run for daycare at Grandma and Grandpa's. Simon went over at 11:00am, had a bottle, showed off his new skills with eating at lunch, and then it was time for a nap in the dreaded playpen. Simon decided he wasn't having any of that - roughing it on a hard mattress is for the birds. So he decided it was better to just stay up. That is until Grandma brought him onto her nice Queen size bed with a cozy feather duvet. The bed apparently met Simon's exacting standards and he cozied up for a 2 1/2 hour nap keeping Grandma and Grandpa hostage the whole time lest he wake up and fall off the bed.

Fruit Break Through

We have been making huge strides when it comes to solid food for Simon. Although he still doesn't eat much, he is finally learning how to chew. I was chopping the food up into little pieces to make it easier for him (or so I thought). Great in theory but try picking up a slippery and tiny piece of fruit when you don't have great coordination. Turns out that he does best with large chunks that he can bite from. Yesterday he ate a whole strawberry and today he ate 1/2 chunk melon, 1/2 chunk pineapple and 4 raspberries. He also had a bit of watermelon but quickly decided it wasn't for him and launched it on the floor.

Sunday's Seven and 365 Days of Pictures

Well the picture taking was hit or miss this week since Simon was sick. So here's what we ended up with.


We had to think hard about things to be grateful for this week since it was a challenge to say the least. Here's what we came up with:

1. Sick baby = cuddly baby. So we took all the cuddles he was offering up.

2. In-house laundry. It was a lifesaver with the number of outfits and linens that we went through this week - there would not be enough quarters to have done the laundry otherwise :)

3. Helping hands on Wednesday from Granma and Grandpa - we managed to get most of the house sterilized and the above described laundry put away.

4. Flowers from my Mum - they made the house (aka my prison for the week) more cheerful.

5. Matt shoveling - again. I know that I mentioned this a few weeks back but we had another doozy of a storm and Matt was out there by himself shoveling snow that at the bottom of the driveway was about 4 feet wide and 4 feet high. Simon and I watched from the bedroom and encouraged Daddy along with banging on the window and the new signature "touchdown" maneuver (we made all the difference)!

6. Dinner out at Baton Rouge - the ribs were to die for - and it was nice that we could leave Simon with Nanna and Granddad because he wouldn't have made it through the 30 minute wait to be seated.

7. My computer! It has kept me connected to the outside world for the past week.