Chase is officially 11 months old I honestly feel like he becomes more fun with every month that passes.
We’ve officially entered the phase of life where Chase no longer feels like my itty bitty baby. He moves a mile a minute, loves to roll, crawl and climb everywhere and gets the biggest kick out of pointing at everything, clapping his hands, waving, dancing when we ask him to dance (his side-to-side head bob is just the cutest) and constantly communicates though baby babbles, squeals, breathy noises and grunts.
Chase has been saying “mama” since he was six months old (back then it was more like “mamamamama”) but now it seems like he really knows that “mama” is me… or milk. We really only hear “mama” from him when he wants comforting or when he’s especially sleepy or hungry. He will also point at Sadie and say “da” so I think we may be on our way to “dog” as well!
One of my favorite personality traits from our little boy is the way Chase seems to love to try to engage others. He will crane his neck when we are out to try to look at the people around us and he’ll smile at strangers until they look at him and smile back. (Sometimes this backfires when the stranger is a man who says hello in a low voice which scares Chase and makes him cry!)
I have so much fun with Chase every day and Ryan and I constantly talk about how cool it is to watch him grow, learn and develop new skills seemingly overnight.
One word I constantly use to describe Chase is determined. He already seems to know what he wants or where he wants to go and will do this crazy up-down pushup inchworm crawl to get there in a flash. For a few weeks we kept waiting for him to learn how to crawl “normally” but Chase’s unique hand-release pushup crawl seems to be here to stay! Our pediatrician said some babies are crazy crawlers (or even skip crawling!) and apparently Chase falls into that boat with his up-down-scooter crawl. His crawl makes us (and our Gymboree friends) laugh a lot.
Chase seems to love climbing over things (like our legs) and is very determined to pull himself up to standing in his crib or along furniture. We aren’t seeing any signs of walking just yet, but Chase is a very mobile and active little guy!
Feeding
Well, it finally happened. The boob biting I’ve heard so much about occurred for the first time this month. Ouch! Thankfully it doesn’t happen regularly, but even a small handful of times is more than enough. What a little stinker!
Aside from the biting, breastfeeding seemed to change a lot this month and is quickly becoming an acrobatic endeavor as Chase twists, turns and even sits up to nurse. He will also often seem to only want to feed on one side for a hot second before shooting up and wanting the other side… We repeat this three times or so during at least one of our daily nursing sessions before he’ll eventually settle in and nurse normally. So strange! Chase has always been easily distracted while nursing, so this is just the latest in a string of crazy breastfeeding behaviors.
One thing I want to include in this recap mainly for my own memories is the response I receive from Chase to my singing during nursing sessions. When Chase is particularly flustered or overtired and refusing to nurse, the moment I start singing “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,” his whole body relaxes and he’ll nestle in and begin to nurse. It’s one of those moments that pulls at my heartstrings and gives me that ever-fleeting cuddle time with my baby boy that makes my heart overflow with love and joy. He really is my sunshine and my greatest source of happiness. Sometimes he’ll take a short break from nursing and make these sing-song baby coos along with my singing and I think my heart might just burst on the spot.
For those who have asked about my breastfeeding plans for the future, my initial goal was to make it to a year and reassess and that’s still my current plan. I don’t see myself stopping at a year if things continue to go well and will continue to take nursing day-by-day.
As far as real food is concerned, we are seeing progress! I ended up taking Chase to the pediatrician last month after a few days of some extreme fussiness and odd nursing behaviors. While we were there, I voiced some of my always-present concerns over Chase’s eating and preference for play over food at ALL times. Even though Chase is a small little dude – he’s still under 17 pounds – our pediatrician told me he’s growing along his own little curve and doing great. The doctor basically told me to chill out about his eating. He told me not to force spoon feeding if Chase is over it (I get a locked-jaw most of the time these days) and just give him plenty of opportunities to feed himself every day. This laid back approach is working so much better for Chase (and for me) and I definitely feel less stressed about Chase’s food.
