Eleven Months

We are mere days away from Ford's first birthday, and the little dude grows more fun by the minute.  He has so many new tricks that I can hardly keep up with them all.   There's a lot of laughter in this house, I can assure you.

To begin with the less-than-fun stuff, Ford's reflux is doing better on 4 mL of Axid, three times a day.  Our first dose of 2.5 mL did nothing for us, and we had a rough couple of weeks before our doctor upped the medicine.  He seems to be much more comfortable now.  The good news is -- we LOVE the specialist we're seeing, and I have complete confidence that he is doing the best he can for Ford.  He made me feel so much better about the whole situation.  He explained that the reflux was most certainly the cause of our sleeping woes and encouraged me to continue nursing Ford, as this is the most comfortable nourishment for a reflux baby. (As Ford has been biting Mommy, this was encouragement I needed to hear!)  I'm very thankful for a good doctor and a happier baby, and I just pray we outgrow this problem soon.  However, while waiting for his upper GI test at Children's Hospital, the number of very sick babies we saw made me so thankful that this little issue is really our only problem.  It could be so much worse.

At ELEVEN MONTHS, Ford:

WEIGHS 23 lbs and 12 oz, according to Dr. King's scales, and measures 30 1/4 inches long (not sure this one is right as he was wriggling quite a bit).  His growth has slowed down for sure, but the doctor said this is totally normal.

EATING not quite as well as he used to.  He's realized that when he eats, he refluxes and hurts, so it's been a bit harder to feed him.  We've had to back up from solids to more pureed baby food as that seems to sit a little better.  He still eats well and is gaining weight, albeit more slowly than before.  He's drinking cow's milk now, and he loves it.  He drinks milk from a zippy with a straw, and it is so darn cute.  I'll post a video.  He still nurses 3-4 times a day and shows no sign of giving up.  As I mentioned before, the doctor said that nursing was especially good for reflux babies, so I'm committed to keeping it up, and thankful that this sweet time we both love is so good for my baby.  His favorite foods these days are goldfish dipped in hummus, Nilla wafers, banana/blueberry/strawberry smoothies, grits, cheese omelets, and peas.  Certain textures make him gag right now, and since that makes his tummy worse, I'm not pushing the issue.

WEARING 24 month clothes.  2T fits, although sometimes they are a little long.  He recently acquired two pairs of overalls, and he's ridiculously cute in them.

SLEEPING poorly, although I've just decided to give us a break on this battle.  It was a relief to have confirmation from the doctor that he doesn't sleep well because he's uncomfortable, and so that I can do is just try to help him be comfortable.  I've felt this to be the case for a long time (thank you, Lord, for mother's instinct), but I've also second-guessed myself (I'm a first-timer, what do I know?) and put a lot of pressure on myself about Ford's poor sleep habits.  As much as I wish Ford slept better, I'm grateful to know it's not my fault (or his, poor baby), and that he will sleep better when he doesn't hurt.  So, Ford ends up curled up in bed with Mama and Dada most nights, and to tell the truth, neither of us really mind.  There will come a day when we wish Ford would snuggle up next to us, so we savor this sweet time, even if we are a little tired.  He does go to bed very well -- bathes at 7 (his favorite part of the day; he often cries when we take him out of the tub), nurses at 7:30 and is usually in bed asleep by 8.  He takes one good nap a day -- goes down between 12:30 and 1, and sleeps until 2:30 or 3.  This usually happens about three times a week.  The other days, he surrenders grumpily to a catnap around 4.  Those are not my favorite days.

PLAYS peekaboo all on his own, and he is just adorable.  I'll post a video.  It's so much fun.

STANDS for longer and longer on his own.  If he is holding a toy in his hand, he will stand for 15 or 20 seconds.  I think he may really start to try walking soon.

TALKS all the time.  He has lots of words, and some of them match with actual objects.  He calls Mama and Dada by name (not all the time, but often).  He says "dog" all the time and loves to see dogs.  He points to the window where we can see the dog next door and clearly says "dog."  He also says "GOOD" all the time -- everything is "GOOD."  Glad he's pleased with his conditions.  Other words: bird, cookie (new one today), na-na (think this is a precursor to the dreaded "no"), go, and bye-bye.

WAVES hello and goodbye to everyone.  If his target does not respond, he just waves harder.  Dude loves admiration, and he won't stop until he gets it.

FEEDS us his food, and he gets his feelings hurt if we don't accept his offer.  We're learning to love (or at least not gag) on remoistened goldfish and cheerios.

LOVES to read -- our favorites are still "I am a Bunny", "Pete the Cat," and "Imagine That."

STANDS at the front door and watches for Dada.  He almost cries with happiness when Dada finally arrives.

LOVES bathtime.  He is so busy in the tub and is fearless in the water -- as in, puts his head under the running faucet fearless.

CLAPS when we say "yay, Ford!"  (which is often).

Every day with this little boy is better.  Every day we think we could not possibly love him more, and yet, every day, we do.