11 months

I have been procrastinating writing this post because I am in denial that Lydia is (less than) a month away from turning one. I can't believe that this first year of her life is coming to a close so quickly, and I am really trying to savor every memory before she turns into a toddler.

Stats: We won't get an update on her height and weight until her one year appointment, but as usual Lydia is growing like crazy. It is funny to see her go through growth spurts. First she will get chubby and her belly will get all round, and then her legs will start to get longer and she will thin out a bit. This month she has lengthened for sure, and now I think she is starting to put on the pounds again. Also, she has 3 teeth! 2 on bottom, 1 on top, and 1 on the way.

Lydia has been sick for almost half of this month. First it was a stomach bug, then a cold, then another virus. It is so unlike her to be sick, but I think it is just her first experience with this season. Even though it hasn't been fun at all to have a sick baby, she is still so happy and so easy. I have enjoyed "babying" her these days since it is starting to hit me how much she is growing up.

Eating: When she doesn't have a stomach virus Lydia eats solid food like crazy. One day this month I made David and I black bean quesadillas for lunch and Lydia ate almost half of one! We have to limit her blueberries and green beans because she will eat both of these things until she is sick, but other than that we just let her go at it. Lydia is a great eater - and I must say that during the times when she has been sick I am so thankful she has a few pounds on her that she can spare.

She still nurses 6-8 times a day, and sometimes once at night. We are still both enjoying nursing a lot, and I have been so thankful that I can comfort her and provide her with nutrients while she has been sick. Breast milk is the perfect thing!! For a cold, a stomach bug, or a sore throat. It is truly amazing.

Sleeping: Well, with a sick baby comes bad sleep. But before all the illnesses struck we had a good thing going. Lydia slept through the night for 11 nights straight this month and it was glorious. Lately she has been getting up once a night - sometimes Daddy can soothe her back to sleep and other times she demands to be fed. She is starting to feel better now, and she slept through the night last night, so here is to hoping we will get back into our great bedtime routine.

Naps are pretty good. She is taking two - one around 10 and the other around 2. The first one lasts for an hour and a half, and the second lasts for about two hours. She is still pretty picky about where she sleeps... if we are any where else her naps are at most 45 minutes.

What she loves: Walking, climbing, saying "da, da", dogs, cats, being naughty, unpacking things.

What she hates: The car seat (still so stressful!!), the nursery at church, being told "no", getting her nose wiped.

Personality/Milestones: I don't know if I can even put into words how much Lydia has changed! She is so close to walking - she had her first steps toward the beginning of the month, then got nervous and stopped trying, and now she is randomly walking across the room. Her preferred mode of transportation is still crawling, but I really think she will be walking by the time she is 1.

She has also started to climb everything! She can go down the slide all by herself and can get on and off of her toy motorcycle. Lydia is all over the place and into everything, but she will play by herself pretty well which is nice.

She says all kinds of things and makes tons of noises with her mouth. Kissing noises, spit bubbles and tongue clicking are a few of her favorites, and she just babbles all the time. She says "da, da" when she sees or is looking for David, and has her own version of "hi", which is a high pitch exhale (if that makes sense...). She has also started to say "nuh, nuh" when she wants to nurse, and she made her first sign, for "more".

Lydia is adorable, and is generally a really good baby. But she is also opinionated and stubborn. There have been a couple instances this month where David and I told Lydia "no" and she clearly tested us. We will have to discuss soon how we will deal with discipline together! Any good resources that you like? I know it is completely normal and healthy for Lydia to be asserting her will, and in a way it is awesome to see her desiring things and really having intention behind her actions.

Heaven-sent Baby items: Since this has been a month of sickness I will tell you about some of our favorite "medicines", if you can call them that.

First, there are Hylands Teething Tablets for when her teeth seem to be bothering her. We have pulled out the Tylenol a few times when she was clearly in a lot of pain, but before resorting to that we like to give her a few tablets and see if they do the trick. Lydia seems to like them, and we have been using them for a while now and I feel they are effective.

Second, for her cold, we use Vicks Vapo Steam with this humidifier. The combo helps her congestion and again is it nice to not have to give her actual medicine. Plus the room gets all nice and cozy for her and she can get some really good rest!

Words from Daddy: I can't believe Lydia is almost a year old. She has been so much fun lately and everyday I feel like she enjoys playing with me more. I love that she says my name and looks for me in the mornings. 

Well, this is the last update I will do for Lydia Grace before she is one YEAR old! I will probably change up the update starting at 12 months, and will start spreading them out to every 3 months. Do you have any suggestions for what you would like to see or what you are interested in? I will be on the lookout for any creative ideas :)

I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow. We have a full day planned, but I am very excited. It is so nice not to travel for the holidays - one of the major perks of living in NKY. I can already smell the turkey cooking upstairs... yum! I hope that you reflect on all that you are thankful for - it is easy to overlook the small things and I just love that this holiday really forces you to gain perspective again.