I’ll prepare batches of plain/unseasoned foods for Chase but he really seems to like eating what we eat the most! He surprised us by loving chicken sausage, a spaghetti squash casserole and more. And he LOVES peanut butter. I know enough by now to know that when I hand a spoonful of peanut butter over to him, I will have baby covered in peanut butter to clean afterward, but he gets so excited and will suck on the spoon and try to grab the peanut butter off the spoon whenever we give it to him, so sometimes the mess is worth it.
Though Chase still seems to enjoy when I help him drink from a real cup (or water bottle) the most, he figured out how to use the straw on his Lollacup and drink a few sips in a row this month! Chase really likes water a lot and so far the Lollacup is the best sippy cup we’ve found that Chase was able to figure out on his own.
I feel like my motto surrounding feeding this month was to “chill out” and let it happen when it’s supposed to happen. Many of your comments about your little ones who didn’t seem to enjoy eating real food until after their first birthday helped ease my new mom anxiety SO much and I thank you for sharing your experiences with me! I do believe Chase’s desire to eat real food will progress and get better and better as he gets older.
Sleep
Ugh. Sometimes I just want to skip this section of Chase’s monthly recap because I feel like there’s so much back-and-forth and I could write a new summary about his sleep habits every week. Let’s just say some nights are good and some nights we’re up two times to nurse again. It’s hit or miss and dependent on so many factors. The good news is that whenever sleep seems to regress, it only takes a night or two of sleep training to get Chase back on course. Sleep is still far from wonderful over here, but it ebbs and flows.
Earlier this month, I started to get worried that Chase’s usually stellar napping habit was falling by the wayside after one week of super-short or no afternoon naps. I really rely on Chase’s naptime to work so I was very thankful when he slipped back into his two-naps-a-day rhythm the following week. We’re back to two 90-minute to two-hour daily naps which typically happen around 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and I’m very thankful for this work time!
Likes
- Pointing at everything
- Clapping
- Dancing (aka swaying his head from side-to-side)
- Clicking his tongue
- Waving
- Looking and smiling at strangers
- Peanut butter
- Chicken sausage
- Saying “Da,” “Mama” and “Ba”
- Splashing in the bathtub, pool or lake
- The drum at Gymboree music class
- Giving us his “stank face”
- Crawling toward Sadie’s food bowls
Dislikes
- Getting cleaned up after eating
- Low voices
- Being in one place for too long
Eleven Month Baby Favorites
We’ve had some new discoveries this month that Chase seems to love and I’ve added them to the beginning of this list that also includes some of our tried and true favorites that continue to be go-to items for Chase at eleven months old. (I also removed some past favorites that Chase decided he was no longer into this month.)
PLAY
- B. Parum Pum Pum Drum Set (Amazing!!! This was a baby shower gift that we just broke into this month and it’s fantastic. So many different parts and pieces for baby entertainment!
- V-Tech Sit to Stand Learning Walker (We bought this after Chase fell in love with it at a friend’s birthday party. He LOVES this thing!)
- Step2 Finding Dory Water Table
- Infantino Turtle Shape Sorter
- Tuffo Outdoor Water-Resistent Blanket
- SpringWays Swim Float with Canopy
- Fisher Price Rock-A-Stack Ring Toy
- Fisher Price Kick N Play Piano
- Fisher Price Rattle and Rock Maracas
- Baby Einstein Bendy Ball
- Sesame Street Silly Sounds Remote
- Oball
- Baby Einstein Take Along Musical Toy
EAT/DRINK
- Lollacup
- Protective Floor Mat
- Chicco 360 Hook On High Chair
- NUK Mash and Serve Bowl
- Munchkin White Hot Infant Safety Spoons
SLEEP
Past Baby Updates
- Ten Months
- Nine Months
- What I Wish I Knew Before My Baby Was Born
- Eight Months
- Seven Months
- Six Months
- Our First Sleep Training Experience
- Traveling With A Baby For The First Time
- Five Months
- Four Months
- Three Months
- Two Months
- And Then He Smiled
- Three Weeks
- The First 12 Days
- Q&A: All About Birth & Life With A New Baby
- Chase’s Birth Story: Part I, Part II
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OH. MY. GOSH. I am right there with you! Mine’s 11 months today and I seriously cannot believe how this is possible!!! I am going back to work in September as well, so I’m even more emotional about it.
