11 Month Update

E L E V E N months… of you sprouting teeth like it’s a full time job! You officially crawled the day you turned 11 months, thanks for taking your sweet time baby girl. You’ve been such a joy this past week…a total change from this last month of teething and sick bugs that swept over you. Your hands and feet still do the wild flail a million miles an hour when you’re both happy and sad. I hope it never ends… it’s so fun to watch! Your daddy and I are constantly looking at you and telling each other, ” She’s SO little!!!!” You tug on our hearts too much, sweet girl! Happy 11 months!

YOU

You started crawling a few days ago and you’re already pulling on the side of furniture and in your crib. It’s nuts! You seem to enjoy being a bit more independent now that you can crawl towards whatever you’d like. You have a love/hate relationship with foods. I honestly never know if you’ll eat or not, ha! You prefer finger foods that you can explore and pick up. Every time I put food in your mouth your reflex is to pull it back out to examine it. You love sliced carrots and soft green beans, they’re your fav! You also love yogurt, chicken nuggets, spaghetti, and lasagna. Oh, and pizza. YOU’RE OBSESSED with pizza! If you see us eating, you want it. We also do pureed pouches to give you a quick feed when we’re out running errands. You do great at the gym! I always go after you’ve gotten a little nap and have a full tummy. I’m hoping it keeps you from being too fearful of strangers. You typically sleep from 8pm-7am. You’ll take 2 naps a day. Our busy schedule changes every day and you do well with being flexible. You enjoy nursing 4-5 times a day. You rock your bottles with your daddy or the babysitter. Your daddy mentioned to me the other day that you’re interacting more. I can tell he loves it. We all love you, sweet girl. You truly are perfect addition to our family. Your older siblings each adore and play with you in their own ways. Savannah is still your favorite while you’re equally a mama’s and daddy’s girl!

ME

I’ve had a great few weeks. I decided to commit to exercising and it’s been a game-changer for me. A while ago, I found myself resenting my demanding schedule. I typically have always prioritized my nutrition and fitness. Even through vomiting from my 40 week long morning sickness with each pregnancy, I was still exercising because it was healthy in so many ways for me and the baby I was growing. I didn’t get caught up with excuses to get in the way of that and I’m so grateful for that commitment. Emotionally, I tend to put myself at the very end of my priority list– especially when that list gets too long. The demands of my new babe and the twins that stay with me full time began to spill over into resentment and overwhelmed feelings.

You know those times where you feel as if you’re drowning? And you legitimately have no idea how you’ll climb out? I was there for months. My husband suggested I start waking up before the kids. LOL, I’m not a morning person. Especially since I go to bed after midnight every night. Well, in one of my pity parties I imagined that I was my bright and confident future self offering my current overwhelmed-self advice. And she told me that it would be a good idea. I’d have the quiet time to focus on me by meditating, getting dressed, getting fed, and doing everything I need so that when the kids all wake up I’m ready to give them all of my attention and make the time to exercise. And y’all, it worked. It’s the exact change I needed to make.

Emotionally and physically I’m getting to a really good place. I haven’t weighed myself since giving birth almost a year ago. I’ve never given the scale any thought. It doesn’t tell me anything about myself, it’s just a number. And numbers look different on everyone. And the scale fluctuates SO much, I think it’s a silly thing to offer power to. I know what my nutrition and physical activity look like and so those are safe bets to consider. I think I might have an umbilical hernia that I’d love to get checked out (thank you, twin pregnancy). I haven’t performed any targeted ab workouts since I gave birth and I won’t until I see a doctor to clear me. Yesterday I began planning Avery’s 1st birthday party that I’ll probably host next weekend. My last 1st birthday party. TIME… slow down, you thief! xo

My extremely talented friend Emily from Olive Rae Handmade has the most amazing collection of flowers and greenery from her floral crown designs. We used preserved roses, holly leaves, and rice flower. Each month I send her a picture of the outfit Avery will wear and she pulls together a few of her favorite combinations to bring. Then we pick and choose what to add into the numbers. LET ME TELL YOU, #11 was SO hard to create. After the fact, I joked that we should’ve completed only 1 number and then cloned the second “1”. Replicating floral anything isn’t easy, haha! Thank goodness Avery took a nap while we worked on the floral number because it took us a long time! I really should share with you the photos I snapped with my phone to see how the 11 was looking. It’s SO funny!

I smiled when Emily sent this photo of Avery nursing while I’m still in my gross gym clothes. I love it when I pick Avery up and she lets her head fall in to my arm because she’s so comfortable with breastfeeding. These quiet moments feel like a mama payday that I know I won’t always get. 

Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *