my totie

11 months. The gap between newborn and toddler seems to have escaped us; I cannot recall a moment or day in which I felt like Eddie was no longer a baby because it seems to happen suddenly and yet your logic tells you it obviously occurred over the course of months. From pulling himself up onto objects and surfaces that appear out of his reach to opening and closing every drawer and door to climbing stairs and emptying contents out of buckets and baskets, Eddie is officially into everything. He is so active that he doesn't seem interested in eating or nursing and often squirms out of the chair to just play play play. Today we had a major scare and simultaneous realization that Eddie is no longer a baby - he climbed out of his highchair and fell. I am still sort of in shock that it happened right before my eyes - I was on the other side of our kitchen island and so I didn't see the full trajectory of his fall. It happened so fast. He was on the floor sort of on his side but it was obvious the front of his head hit because it was red. Of course he cried but not for long; the minute I picked him up he stopped. He seemed a little in shock and a little like the wind got knocked out of him. I held him as I called the doctor, whom advised that we just monitor him for signs of concussion and if he shows any then go to the emergency room of the childrens' hospital. This happened around 11 a.m. and it is now 2:45 and he is acting totally normal. He is napping now and they said to check on him every half hour and try to arouse him lightly but touching his arm or something to see if he moves. Of course I already have gone in to check on him and totally awoke him, having to re-initiate our bedtime ritual to put him back down.

My totie (short for toddler) is strong; this month amongst the usual bruises and scrapes he has sustained two split lips, a big scratch from Marty on his head and numerous tumbles. I know there will be more. He is acquiring new skills all the time now - clapping, dancing to music, raising his arms, attempts at waving and pointing. He can hand an object back to me if I ask for it. He has started throwing things. He feeds himself finger foods and grabs items from bowls to eat; loves to make a mess out of things like yogurt and oatmeal. Although he has been able to drink from a cup assisted for while now, he still hasn't mastered drinking on his own and prefers to spill the water everywhere and splash. He really likes every food I put on his tray, but especially likes his fruits (new ones include strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, peaches) and his pasta, in particular macaroni (whole wheat of course!) and his cheeses. I worry that he is not eating enough though for how active he is; and especially am concerned that he is not getting enough breast milk since he tends to just take a few gulps and then detach and want to play. I am trying to give supplementary bottles and milk in a cup, but he isn't very interested in actually drinking it. He is a skinny baby, long skinny arms and a wiry frame. I know I shouldn't compare but I feel like other babies his age are plumper and have true baby fat; Eddie doesn't have much fat reserves.

He is either sleeping through the night or only waking once. And regularly takes two naps a day; no signs that he will be moving to only one nap soon. Well, I take that back. If it was up to him, he would take no naps whatsoever because he just wants to stay awake and play. I think we have to revise his sleeptime ritual because our routine of books then boob then beddy or bath then book then beddy is no longer working. Now in the evening after his bath he wants to play again for another half hour to an hour and it is hard to not allow it because he seems to have so much energy that needs to be expelled before he will actually fall asleep.

Excited for the next couple of months, for our first vacation together, for more developments, for new classes and new baby friends.