We have that walker too….however, the other day my little one was using a diaper box to “walk”. Haha.
We were up in the middle of last night too….I think because today, 98% of food ended up on the floor. I think I need to make some new things for her….going to try your muffin recipe, and maybe chicken sausage too 🙂
I hope your little one loves the muffins! And I feel ya with the food on the floor thing… Sometimes I feel like I spend 98 percent of my day cleaning up baby messes!
Wow, he is adorable. And it sounds like he will be/already is super active just like his fit parents! I bet it will be so awesome to have these full posts to look back on, even just a few years from now.
https://thedogtribe.com/2016/07/05/burpees-and-biking/
I’ve been seriously slacking on filling out his baby book, so I’m hoping these posts will basically be my version of Chase’s baby book! <3 And thank you so much for your sweet words, Michelle!
He is such a darling baby! You are so blessed, Julie!!! 🙂 Hope the sleeping keeps getting better for you.
it’s so fun as they become more and more expressive!!
Yes Sleep ebbs and flows! Best sleep advice I have ever gotten. We are currently struggling with taking enough formula/bottles during the day.. it seems as if he is OVER IT and stresses me the f out. I need to chill way more too, easier said then done for sure!
Wow I can’t believe he’s already 11 months! Time flies!
Love your recaps as I have an almost 11mo old!! They’ve been such a great resource!
Wondering when you started giving Chase PB and how you did it? I know this can be controversial thing, but my Ped gave us the go ahead…my first time mama nerves are just getting the best of me in trying it 😉 would love some advice! Thanks!!
Our pediatrician is pro-peanut butter as well! We don’t have a history of peanut allergies (or any food-related allergies) on either side of the family, but I still just gave him a very small taste at first and watched him closely. We worked our way up to bigger helpings and he absolutely loves it!
I have a life-threatening peanut allergy, and our ped was even MORE adamant that we start our little guy on it asap. The first two times, my husband and baby hung out in the ER of our local hospital (just in case!) while eating it, and then waited there for an hour. The nurses were super relaxed about it since it didn’t require anything of anyone (and the cute baby provided much entertainment for others in the ER, ha ha), and my husband and I felt like trying it out in the actual hospital was about as careful as we could be. Thankfully it was uneventful, and it looks like baby is in the clear for the dreaded peanut allergy. Whew.
I can’t believe he’s almost one! I’m sure getting him used to solid food is hard, but I’m sure it will happen.
Oh my goodness I cannot believe he is already going to be one….I feel like you just had him! Time sure does fly!
If I were you, I would definitely keep up with giving him what you’re eating rather than trying to prepare special “baby” foods. I struggled feeding my now 2 year old at first too, and we just eventually discovered that she hated bland foods! I never really restricted what I was eating throughout pregnancy and my year of breast feeding, so I just think she was always used to lots of flavors! I’ve sometimes hesitated when something I make ends up a bit spicier than expected, but even that she ends up loving. She has had Thai food, some of my Blue Apron creations, all kind of pastas with different sauces…if he seems interested in different flavors, I saw go for it! It also makes your life easier too rather than preparing a separate meal, so added bonus 🙂
Aw happy 11 months Chase! It’s crazy how fast it goes. Everyone says that and it sounds so cliche, but it’s so true! My daughter will be TWO in October and that just blows my mind. I feel like we just had her 1st birthday party!
He is so adorable!! Your bit about food really resonated with me – my daughter was a preemie, and she would NEVER take more than 2 ounces at a time, so I obsessed about it for probably the first year of her life. (I had a little notebook that I would write down every feeding, the ounces, and then tally it all up at the end of the day.) We started on solids between 4 and 6 months, but she still wouldn’t eat much. Now that she’s almost 4, I can see she’s a lot like I was as a child – doesn’t like breakfast and prefers small snacky meals to larger ones. I wish I would have mellowed out about the food sooner, but you really can’t convince a first time mom to stop obsessing about things! 🙂
It’s so true! Our pediatrician really helped me because he was pretty strong when he told me I needed to “just chill out about everything” and trust him when he tells me Chase is doing juuuust fine. (Easier said than done, right!?)
That second photo of Chase smiling is so cute!
