Eleanor | 11 Months

I can't even believe that I am writing this 11 month update and that tomorrow morning my baby girl will be ONE... this year has gone by wicked fast and I'm feeling super emotional!! 

 11 month Eleanor likes...

touch and feel books

being rocked to sleep

her binky

being outside

walking everywhere

big brother, Jack

eating 

giving kisses

 11 month Eleanor dislikes...

having anything taken from her

outfit / diaper changes

sleeping ;)

Health: Thank God all the cold and flu viruses we experienced last month were absent this month! Eleanor is a healthy, happy babe. In all 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. Now that she's walking everywhere I've tried to find her shoes, but she has narrow feet for a baby girl and I find nothing fits her but her brother's old Nike's (his first pair of shoes)...so she's stuck with his hand-me-downs for now!

Nursing: Nursing hasn't really changed much during the day. She nurses before her two naps and before bed...other than that maybe one random nursing session if she's upset. At night, I honestly have no idea because I'm too tired to keep track these days...but I do know it HAS gotten better!

Solids: Eleanor LOVES to eat. Within minutes of waking up in the morning she is signing "more" to me and walking towards the refrigerator to look inside. She loves fruit (strawberries and bananas the most) and meat! Chicken, ground beef, sausage, steak... you name the protein and she'll eat it. I'm actually surprised she doesn't weigh more than she did last month with all the eating she's been doing!

Sleeping: I think the majority of Eleanor's sleep issues last month were due to teething, but Steven and I decided we had to make some changes in the sleeping department nonetheless. I needed a little bit of a break from suppling Eleanor's all you can eat buffet! So now, I nurse Eleanor before bed then Steven takes her and puts her to sleep. If she wakes up anytime before 11 Steven goes back in and puts her down again. After 11 I'm back on duty. And let's face it....I miss her by then and want to snuggle! I'm deranged.. I know. In just a few days of doing this she was sleeping 6:30 - 11:30. Then she just magically knows it's after 11 and she can wake up and mommy will come to her! She's a smart cookie! It has seemed to improve her sleeping though. She is waking less and going down pretty easily for Steven. I've even seen her wake on the monitor and self sooth all on her own. Night time sleep is 6:30 - 6ish and she still takes 2 naps a day.

New this Month: Last month Ellie was just toddling and still preferred crawling most of the time, but this month she is walking everywhere!! It's rare that I see her crawling at all! She is growing up way too quickly.. it's painful. She also loves to climb on everything. Especially chairs she's too small for giving me a mini heart attack on a daily basis. She now signs the word "book" and asks us to read to her at night (although I think she enjoys taking the books on and off the shelf more than reading them). And although "book and "more" are her only signs she is very communicative! She is constantly jabbering and trying to repeat the words were saying. My new favorite thing she does this month is definitely giving kisses. Whenever you make the "mmmm" sound she runs over and gives you a big kiss on the lips and then turns to the next person to do the same to them! Steven, Jack, and I get multiple sweet kisses from her everyday. She is still just my sweet, happy, happy girl. And even when she is fussy and having a bad day I feel like only me and Steven are able to tell. She is simply such a sweet natured little girl!

Happy 11 months, Eleanor Joy! 

You never cease to bring a smile to my face with your happy smile and sweet giggles. 

You make our lives so fun! We love you!!