Hair:
Not much change.
Eyes:
Same.
Teeth:
Still no more teeth.
Eating:
I guess the big news this month is that I weaned Claire. The night time wakings were getting a bit out of control so I just stopped. Going into Baby C I was pretty worried about breastfeeding and I am happy that it was such a positive experience in the end.
So now she still gets up twice in the night but now she gets bottles. John and I have worked out a system so that we don’t have to go downstairs and make/heat bottles. She is consistently eating in the night around 11pm and 3am. Usually settles right back to sleep after eating but she went for a week this month of being awake for 2 hours in the middle of the night.
She is more scheduled during the day and it goes something like this (I was writing this out a lot sooner for her sisters!!)
7am - wake up
8am breakfast (fruit and cereal)
9:30am - 6oz bottle
11:30pm Lunch - whatever I can get in her. Veggies on a good day, yogurt on a bad day.
2:00ish - 6 oz bottle
5pm - dinner - see lunch comment!
7:15pm - 6oz bottle then bed
11pm - 6oz bottle
3am - 6oz bottle
What she eats is still all over the place. She had another cold this month and completely lost interest in everything except yogurt and formula. When all things are going well she’ll eat most mush and try table food. Bread is her favourite but she also ate chicken, sweet potatoes, pasta and grapes. The rest was methodically deposited on the floor.
She also rarely finishes a bottle. She gets 5 bottles a day totalling 30 ozs. I’d say she drinks closer to 20ozs now. I’m supposed to be putting her on whole milk next month - we’ll see. I’m not convinced she’s eating enough yet.
Sleep:
Except for her week of midnight partying, she has been sleeping really well…well, really well for Claire. She goes to bed right after her sisters and she is much more settled since I’ve weaned her. She usually wakes up once for her soother before we go to bed and maybe 3 or 4 times in the night she’ll settle again with her soother. You know when she’s hungry because she gets insulted when you try and give her the soother.
She does really well at napping if we’re home. If we stayed home all day long (which we don’t do much anymore), I know she would nap at 9:30 and then again around 2. Instead she tags along with her sisters and naps in the car. It used to be that I could get her inside or into the stroller without her waking but the cold air wakes her up everytime now. Most school afternoons are spent with me reading my book in the car while she naps.
Getting Around:
She is now pulling up on everything and getting better at balancing. She can stand up without pulling herself up but she needs something for support (like the wall or my leg). She isn’t steady enough to stand on her own yet but she’s getting there. She is walking along the furniture and can walk holding on to your fingers.
She is now really good at crawling and can pivot etc with ease. She is just all around more steady.
Things she’s saying:
-She now says dad dad dad for John…and squeals with her sisters when he gets home from work.
-hi and bye have been separated.
-she says mmmmaaa when she gives or blows kisses
-she says fsssss for fish
-she is babbling a lot and likes to talk. I am sure she’s saying other stuff that I’m just not connecting.
Things she’s doing this month:
-she loves playing peekaboo and now puts things over her head in addition to using her hands and poking around corners
-she does the sign for milk.
-she watches and learns how to play with toys - like dropping balls in a hole
-she loves baby dolls
-she loves other children and can be quite aggressive in trying to touch (maul!) them. Just ask Patrick!
-she blows and gives kisses
-she shakes her head
-she can be very interested in the tv.
-she pulls up and looks out the side windows of the front door, waves and says bye bye
-if she can hear but can’t see her sisters she goes looking for them
-she loves putting her hand in the toilet and is there in seconds if you don’t close the bathroom door.
-remembers things you teach her and can do them again later. Things like showing me where Dora’s eye is on the bath toy or getting me a fish.
-checking everything out. She isn’t scared of anything and she loves it when I use the dustbuster to clean her tray off.
-flipping through books more than chewing them
-scribbling on the drawing boards
-she likes to pass you something then take it back over and over again
-singing her abcs - just kidding.
-she is now completely comfortable when I drop her off at the Early Years Centre. They really enjoy her there and I know she is spoiled with lots of attention for 2 hours.
-she is getting more social again and will smile and laugh at strangers.
Personality:
Her easy going personality is really starting to show. I often call her tag along Claire because she gets dragged everywhere and thankfully rarely complains. She is happy to play and follow her sisters around and we only hear from her if she’s tired and hungry - both which are easy to anticipate.
She definitely has her mommy suck moments but she has recently started making eyes at John (and so it begins…). She willingly goes to most people once she has warmed up and doesn’t miss me as long as I’m not around. The only thing I think she prefers me for is getting to sleep. I can get her to sleep in minutes - it’s not so easy for others.
She is still very interested in her sisters and they continue to be very patient with her. They are always looking out for her and recently their stories have started to include things that Claire will do with them when she’s bigger. They still remind me of all the things that Claire can’t do because she’s a baby. They are always watching out for her - opening the basement door can send them both into a panic if Claire so much as makes a move towards the stairs.
With the last month of her first year coming up, I find myself full of reflection. This time last year I was very pregnant and very ready to have Christmas over with and to meet our new baby. This year I’d like the month to slow down so we can enjoy it.
I’ll get her 11 month picture up asap!
