McKinlee: 11 Months ~ Lovestrong

It has been SO long since I last blogged! I wanted to give a quick update on McKinlee though before she grows up too fast! For the past month (almost) we've been visiting both Stafford and my family. Stafford had a long break from school and it just worked out perfectly so we could see everyone! We thought it would be months before we got to see our families again, but we lucked out. During that month I could just see McKinlee changing every day. We were assuming she would start walking this trip since she had taken her first steps just days before we left. She sure did get more comfortable on those feet, but she didn't start preferring to walk until a couple days ago. Now I can barely keep up!

Sleep: Can I just tell you how grateful I am for this baby?? We always get little jokes from people about how our next child will be horrible since we've been so blessed with a great sleeper. I'm afraid they're right. Since our trip, she started waking up at 10 then naps around 12 or so. She'll sleep for an hour and then she goes back down by 6. She falls asleep for the night at 11 or 11:30. It was vacation, so we were very relaxed with her sleep schedule. She's gone down to 2 naps a day this month and that's a little bit of a bummer. I love nap time because I don't feel bad for getting work done around the house. When she's awake she just loves being held and showing me all of her fun toys over and over again. I love that.

Size:
Weight:15.8 lbs

Height: ?

Head:?

Baby girl is in size 2 diapers. I've gotten out a few of her 12 month things, but they're pretty baggy. I have a pair of jeans from a friend that are size 6-12 months and I'm dying for the day that she can wear them! It's funny how different each brand is. I feel like McKinlee has grown a lot in just the past week. I'm excited for our doctor appointment at 12 months to see how much she's grown!

Food: We have just discovered the squeezable pouches of food! Cue angels singing. What a life saver they have been. Baby girl can hold them and suck them herself, with close monitoring of course. It's so much easier than spoon feeding her. She is just a little wiggler these days. I still stay away from nuts and peanut butter and I also have avoided plain eggs, milk, and honey. She's getting over her love for puffs and going back to Cheerios and Graham Crackers which are her new favorite. She also loves avocado, wheat bread, apple sauce, cheddar cheese, apples, pears, bananas, sweet potatoes, and the occasional chocolate. Rice now makes her gag more than ever, so I'm taking a break from it. We still giver her lunch meat, but she hasn't really had too much meat for the past month. Now that we're home I'm sure we'll get back to trying new things. It's the little things that get us excited!

Milestones: McKinlee is now a walker (as of 11 months and 4 days). She now stands up in the middle of the room and will just start walking where ever she wants to go. It's the cutest thing to watch. This is my favorite part of the job. I love watching my baby learn new things. She also has mastered the wave. The other day we were at the grocery store and I see a man smiling and waving then I look at McKinlee and she was totally waving at him. She always let's out a "haaa" when she waves to people around her. It is the cutest. It's fun that she likes to smile and interact with people around us.

Basically this little girl is growing up. I can't believe her first year is almost over!! Her first year of holidays is all over! I have loved every bit of having a baby and now on to the toddler stage... woo hoo!