Thank you, Fiona! <3
Same thing with nursing over here! Adeline is getting SO distracted and it’s so hard to get her to nurse WELL if anyone is in the room with us, or even if the TV is on. If she’s extra fussy or distracted I can hum “hush little baby” and she’ll chill out immediately and usually fall asleep!
Time really does fly. Happy 11 months!!
I have a little peanut too. She is three months old, and still under 10 lbs. We’ve been dealing with suspected silent reflux to a milk allergy and have finally fallen into a routine with regular eating. We struggled for so long. I also worry about her weight, so I can commiserate! It’s hard to just listen to the doctor, but if he/she isn’t concerned, we probably shouldn’t be either.
I wholeheartedly agree – our baby girl much more prefers what we are eating! I prepare all her food too, and she would rather eat what is on my plate than a puree of sweet potatoes – she likes that stuff too, but doesn’t get excited about it. And she loves feeding herself so I try to let her do that as much as I can. And also spices – she loves her food seasoned. I never really tamped down on the spice while pregnant nor while she was only getting breastmilk for the first 6 months. I guess it is true they can pick up on those notes of what you eat, because she is barely interested in a plain piece of chicken but give her a grilled chicken breast seasoned with my homemade blend (salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, chili, & paprika) and she will tear it up! I actually stopped making the purees for the most part. A lot more work than just chopping up what is on my plate.
I can’t even with how adorable his little cheeks and blonde hair! He’s seriously adorable. No babies for me yet, but I was almost a teenager when my brother was born and he looked so similar to Chase now. Keep enjoying the little moments!
He’s seriously so cute. I love reading your recaps as they give me a glimpse ahead for my 7.5 month old. Good luck getting through next month’s without a tidal wave of tears!
So so adorable! My daughter will be 9 months soon and she is hating us feeding her these days. We’ve always given her our food but some times breakfasts and lunches are easier when it’s purees, haha. But she’s growing and if she’s eating great, and if not, she must not be hungry! Chase looks healthy and happy to me! 🙂
He is so adorable!! My baby girl turned one 2 weeks ago & she’s such a picky eater. I swear she will go an entire day and barely eat anything and then the next day she will have 1 meal she completely devours. It’s a big source of stress for me, but our pediatrician said the same thing – just chill out. She’s growing and she won’t starve herself. Who knew another human’s eating habits could consume so much of our thoughts, right?? Haha!
OMG reading this made me cry for you that Chase is almost a year old! It’s amazing how becoming a mama changes you! My boy is 15 weeks today and I already feel so nostalgic for those little baby days. But I’m excited to see him grow too. Being a mother is the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. I appreciate connecting with other moms via blogs like yours! ❤️
He is so precious, Julie! I love reading these updates. Your blog has always been one of my favorites <3
Blessings,
Edye | http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com
Thank you so much, Edye!! <3
What a spunky guy! I just wanted to give you some friendly reassurance. I had three kids in three years (they are now 3, 4 and 5), and they were all HORRIBLE sleepers. None of them slept through the night until older than 12 months, and they were fussy and let everything bother them (colds, teeth, being too hot, too hot, hungry, over-tired… you name it!) We never had a consistent night, EVER. I rocked and fed all of them to sleep, because it’s what I had to do to survive (it was the quickest and most painless way of getting them to sleep).
Now they sleep anywhere, anytime, any place, no matter what. They are all brilliant, solid sleepers now. So I guess what I’m trying to say is hang in there, I promise you will get consistent nights of full sleep one day! You’re doing a brilliant job.
I think you are a smart mama to voice concerns about the food, it’s hard not to worry! 17 pounds for a one year old is very small, especially a boy. Maybe you could try high calories smoothies or milkshakes? I make my kids peanut butter smoothies and they love them! I use the cheap straw take along cups and they work perfectly 🙂
I’m not sure why but I was so nervous to give my little guy peanut butter. I gave it to him for the first time last week and he loved it and had no reaction- go figure! 🙂
Hi Julie – Great Update! I am a FTM due in late August and I wanted to know if you ever baby-wear?? I ended up receiving two different carrier styles (Boba Wrap & Tula Carrier) and wanted to know what your experience was. Do I need both? Only one? None?
