The 11th Month {Full Report}

I had no idea, back when I posted this first little snippet about Moriah turning 11 months old, that I would be dealing with that horrible rash for days to come and would, consequently, find myself blogging, for a number of days, about little else than the state of my skin.  How boring!  Looking back, I can say that it's a truly wonderful thing I did not know at the time, because I would have been horrified at how long it would be until I returned to full health.  Living without foreknowledge and taking one day at a time is really the best way to live--imagine that!  ;-)

But now that the rash is gone--and has been for most of this week--I can return to the post I had intended to write 13 days ago: the full report on my sweet Moriah one month shy of her first birthday!

She's a girl on the move.  

By far, the biggest change in Moriah this month is how she suddenly transformed into someone who could get around.  I would put her down on the floor in a certain spot, but did she stay there?  Not a chance!  I wish I could describe how she locomoted, but the best I can say is that she didn't exactly crawl and she didn't exactly scoot, but somehow she moved!  It sometimes seemed as if she used a combination of getting up on her hands and knees, then sitting down in a different place than she had started from, then doing it all over again.  However she did it, it was certain that by 11 months, she was mobile.

Even though I thought for sure that at least one of her other teeth would come through this month, none did.  Despite two hard bumps where her top front teeth will come through and a hard bump on the bottom beside the one that is there, none of those three that I was watching decided to make an appearance this month.  She's still a one-tooth wonder!  :)

This (photo above) must be her "this little light of mine" pose.  ;-)

Despite the smiles on Moriah's face in these pictures, this month was actually a little rough--the hardest, for sure, of her life so far.  At first I thought it was teething that was bothering her; but when time went by and no teeth appeared and her symptoms continued, I realized it must be sickness of some sort.  It wasn't anything particularly serious, "just" a low-grade fever, a nose that ran like a faucet, drooling that soaked the front of her shirts and necessitated frequent changes of clothing, and general fussiness.  Most bothersome was that she, who has SO RARELY woken in the night for feeding ever since she started sleeping through the night at about two months of age, woke up crying in the night a number of times this month.  Each time, it didn't take long to nurse her and tuck her back in bed; but it was a change from her previous pattern...and I was relieved when she resumed her sleep-all-night habit.  :)

Moriah loves to be with other members of the family.  Watching her big brothers play is especially fun for her, and she continues to spend time each afternoon before her second nap in the company of one or more of them as they have quiet time.  She's thrilled when they talk to her and play with her!  :)

Despite her love of being with others, she goes to bed quite peacefully; and when she wakes up, she plays contentedly in her crib until I come to get her.  I am so grateful for this aspect of her character!

She continues to be a great self-feeder with her fingers, and she eats "big people food" almost exclusively--the baby food stage was a short one for her.  For breakfast, she often has strawberry yogurt Cheerios in milk, and I sit with her and spoon them into her eager mouth.  Actually, when I first put her into her highchair, I put some dry Cheerios onto her tray, and she munches on them for a little bit while I do a few morning routine things, like building up the fire, etc.  Then I sit down and feed her the Cheerios in milk, and she loves it.  :)  Other foods she enjoys are bananas, little pieces of cheese, beans, yogurt, etc.  It's hard to make a list because she just eats whatever we happen to be eating!  :)

She still nurses, usually 4 times a day.  I usually wean my babies at 12 months and go straight from breastfeeding to cow's milk in a sippy cup, skipping the bottle stage.  I suppose I'll do that with Moriah.  I'm not in a hurry to wean her though.  ;-)

Since Moriah is so mobile now, I wondered how long I'd be able to keep her lying on her quilt on the floor while I took these pictures of her.  Sure enough, it didn't take too long for her to roll over and sit up.  :)

That's OK: I like sitting-up pictures, too.  :)

When I see all the hair on her head, I remember her mohawk stage...and I'm grateful that the sides finally grew in.  ;-)

Maybe I've mentioned this before, but before she was born, when I imagined how she might look, I never really pictured her with such dark hair.  I always sort of thought she'd be more blond.

But needless to say, I think her dark hair is gorgeous!!  :)

Moriah's not super clingy these days...

...but she's still pretty fond of me and likes to be close to me.  Like when she's down on a blanket and I'm up on a chair...  :)  ("Aren't you going to pick me up, Mommy?")  :)

We surely have enjoyed these 11 months with Moriah; she adds SO MUCH to our family!!

And now, full speed ahead to ONE YEAR!!!  :)