Eloise - 11 months

Eloise had her 9 month well baby check up about a week and a half ago.  A little late but what can you do.  With the move and vacation this was the soonest I could get her in.  The doctor said she was perfect.  Like we needed her to tell us that!  She had pretty much passed all the developmental questions for a 9 month old months ago.  The medic who weighed her and asked us the questions seemed a little surprised that I'm still breastfeeding.  My goal from the start was at least a year and we're almost there!  WOW!

Here are her stats:

Weight: 18.7 lbs  -  28th percentile

Height: 28.7 in  -  65th percentile

Head: 17.7 in  -   64th percentile

Eloise is officially a toddler!  She hasn't crawled in weeks.  She even gets up and tries to walk in the bath tub, on the couch, the counter top and the bed. We went to the movies the other night and Woo and I ended up roaming the halls of the theater.  Every time someone would come by she would give out a little "hey!"  (She likes to get everyone's attention when we're out.)  We got more than one "You look too little to be walking around!" comment.  She would just laugh and walk off.  Leaving me behind!  The girls at the concession stand were all over her.  She was giving out high fives and "running" back and forth down the hall.

She still loves to play with clothes.  She loves to gather them and carry them around.  When I'm doing laundry, I have to closely watch my piles of clothes or she'll grab an arm full and be off.   She likes to pick up the blanket I cover up with, which is far too big for her to be carrying around.  She stumbles and falls a lot but won't put it down.  She is so happy carrying those clothes!  Silly baby!

 She actually gives me things when I ask for them!  I think it's amazing.  All I have to do is hold my hand out and say "Can I have that?" and she brings it to me.  She doesn't always want to let go once I have it but, more often then not she will.  I love this.  It makes life just a little easier.

She loves music more than ever.  She starts bobbing that head when she hears a song.  It doesn't matter what she's doing.  Nursing or sleeping - if she hears music she just reacts.  She'll even bob that head to the toilet flushing, when we're brushing our teeth or the dish washer.  If she's on her feet she dances.  Which is pretty much her doing squats.  It's pretty funny to see her try to dance and bob her head at the same time.  She's not entirely coordinated to do both yet.

She loves my phone.  She carries it around a lot.  Sometimes she holds it to her ear and pretends to talk.  When she gets fussy in the car I'll put on some music and let her hold it.  She's figured out that pressing the button on the bottom makes it light up.  She some how even gets to the camera and music without my help or opening the phone.  I'll just hear music playing out of no where.  When I get it back there are new blurry pictures and even videos she's taken!

We have recently discovered a new love -  frozen chocolate covered bananas.  Eloise loves them!  If she sees you have one she works her way into your lap.  If you take too many bites without giving her one she gets in your face and tries to take it out of your mouth.  Not with her hand but with her mouth.  At first we thought she was trying to give us kisses but no she just wants our food!

She loves to go outside.  She gets the biggest smile and starts bouncing as we go down the stairs.  She tries to talk to all the dogs we see.  She prefers to walk on the sidewalk instead of the grass.  I've sheltered her far too much!

She points with her thumb.  I try to show her how to use her pointer finger when we're pointing to things in her books.  She tolerates me but when I let go of her hand she uses her thumb again.   Weird, no?

She loves bubbles.  We mainly bring them out at bath time.  Of course I have to bring the "fun bath" to Eloise!  Hudson and Chapman may get jealous.  At first she tried to pop the bubbled that landed in the water with her mouth.  She learned fast that her hands were much better to use than her face!

The other day Eloise was playing with her shaped blocks and she actually got one in the right shaped hole!  I was so excited.  She didn't know what she was doing and it's happened a couple times since.  You're bound to get a couple in when you're trying to jam a block in every shape in the lid.  When we're playing with her blocks I'll put one on her head and let it slide off.  She's so funny because she wants it to stay on and slide off.  She keeps her head really still then laughs when it falls.  She tries to put it on my head but it never really gets there.  Hey at least she tries.

This month she has discovered my eyelashes and earrings.  She's very gentle while figuring these two new thing out.  With my eyelashes she just kinda rolls them in her little fingers.  My earrings are just little studs.  She doesn't try to pull them out but like my lashes she rolls them in her fingers.  She goes from one ear to the other.  Turning my head from side to side.  It's really a sweet experience.

She's started banging her head against the wall.  Lightly banging I should say.  I can tell when she's about to do it too.  She carefully backs up to the wall with a sneaky little smile on her face, staring at me the whole time.  Then she starts banging that head.  Sometimes she giggles as she does it.  I really don't understand it - at all.

When she's playing with a toy that has a handle she puts in on her arm and carries it around like a purse.  She tried to carry one of her diaper bags on her arm but the strap was far too long for her.  She tried and tried but kept tripping on it.  Her stacking cup bucket works best.   

In just four short weeks I'll be writing a post about her first birthday.  Even though I've been planning her party it just doesn't seem real.  She's going to be one year old!