The Strong Mama: May 2011

Stats at 11 months:

29.5 inches long

20.3 lbs

Nicknames: Finn Henry, munckin, munch, pooper

Sleeping pattern: Nothing new to report, 12 hours+. You have had a this strange wet cough for over a month and you have coughing bouts at night. Your nap is pretty consistent now, every afternoon for about 3 hours.

Feeding schedule and foods you love to stuff in your face: I have a theory that you are not digesting some foods (because I see them again in a place I'd rather not) and that's why you're always hungry. Our affectionate name for you is our little anaconda. You are always devouring something, and you have no trouble swallowing things whole, especially berries and olives. Our obvious new tactic is to take a bit more care cutting food up for you. I still make tasty things for you and freeze them for easy meals. There are usually grain free pancakes, egg muffins, some kind of stew, and different variations meatloaf in the freezer for you.

What you love the most: Other than balls, playing ball with yourself, with anyone else who will play with you, and pointing to everything you see and saying ball? um, balls. It's very sweet actually, seeing you entertain by something so simple at this stage in your life. You don't know what an iPad is, or email, or Halo and we hope to enjoy your tech free existence as long as possible. However you love to get your grabby paws on technology and smash it.

You like your walker now, we take it out in the cul de sac and you cruise around at top speed. If I let you go, you would take yourself over to the park across the street. You are very content playing on your own, best of all when we put you in a laundry basket or cardboard box. 45 minutes of entrainment, easy. You also notice big kids around you and seem to be absorbing all of the cool things they can do, skills you are on your way to discovering and mastering like walking, ruining, and terrorizing all the adults.

What makes you mad/sad: you continue too rebel against your changing table and the prone position. I'm not sure why I included a sad category, because you are so rarely sad for longer than 12 seconds.

Things I’m loving most right now: Your signature Finn grin, sticking out your (only 2) bottom teeth and squinting your sparkling blue eyes. You are such a speedy crawler now, and I get a kick out of your determination to move quickly, by tucking your head down and slap slap slapping across the floor.

Sounds you are making: Ball, bah, da, dat, daaada, maa, mama. You get a kick out of imitate woo woo woo! like a little Indian but it comes out "aaaahhhhhh" while waving you're hand in front of your mouth. You often make all sorts of zerbert, spit-flying mouth noises when you're excited or a pissed little honey badger.

You are learning to: Open cabinets and doors with alarming dexterity, and turn the shower on by pulling up the plug in the bath. You are bear crawling a lot too, to avoid getting your knees full of little rocks and itchy things I imagine. You are interested in trying to stand on your own too.

Its springtime in Colorado, we are spending lots of time outside together.