Oliver - 11 Months

11 months.  My baby is 11 months old.  In one month he will celebrate his first birthday.  Whaaaa?  I can't believe a year ago we were heading into our last month of preparation for his arrival.  It's seriously no joke that the time just goes by so fast!  So, how did the last month go for our little cutie?

Weight - We did a rough estimate at home this morning and we think he's clocking in around 23 lbs or so.

Height - Didn't get a good check of this, I feel like he's likely 28-29 inches though as he was around 27 1/2 in September and I do feel like he's gotten a little longer.

Nicknames - Ollie, Ollie Boy, Buddy, Bud, Kiddo, Pretzel Boy, Squirmy Worm (sensing a pattern here?), Ollie Monster, Crazy Boy, Little Man or Little Guy.

Sleep - I feel like a broken record on this one.  Nope, still not quite sleeping through the night.  I honestly thought he would be by now, but it's just still a work in progress.  He does have some great stretches though, last night for example he was down from 9:45 to 4:30 with no problem and still went down after that 4:30 feed until getting up at 6:30.  So I do think we're getting closer.  Naps were all over the board this month but he seems to be getting his groove back there too.

Eating - ALL THE FOOD!  Ok, I'm kidding, but he has really had a chance to try just about anything and everything.  He is a big meat fan.  Loves most of his veggies.  Starting to love cheese and bread.  His favorite is getting to go to a restaurant with mommy and daddy and getting bits of what they're having!  We went to Cossettas, an italian restaurant in St. Paul the other night and he loved the mostaccioli!  He's a great eater.  He is still nursed, though I am slowly seeing signs he may be ok with weaning by his first birthday.  It's bittersweet, but I'm thinking by then we'll both be ready.  I'm definitely ready to say goodbye to Bessie the Breastpump!

Diapers - Consistency!  We're still in size 4, hooray!  The biggest change here is we pretty much do Pampers Cruisers all day and Pampers Baby Dry at night and naps, we stopped buying the Pampers Swaddlers.

Clothes - 18 month size and holding.  A handful of 24 month things are starting to fit, but not too much yet.  Most of our 12 month stuff we're done with, unless it's something that is sized 12-18 or even 12-24.

Mood - Super happy pretty much all of the time.  I know I say that a lot in these updates lately, but he really is a pretty content little guy!  Sure he has his fussy moments, but I swear those are fewer and far between these days.

Says (new category!) - we have a few simple words he seems to have learned: mama, dada, uh oh, "e" which we think means kitty or puppy, up

Loves - Swinging, being outside, walks, watching mommy and daddy play disc golf, eating at big people restaurants, sitting in a shopping cart, crawling around and getting into everything, playing with anything that isn't a toy, playing with things that spin, petting the kitty, silly songs like Old McDonald and The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Raffi music, playing in the leaves, bathtime, being naked, watching Curious George and the Cat in the Hat, Sandra Boynton books.

Dislikes - Diaper changes and clothing changes, being cold, having things taken away from him, waiting for his food, longer car rides when it's dark, walking outside too long in the dark.

Milestones/Things I want to remember - we went to another wedding this month, his first Oktoberfest, his first Halloween.  His first bad fever - but we survived.  Watching him crawl and pull to stand and get into everything.  We visited the Science Museum for the first time.  Watching him try and love all sorts of fun and interesting foods.  Enjoying as much of the fall weather as we could by spending lots of time outside.
Dear Oliver, In one more month you will have your very first birthday and I just can't believe it!  I can't believe a year ago you were still in mommy's tummy and we were busily finishing up things at home getting ready for you to be here.  We had a great month in October, I think you love Fall just as much as your mama does!  You love to be outside so much and I hope we can still spend time outside into November a bit here.  We've been so lucky with beautiful weather for you to enjoy!  I love watching you crawl around and get into everything, even if I have to tell you no sometimes, it's so fun seeing you learn and discover things around you.  Your giggles and smiles are pure gold and I'll never get tired of your sweet kisses and hugs.  You are the best little boy and you give us so much joy! Love, Mama