I’M ELEVEN MONTHS!
Height: TBD
Weight: TBD
I’ll say it again – it is so hard to believe in less than a month (thanks to my procrastination on writing these blog posts), McKenna will be one year old. I used to think time went by quickly, but now with a mini in the picture it seems to do so much faster and right at the time I need it to slow down! In the last month, we moved from our 4-level, 1100 sq. ft. town home in South Tampa to a 2,700 sq. ft., 2-story home in Land O Lakes with a front and back yard, lots of friendly neighbors and a community playground, pool and sand volleyball court. We’re still settling in, so more on that later. All I have to say is that sometimes I really do have to pinch myself that we’re able to give McKenna (and future babies… still a few years down the road) a home like this to grow up in.
We’ve got a much toothier grin now. Her top four teeth took their time coming in, and I know they’re still not completely done, but you can see them peeking out from under her top lip now when she smiles. I thought the bottom two teeth were adorable, but this is pretty cute! (I’m sure I’ll think that of everything with her though.)
She hasn’t used real words yet, but lots of baby babble. She really tries to communicate with HER words, and there are a few I know she understands of ours, she just hasn’t repeated them yet. Occasionally when I point something out to her and tell her it what it is, she’ll repeat something back to me in syllables. I will say that she says “Mama or Mamamamama” a lot, but I’ve never heard her say it to me or yell it at me when she needs something. That’s probably just around the corner… I hope 🙂
She’s almost walking. And by almost, I mean we are… Sort of. McKenna can walk, I’ve seen her take 12-15 steps, but it’s like she realizes she’s doing it and drops to her hands and knees as if to say “you didn’t see that!” I’ve caught her taking a few steps in between pieces of furniture and then using them to guide her back and forth across the room. She’s got it in her 🙂 Update: In the one week that I procrastinated on this post, we started walking! Full fledged walking all by ourselves all around the house. It’s a whole new ball game!
She has become a master manipulator. I thought I’d never do it, but a few times lately we’ve had to put her to bed at night crying. I used to rescue her when she would do this – I wouldn’t take her out of her crib, but I would put her back down in her crib and rub her back or “Shhh” her until she fell asleep. All of that stopped when I went in one night to a baby standing up in her crib, screaming bloody murder… Until she saw me. Then she smiled. No way, Jose. When she will fall asleep on my chest I let her because I know I only have so many of those nights left. McKenna now falls asleep on her own. Sometimes with tears, sometimes not.
McKenna eats everything. There is very little she doesn’t eat right now (i.e., peanut butter, honey, cow’s milk, “junk food”), but otherwise she eats whatever Mike and I are eating. And let me tell you, this girl LOVES food. During a snack, if she’s not done (even though she should be because she’s eaten just as much as I have and I’m full), she will chase me around for the container that the food was in. For example, today we were sitting on the floor in the living room sharing cooled edamame (her vegetables are always baked or steamed and then refrigerated), and I decided we had enough. It wasn’t meant to be dinner, just a small snack to tide her over. I put the lid on the tupperware container and she gets this upset but determined look on her face. She then proceeds to dive and climb up and over my body to get this tupperware container.
I’ll be the first to admit I do not feed McKenna the healthiest choices all the time. I had it in my mind that I wanted to make my own baby food when she started eating solids. And some days I still wish I had, especially now that I know she likes it all it would have been easier to make mass quantities and freeze it. But I quickly learned that my heart wasn’t in it. I’d rather spend that food prep time on the floor playing with McKenna than in the kitchen. Working 42 1/2 hours 5 days a week, I already feel like I miss out on so much, and I want to spend as much time with her as possible. McKenna eats Puffs and Veggie Straws and Yogurt Melts for snacks (never for full meals). She’s had the squeeze pouches and every level of pureed food out of jars and plastic containers. At the end of the day, she does still have adequate servings of formula, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. In fact, she feeds herself broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, edamame, pasta, hamburger, taco meat, chicken, fish, strawberries, bananas, peaches, etc. Every mama has their own way of feeding their baby, but at the end of the day, what is most important is that our babies are getting fed and healthily! I am so grateful that McKenna is such a good eater.
McKenna’s latest favorites (besides food): pushing the kitchen table chairs back and forth across the kitchen, climbing the steps, walking!, drinking out of adult cups, opening & closing doors, swimming/bath time (still love the water), getting Rigby kisses… The list goes on and on.
Our Little "Whoops!" 