Grayson: 11 Months

Oh, my Grayson boy.  You have stolen my heart.

This month was full of activity and changes following Grayson's swallow study.  He has completely switched over to soy-based formula thickened to full-nectar consistency and did so fairly seamlessly.  He developed another round of chest congestion and a low grade fever the day of the swallow test but each day is doing a little better and we're praying this will be the last of it!

He doesn't get weighed again officially until 12 months but when we saw the doctor for an ear infection on the 10th, he weighed 19 pounds with his clothes on and had gained weight from our previous visit.

Since I cut out dairy from my diet before Christmas, Grayson's digestive system has shown vast improvement and even more so since switching to formula.  He has even started taking mashed and blended food from a spoon for the first time and expanding the number of finger foods he will put in his mouth.  He is still chewing and spitting out most finger foods but we are encouraged that a lot of his previous taste or texture issues seem to be more associated with discomfort from his dairy sensitivity.  I am hopeful that as his gut continues to heal and he can create new habits related to eating, he will begin swallowing more and more solid food.

To date, he will chew (and sometimes swallow) plain cheerios, multigrain cheerios, rice, blueberries, grapes, avocado, pear, apple, sweet potato, corn and peas.  He has tried but will not tolerate broccoli and bananas.  In the last few days he has happily swallowed applesauce, sweet potatoes and pureed prunes.  Hurray!

I cannot put into words the relief and joy it brings to my heart to see my 11 month old opening his mouth when I bring a spoon to it.  Such a small thing that I took so for granted with Ava!  It is hard to relinquish control over everything that does or does not go into my son's body but I trust that God will feed my baby and give me wisdom in how best to help him grow!

In the last month Grayson has gotten more sturdy on his feet and has started unlocking his knees and taking mini steps while holding onto furniture.  He has gotten more confident in his movements, can climb up and over and into just about anything and his curiosity keeps me on my toes.  Even feeling under the weather 90% of the time, this kid is a busy little trouble seeker.

Though I wouldn't say Grayson is consistently saying any actual words except for "dada", I have caught what sounds like "Ava" and "a-da" (all done).  He has also started repeating basic sounds of words as I say them.

He doesn't have the patience for reading any books yet but he does enjoy looking at Baby Animals and hearing me make a fool of myself imitating animal noises.  He is head over heels for Ava's old Elmo CD player and otherwise has to be coaxed into playing with actual toys and turning off his radar for electronic devices and Barbie accessories that he's not allowed to touch.

Grayson is still wearing 12 month clothes and some 12-18 and 18 month onesies and size 3 diapers (size 4 at night).  He is much more flexible than his sister ever was which serves our busier lifestyle well but his general schedule is below.  He is still taking 3 naps a day but can handle skipping one, is sleeping through the night when he's feeling well and is "eating" 3 meals a day.

7:30am  Wake up (sometimes as late as 8 or 8:30 and I rarely wake him early).  8 oz thickened formula

8:00am  Breakfast with Ava, cheerios and fruit

9:00-11:00am  Nap

11:30am  6-8 oz thickened formula, lunch with Ava (Cheerios, fruit and veg)

1:00-3:00pm  Nap with Ava

3:30pm  6-8 oz thickened formula

4:30-5:30pm  Nap if needed

6:00pm  Dinner with the family (Cheerios, fruit and veg)

7:30pm  4-6oz thickened formula, then to bed for the night

He is still wearing the Woombie (swaddle) to sleep and I'm at this point waiting until he is healthy for any stretch of time to try and ween him from it since it will be a scream fest.  He loves it and sleeps like a dream with it so despite the fact that he's almost a year old I'm in no hurry to break that habit.  It won't be long until he outgrows the largest size though so that will be a great thing to look forward to in the coming months.

In personality this kid is everything you could ask for.  Laid back, flexible, always smiling and quite the snuggle bug.  He is not all that opinionated, not easily frustrated or angered and though very curious and much more into things than Ava ever was, he has no ill-intentioned fiber in his body (yet).  I honestly am head over heels for this boy and his sweet face!