I can’t believe that Katie is already 11-months old. In fact, I feel as if the past few months have flown by in a whirl. As I’ve shared on Instagram, I really regret not posting more monthly updates. Now that time has gone by so quickly, I am already forgetting little bits of information. A few people recommended that I focus on just writing these versus making them perfect and sticking with a consistent format so, for today’s post, that is what you are going to get. I’m going to do my best to answer the questions I receive most frequently. A lot of people have asked for more information regarding Katie’s favorite foods these days now that she is primarily eating solids. That definitely deserves it’s own post so while I’ll make a few mentions today, I will also be sharing more details in another post.

Katie is growing like a weed and must weigh around 22 pounds by this point. At her last doctor’s appointment, when she was sick two months ago, she was on the 50th percentile for weight still and 95% percentile for height. She is still wearing size 3 diapers, which blows my mind since she grew out of the previous sizes so quickly. But, many people have told us that she’ll most likely stay in this size for a while since she will begin losing some weight as she continues to move more. A few people have asked about diapers so I wanted to let you guys know that we are still loving Pampers Swaddlers and even use the overnight version each night. We started using overnight diapers a few months ago when her wet diapers would wake her up around 4 AM. Since making the change, she is back to sleeping through the night! While we haven’t had many issues with diaper rash, we still love Triple Paste, as this medicated diaper cream seems to work better and longer than anything else we’ve tried.  She is wearing size 18 month footie pajamas (these are our favorite) due to her height and size 12 month or 18 month clothing during the day. While she still won’t keep shoes on for very long, we finally bought her a pair of See Kai Run shoes after receiving SO MANY recommendations from friends, neighborhood moms and the shoe store employees. She wears them anytime we’re at the playground or an area where she will be crawling and “walking” around that is not our home or the nanny share home.

Katie keeps us on our toes EVERY single minute of the day. She has figured out how to open doors, drawers and cabinets. Even when surrounded by her favorite toys and books, she will typically be so curious about her surroundings that she will pick up her favorite book or toy and then drag it with her as she investigates everything. She is standing and can walk with assistance but has only taken one or two steps so far but is not walking. We have done our best not to make reactions when she falls or trips as she’s trying to walk since we know that she looks to us to see our reaction and the calmer we remain the calmer she will be. Even though she falls daily, she has only developed one real bump in the process.

We traveled down to Savannah for a week this month and it was a totally different experience than our last flight back in December. Due to work travel, Bo flew down with Katie and I flew back with her so we were both able to experience traveling with her solo. Whereas she used to sleep in our arms or play calmly with one of her toys, all she wants to do now is explore and move. We both survived our flights but found it far more challenging. While she did not cry she did babble a lot which some patrons didn’t appreciate. We had the best luck when we flew nice and early during a time that included a meal. When we flew, I gave her each individual piece of food so the meal entertained her for nearly 25 minutes of the flight. I also brought a lot of toys, many of which she’d never seen before.

Our time down in Savannah was wonderful and enjoyable due in part to the fact that we did our best to stick with Katie’s normal schedule. Even though it was a “vacation” we knew that she would be happier and sleep better at night if we kept her on a schedule while still finding time to enjoy things like the pool, beach, and exploring Savannah. I loved having the time to take her on a stroller run each morning after breakfast and then in the afternoon, when she is up the longest, from 3-6pm we often headed to the pool or beach. This type of structure doesn’t work for everyone but, for us, it worked very well.

We are still following the Moms on Call method which is working out very well for us. Katie has thrived and gained weight while also napping well and has been sleeping through the night since six weeks.  While the Moms on Call method isn’t perfect for everyone and there are many different opinions on schedules, we have been pleased with it.  The schedule has evolved with her age, but a few things look the same as it did back when she was three months old- the wake time and bed time.  7:15 AM Wake and feed (7 oz)

• 7:30-8:00 Playtime
• 8:00-8:15 Breakfast (typically protein, fruit, carb such as 3 strawberries (sliced), 1 scrambled egg, & 1 homemade apple muffin)
• 8:30 Nanny Share drop off
• 9:15 -11:15 Morning Nap
• 11:15 Morning Snack (a protein + fruit or vegetable such as shredded cheese and steamed carrots)
• 11:30 – 12:15 Playtime
• 12:15 Lunch (typically a protein, vegetable and fruit such as homemade meatballs, peas and 1/2 banana)
• 1:15 – 3:00 pm Nap
• 3:-0-2:15 Playtime
• 2:15 – 4 Afternoon Nap
• 4:00 Afternoon snack (fruit, cheese, vegetable or carb)
• 4:15-5:15 Playtime
• 5:15 Dinner
• 5:45 Pick up from nanny share
• 5:55 – 6:45 Playtime at home
• 6:45 Bath time
• 7:00 Bedtime Bottle (7 oz) + reading/rocking
• 7:15 Bed

As you can see from the schedule, these days Katie only has 2 bottles per day at wake and bed and enjoys solids the rest of the day along with her sippy cup of water. We discovered this straw sippy cup at Publix when we were home and LOVE it! We have been very happy with our two high chairs – Stokke Tripp Trapp and the Inglesina. We only use the Inglesina for travel and restaurants but have been very happy with how easy it is to use and clean!

Until this week, Katie hadn’t spoken a true word. However, yesterday when I picked her up from nanny share she waved goodbye to the two little boys and said “bye bye” so clearly! We all started laughing and jumping for joy! Katie had no idea why we were laughing and just looked at us curiously. She loves waving to everyone she passes on the street and so far, she has no stranger danger whatsoever.

It’s hard to identify her favorite food as she has a great appetite and loves trying everything and anything including hummus, quinoa, feta, yogurt, asparagus, cream cheese, and more.

 

I’m sure I forgot to mention a few things so if you have any questions, as always please feel free to email or leave a comment. In addition, if you want more frequent updates, I’m sharing lots on InstaStories and Instagram.