Thanks! Lori
Hi Lori! I used both the Baby K’Tan and the ErgoBaby and loved both! You probably don’t need both but I preferred the K’Tan (it’s more of a snug-fit and wrap-style) but Ryan really likes the ErgoBaby. If I were going to only get one, I’d go for the ErgoBaby because you can adjust the size so multiple people can use it!
I definitely agree with what the one girl above said about giving babies flavorful food. I have a 3 and 5 yr old and always seasoned their food so that they would get their taste buds going. Herbs are always so healthy so you can’t go wrong. Try a little cinnamon on sweet potatoes, butternut squash, oatmeal and also butter on some things like broccoli or other veggies. But even always let him try what you’re having, as long as it’s not too spicy, to broaden his horizons so he expands his palate and likes more foods. The mistake is keeping things bland and then you’ll be making your dinner and a second ‘kid food’ dinner for your kids. Babies and toddlers will regress with food while growing up but as they get closer to 4 or 5 years old they should be more on board with lots of different foods. Good luck!
This post makes me nostalgic, I found your blog last year at this time and you were just having Chase. And I just found out I was pregnant! It has been so great to read all of your check-ins and prepare myself for whats ahead :).
Hi, Julie! I’ve been a long-time reader and just love your blog! I especially enjoy reading your updates on Chase. 🙂 Your son sounds so similar to mine. He was born at a healthy, yet small weight and has remained in the 1st-5th percentile ever since. I spent WAY too much time worrying about his size and appetite, honestly. If your son is nursing well and is energetic/happy (which he seems to be!), all is good. 🙂 What’s important is that he’s growing along his own curve, as your doctor said. My son is now 17 months and probably 19-20 lbs soaking wet. 😉 He was 17.5 lbs at a year (weight gain really slows down into toddlerhood). Some days, he eats a TON – other days, as much. I do give him PediaSmart (the organic version of PediaSure) every morning with breakfast, so that does give me some peace of mind because I know he’s definitely getting plenty of calories!
You might be able to relate to a post I wrote a few months ago. 🙂 http://tampabay.citymomsblog.com/2016/04/15/things-moms-skinny-babies-understand/
I’m not really into baby books, but I have one that I SWEAR by. It’s called Child of Mine, and it’s all about feeding. Basically you determine the What, When, & Where of meals and the child determines the Whether & How much. It has taken all stress out of mealtime for us!!
You are my sunshine was the lullaby my paternal grandmother sang to her children, my mother sang to us and the song I sang to my children.
My daughter is now 22 and that song can still calm her when she is super stressed. I’ve been know to sing it over the phone or text the words when she just needs a hug and I’m not there with her.
‘Welcome to our learning farm; we’ve so much to show you. Shapes and colors, music too; there’s so much to do!’ ?
AHHHH!!!!! That song haunts my dreams!!! LOLLL
I’m with you about feeling stressed about solids and feeding. I feel like there is so much conflicting information, purees vs no purees, which first foods are best, iron fortified, allergies, portion size, pieces that are too big or too small, are they getting enough vs are they getting too much… I’m a first time mom to a 9 month old baby girl (Sadie) and food is the main thing always on my mind. We just tried PB this week and she loves it, but I had to convince myself for a month before I would let her try it. I have to keep saying to myself “under 1 just for fun” all the time! My doctor also told me to relax, that he is not worried about her calorie intake and she is growing along her curve just fine – which definitely took a bit of the stress away. The funniest thing is that Sadie tries to feed herself with her spoon but ends up tossing it and we end up with a spoon graveyard under her highchair – our dog Storm is starting to catch on that this highchair baby thing might not be the worst thing in the world…
They grow up so fast! I love this age (around 1) because you start to really see their sweet personalities! From one momma to another…all of my three kids bit me once during the time I nursed them. I just pulled them away and lightly tapped their mouth and firmly said “No bite!” They all cried because it was the first time in their sweet existence that I was ever stern with them…but they never bit me again! LOL! 😉 I absolutely love the way Chase reacts to your singing! It made me tear up reading that story! Gosh don’t you just want them to stay little forever?!