Eleven Months

 

ELEVEN months. How is it possible that we're so close to one year with this hippo toothed goofball? I feel like this month went by in a flash. We spent ten days in Florida visiting family and friends and then Thanksgiving came and the holiday decorations all went up... Where did November even go?

Lark has changed a lot this month, coming so much closer to being a toddler rather than a baby. I feel like she is so much bigger than Frankie was at this age and so mush more physically able. She is already darn close to making her first unassisted steps. This, of course, meant we were always on our toes all month. We stayed in the Halls' Airbnb in Jacksonville... Lark learned to climb stairs on day 1 when we arrived. She can escape her wagon/stroller. She can climb into unattended laundry baskets. She can almost escape high chairs already. She's a nut. Next thing I know, she will be learning to open baby gates.

Likes: 
Anything her sister is doing
Putting her hands in the dog's water bowl
Solid foods
Her walker toys and pushing chairs like they are walkers
Repeating sounds like dada, MUAH, mama, baba
Clapping
Putting things in her mouth
Chugging water

Dislikes:
Sleeping through the night (still)
No one paying her attention
Diaper changes/clothing changes
Sitting still
Not being allowed in her sister's room

Schedule:
What schedule? The girls were out of daycare for more this month than they were in thanks to the Florida trip and Thanksgiving break. Lark is still an inconsistent two time a day napper. Sometimes a single nap for two hours, sometimes several cat naps through the day. I am hopeful that moving to the 1 year old classroom where naps are structured will help her at home. For the most part, though, she is awake by 6-6:30. Then we have a breakfast snack and head to daycare by 8. I go pick the girls up at 5 and then its dinner/play/bath until bedtime at 7. On weekends, its a blur of food and napping and making sure she isn't eating something off the floor that she shouldn't until bedtime. 

Features:

We got two more upper teeth this month! Six teeth with the goofiest grin. We moved to size 4 diapers and are honestly already busting out of our 12M clothes. I'll be breaking out the 18M clothing before her birthday, I'm sure. Her long brown hair has the funniest cowlicks and she looks so much like her dad there. She still has the best eyebrows and eyelashes of any of us Russos. Warm chocolate cocoa eyes that will make you melt. I have NO idea how much she weighs or how tall she is and I'm not getting on the scale to check... its little details like this that I was so up on with my first kid, but the second kid just goes by so quick, you forget to even check when you take them to the doctor! She's nice and chunky though! And strong!  She's perfection

Milestones: (somewhere along the line, I lost this heading in my blogs and that makes me sad!)

Two more teeth

Waving and saying baba (bye bye)

Clapping

"Mama"

Climbing stairs

Firsts:

Flu shot

Porchfest in Florida

Thanksgiving

Christmas tree decorating

Winter lights at the Arboretum

Challenges:

Lately, our 16 year old chihuahua has been very sick. I know this is coming close to the end of the line for him. He's up all night coughing. On top of two kids that don't like to sleep through the night, add in a sick Chihuahua that can't settle down and we are SPENT. There's clearly a theme in Lark's first year and that theme is EXHAUSTED. She is so busy when she's home, too. I feel like I've run a marathon most days at the end. However, that's really all. It was a good month with her!

Thoughts: 

Is it Christmas yet?? I don't want to rush it, I want to enjoy every moment. But I am also anxious to see my sister and to do allll the Christmas activities with the girls. Frankie is at the age where she REALLY understands the holiday and the traditions now. I know that means Lark will enjoy them from a much younger age. We are on a tight budget this year for the girls, but they wont notice or care. I look forward to hosting Christmas morning brunch every year! I can't wait to do it again this year..... and then before you know it it will be January 1st. And my little tiny last baby will be 1. How did this happen so fast????? And so slowly???