Eleven Months
This month was a pretty tough one for us. New teeth (he now has 5 in all- 3 on top and 2 on the bottom) have made for more frequent sleep interruptions and less sleep led to an increase in cranky behavior (LOUD screams for several hours off and on throughout the day and even during one night- his last night as a 10-month old as a matter of fact!). Personally, I have been struggling with what I think could be labelled as a mild case of postpartum depression. It was fairly short-lived (thank goodness for this) and I think I have fully emerged from the anxiety and dark thoughts, but it was hard. Very, very hard some days.
Despite the trials of hardship, the month was also full of good things and fun. Rigby is a delight (even when he is screaming, well, most of the time that he is screaming ;) ) and I still love spending my days with him.
This month was full of movement! Rigby does not like to sit still or to be contained for very long. He is happiest on the floor, left to explore. He is crawling everywhere and, he's quite fast! He pulls up on any and everything and I have caught him a few times letting go with one hand and still having great balance. He is also frequently trying to push himself up to a stand from a crawling position with his butt aimed straight into the air. I am guessing that this next month will find him walking!
He likes to hold something in his hands most of the time. He loves strings of all sorts or small little toys he can fist. While eating, he is only happy when is tray is decorated with toys he can handle or even put into his mouth between bites. Unfortunately, our house seems to be full of small things like Legos and coins and small pieces of grass or sticks. He will quickly and without a doubt try to put these choking hazards into his mouth whenever possible. He is constantly testing our observatory skills! But, this behavior has had a plus side- he has motivated me to get a head start on packing up the toys, particularly the small ones, ahead of our upcoming cross-country move.
Rigby has had a strong will from his first moment of life where in the operating room every medical person around commented on his loud voice! Nothing has changed and, perhaps, I dare say that this month, his will got stronger! I try not to say “no” very often, in fact, I try to reserve it for situations where it really matters. One of the situations where it really matters is when he is screaming, as I mentioned earlier. The screaming almost always is when he is in his high chair or contained in some other way and is more frequent and more intense in the evening time, of course, when Jack is needing some attention with homework or a bath and I am also trying to make dinner. I think Rigby understands that he is not supposed to scream as I have caught him several times in the past few weeks, smirking or laughing after doing it. We are trying our best to change this behavior before he turns into a screaming toddler! And, this screaming may have halted our going out to eat for the time being as it is quite unnerving to ensure he stays entertained and quiet for the whole meal.
Another time his strong will asserts itself is during diaper changes or when being dressed. He tries to grab everything around him and he doesn’t like laying down on his back unless he is very sleepy and relaxed. It is a battle most times we need to change him and I often comment that it feels like a workout! As he gets stronger with each day, the diaper changing routine is getting a bit concerning as he tries, and a few times nearly successfully, to throw himself off of the changing table!
Sleep continues to be consistently inconsistent. He goes down for the night quite easily and readily, but wakes up anywhere from 2:00 to 4:30am for a bottle. David and I have created a system to help with his frequent waking- he gets up to feed and comfort him if it is before 4:00am and I get up if is after 4:00am. He usually goes back to sleep easily, but it jars me awake enough that I often find it hard to sleep again. His naps are also timed differently each day, mostly as a result of his inconsistent night. Some days, if he gets a bottle around 4:00am and goes back to sleep, then he doesn't wake up for the day until 7:30 or 8:00am and then won't nap until 12:00, leaving time for just one nap. Other days, he wakes to start his day at 5:00am and then he goes back down for a nap at 7:30am and then takes another nap anytime between 11:30am and 1:00pm. Each day is different which sometimes is a challenge.
This month brought us Rigby’s first words although they are still used infrequently and inconsistently as if he is still unsure of himself. To us, it sounds like he says "Dada" and "Ja" for Jack. His sounds also now include “m,” so I am hopeful the word "Mama" is soon to follow! He’s getting great at waving and clapping! He claps whenever we praise him or say "yay," "hooray," or "clap your hands". His clap is so sweet and gentle, we laugh that it seems like he is politely clapping at a golf tournament. And, he now blows kisses and even gives open mouthed kisses when prompted. His kiss blowing is either the hand to open mouth, a soft blow from his mouth, or a click sound as if he is trying to imitate the kiss sound we make. It is so sweet and cute!
He has a sweet and silly little sense of humor. He loves to play peek-a-boo usually by covering his face with his shirt and then peaking out after someone asks, "where is Rigby?" At stores or at Jack's school, he tries to illicit the attention of everyone by waving, kiss blowing, or laughing out loud. His is so affectionate and social! And, he gets plenty of comments about his feather-like hair, which I will admit I am completely in love with and never want to forget!
He is eating lots of foods and is getting better at feeding himself, although he still needs lots of practice. To prevent Sadie from eating half of his meal after it falls off of his tray, I end up feeding him myself most of his food. He does love holding and eating breadsticks which we learned when we went out for pizza and it kept him quiet and happy for quite a while. He eats plain yogurt with half of a banana (or another fruit puree) every morning and the rest of the meals and afternoon snack vary greatly from day to day.
We continue to be completely smitten about this baby boy. I love watching him grow and it feels like we are entering the golden time, but it is also bittersweet. In less than a month, we will have a one-year-old son! Happy eleven months, sweet Rigby! We love you so.
The first photo was taken on Easter, March 27th. The second one was taken on his actual 11 month "birthday" in Ravenna Park.