Owen at Eleven Months.

Less than two days until Owen turns one (!), so let's get started with his 11 month update:

Owen has become absolutely and completely obsessed with Ben. Whenever Daddy is around, all is right with the world, and there is nothing else that he wants than to be held by his dad or at least have him in his line of sight. We visit Ben at work almost every day, and it's so cute to hear Owen babbling in the back seat like normal until I ask him, "Owen, do you want to go see da-da?" Once he hears that, all he says/shouts/screeches/what have you is "Da-da-da-da-daaaaaa!" His adoration for Ben knows no bounds, and you know what? Ben is a spectacular dad who deserves to be adored by his boys. End of story.

Owen has no interest in walking on his own, although he cruises around furniture like a pro and walks if he's holding on to our hands. He also goes up the stairs at lightening speed and recently learned out to go down the stairs too. Owen stands on his own quite a bit and is getting better and better at standing for longer periods of time.

Owen's communication seems to be about the same as last month- saying ma-ma, da-da, na-na, and up. He seems to be understanding more and more each day and can obey many simple commands. He also has a number of games that he likes to play- peek a boo, so big, steal the binkie, and wrestling with daddy. He has also started shaking his head "no" when he's not into something, specifically when he's done eating.

Owen still doesn't have any teeth, but it seems like his bottom teeth will be coming in any day. What he does have, though, is the most adorable blond hair that curls like crazy after bath time. Love, love, love it. 

I have reached month 11 of my 12 month goal to breastfeed Owen. I have mixed feelings about transitioning Owen to cow's milk in just a few weeks. On the upside, I am So. Dang. Ready. to stop lugging my pump to work. It's just one more thing to cart in and out of my office building. I'm also so done with taking pumping breaks at work 1-2 times per workday. Yes, the breaks are lovely, but it is also stressful to plan my day around a pumping schedule. I'm also excited to have the worry of "Does the sitter have enough milk for Owen?" removed from my plate. I can just give her a jug of regular milk and call it good! On the downside, I loooove the bonding side of nursing. It's our quiet snuggle time, and both Owen and I love it. I don't plan on cutting nursing cold turkey (I can't imagine the discomfort of nursing 4 times each day to 0.... ouch!), but I'm going to start and drop daytime feedings, but keep the first and last feedings of the day for now. That's the plan at least, and I may change my tune next month when I actually try and change things.

Owen is such a great eater. He loves baby food, solid food, and anything in between. Strawberries, watermelon, pears, cantaloupe, grapes, blueberries, bananas, and raspberries are his favorite fruits. Corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, and cucumbers seem to be the favorite vegetables. He also loves goldfish crackers, yogurt, chicken, and almost everything else that I've given him. He seems to have mixed feelings about oatmeal and shredded cheese- sometimes he likes it, other times he isn't interested. The quantity of food that he eats greatly varies from day to day. Sometimes he eats and eats, and other times he'll just have a little bit here and there.

Owen is a pretty good sleeper, although I'm ready for him to consistently start sleeping through the night. Most days he wakes up around 7, naps at 10 (1-1.5 hours), naps at 2 or 3 (1.5-3 hours), and then goes down for the night at 8. Lately he wakes up most nights around 3 or 4, nurses for a quick minute, and then goes back down for bed. Owen likes to be swaddled in his blanky, although he is able to get out of the swaddle in .5 seconds and is just fine with it. He also wants his pacifier during naptime and bedtime, but it also comes out about .5 seconds after being in his crib and is just fine. He's just a creature of habit and loves his routine.

Here are a few pictures of my Owen Maverick: