everett's eleven month update

posted by mommy

1. food - spoons have now officially been banned! he hates them...other than to play with and chew on. variety is still the name of the game but we just got some new squooshi reusable pouches and soft tips and he seems to like using those. nursing is still going strong. i've just stopped counting. he's very big into snacking and comfort nursing, and wants comforted often, especially since he's been teething again.
2. growth - ev is definitely getting longer and a bit trimmer, although his legs are still thick and chunky and juicy. i'm gonna miss those chunks when they're gone!
3. development - pulling up to stand using whatever is closeby is now a must. he pulls up on anything and everything, even if it's unstable, which has made for a few not so pretty falls. he also is getting really good at climbing up the stairs although still hasn't caught on that he can't just sit back. still no official first word, but he continues to "talk" a lot (read: yells!) and is actually quite the loudmouth!! i am also happy (& exhausted!) to report that two teeth came through this past month - the top lateral incisors. that totals 6. it was a rough month. and i'm hoping we get a break for a little while now from all that fussiness and constant waking!
4. sleeping - sleep has really only changed due to the teething. we were back to waking 2-3 times each night, and some naps have been cut short. we've also noticed some possible dreaming/nightmares being a cause of some of the waking, which we can't even imagine what a baby his age has to be afraid of...no more milk?! of course naps today were total busts (an hour for morning and half an hour this afternoon!), so we'll see where we go from here.
5. overall demeanor - this was definitely a more challenging month than the last and he again would be described as fussy. however, he does have his super cute moments and does pretty good playing by himself in his crib after he wakes up (that is if he doesn't wake up too early or crying!). he also really enjoys getting a bit more access to all the toys in the playroom and has begun figuring out how to slide out all the bins of toys.
6. favorite things - one of his very favorite things is his small stuffed turtle that greats gave us when owen was born. he loves to play with it in his crib and is often seen holding it while he sleeps. his other very favorite thing is to chase after his brother, especially when o "hides" under the crib!! they both then get under there and play peek-a-boo with us and it's hilarious! 

everett is on the move

posted by mommy and daddy

it's hard to keep everett in one spot these days. it's either up the stairs, under the bed, in the bathroom, chasing his brother...you get the point.

makin' my way to the top

posted by everett

i can follow my brother on the floor and now....the stairs. there is nowhere for him to escape.

happy eleven month birthday everett!

posted by everett

i turned eleven months on wednesday, so i only have one more month until my first birthday.

yay! i'm eleven months

always on the move

this photo session is done

my official birthday celebration

posted by owen

on wednesday, we officially celebrated my birthday with family gifts. afterwards, mommy came up with a cool idea of releasing a few balloons outside as a way of saying farewell to my birthday. since i turned three this year, we released three balloons...i convinced mommy to let me release the rest a few days later. thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate my birthday this year!

my very own workbench made by daddy
complete with tools from gampa and grammie

wow, it's just like daddy's bench!

i'm ready to build something

my friend eliana got in on the action too

a working drill with detachable battery, just like daddy's

daddy made me some wood pieces so i could
practice my skills

umma and uppa gave me a cool indoor bounce board

greats gave me the original memory game 
and a new book, carl's sleepy afternoon (a new fave!)

greats also gave me chutes and ladders...now i'm
really looking forward to family game night!

and from everett, another new book,
how i became a pirate

a really neat set of duplos from mommy and daddy,
my first build

yeah, more duplos!

i love building things with my new blocks

guess who else wanted to play along

teamwork

releasing balloons to signify the end of my birthday

bye, bye balloon

it was a terrific 3-year birthday

visit from umma and uppa

posted by owen and everett

umma and uppa came to visit us for a week and we all had lots of fun.

having fun with uppa

umma was a great help in watching everett

uppa playing with toys

umma did her best to help everett take steps

having fun at the park

everett hung out with umma and uppa while
daddy ran around with owen

everett and uppa

enjoying a bagel at our favorite local bagel shop

even everett enjoyed a few bites of bagel

since uppa's birthday is on the 20th, we decided
to share a birthday cake

everett getting ready for some birthday cake practice

owen and umma playing with the frosting

yummy cake

everett enjoyed the cake

oh yeah, everett's ready for his own cake next month

everett had no problem making a mess

nothing like cake and ice cream to finish off a day

being adventurous

posted by owen

to celebrate my birthday and uppa's, umma treated us all to dinner. we went to olive garden. i wasn't sure what some of the appetizers were that they got, but everyone encouraged me to try the "chicken". mommy kept calling it calamari so i wasn't too sure, but umma told me it was just like chicken. boy it sure tasted good especially with a little dipping sauce! gimme a plate of that and lemon wedges and i'll be all set!!

a few appetizers to share

going in for the dunk

lovin' the "chicken"!!

bowling fun

posted by owen

i went bowling today for the first time and had lots of fun. we were celebrating a belated father's day with uppa and he really loves bowling. daddy helped show me how to use the ramp as well as use my growing muscles to push the ball down the lane. 

look what i'm doing

posted by everett

daddy walked in my room to get me after my nap and this is what he saw. good thing they lowered the crib a few days before.

i'm a guppy

posted by owen

today i started a new swim class at our local rec center. last year i was in a class where mommy and daddy got to go in the water with me, but this time it's just me and the teacher. mommy and daddy have to sit on the sidelines. i love my teacher, amanda, she is so cool and very patient. i have two other kids in my class, both girls. today we worked on blowing bubbles, kicking, floating, scooping the water, and jumping (my favorite!). i absolutely love the water and i'm looking forward to more lessons in the next few weeks.

blowing bubbles

amanda is such a great teacher

the water felt great

practicing my form

learning how to cup my hands

so much fun!!!!!

kicking and splashing