Well, I am finishing this post when you are nearly 15 months old. It turns out free time is hard to come by with 3 kids and a job. You are super loved though!
Stats
Your weight dropped this month. At your 11-month BVC appointment you weighed 8.63 which was in the 21st percentile but at 9 months were you 8.81 kg. So you didn't just fall off of the curve you lost weight in 2 months. You had a stomach bug for about 6 days this month which didn't help and your appetite went down then plus you started crawling. The combo has been rough. You also learned how to shake your head which also didn't help.
Someone is over the box pics.
Eating
You had a rough month with eating. You had a tummy bug or tooth issues that caused less eating than normal. You also learned how to shake your head no so when we'd offer food you would shake your head no and we'd stop. But after the weight drop, I've realized I think you weren't actually done you were just doing a new trick because if we press on a bit more you will open up and eat more. You have also learned how to throw food on the floor which is super fun.
You had a rough month with eating. You had a tummy bug or tooth issues that caused less eating than normal. You also learned how to shake your head no so when we'd offer food you would shake your head no and we'd stop. But after the weight drop, I've realized I think you weren't actually done you were just doing a new trick because if we press on a bit more you will open up and eat more. You have also learned how to throw food on the floor which is super fun.
This month we dropped two nursing sessions (which also probably didn't help the weight). With the girls, they ate every 4 hours (7, 11, 15, 19ish) but with you, I added in an extra session at 1230 when you started sleeping through the night and falling off your curve. It was my favorite session because you would fall asleep during it. Well in preparation for going back to work 😠I need to start transitioning you to a bottle because I don't want to pump at work. I am very thankful for the generous parental leave that Sweden offers and if I was going back to work earlier I'd consider pumping but at nearly a year old I have zero desire to try pumping at work and then carting it back and forth. Someone got hungry on the way back from the pool.
Anyway, we dropped your 1230 feed and then a little while later we changed your 1530 nursing session to a formula bottle. Overall you are doing well thankfully but you don't always finish the bottle. The next feed to go will be the 11 feed but not until closer to when I go back to work.
Sleeping
Overall your sleep is great. You do well with naps and at bedtime. Occasionally you'll protest a nap but for the most part, you are very predictable. You are waking up after about 1.5-2 hrs in the afternoon vs 2.5 hours which is fine.
Coffee under the tree!
Firsts and New Skills
You are very fast at army crawling but still won't crawl on your hands and knees. You can go from your belly to your bottom and back again really quickly thanks to your cousins encouraging you when they were here. But once you get your foot turned around you flatten out your hips and army crawl instead of staying on your knees. I've been trying to get you to do some knee playing but you don't like it much.
One of our favorite preschool teachers left because she moved. We will miss her a lot!
Stella New Skills
Sorry Stella but I can't remember much and I didn't write anything down but I'm going to guess that you were hilarious this month.
Stella Funnies/Quotes
Stella and Jared were buddies when we were in Gothenburg. It was so fun seeing them play together.
Remember
Overall your sleep is great. You do well with naps and at bedtime. Occasionally you'll protest a nap but for the most part, you are very predictable. You are waking up after about 1.5-2 hrs in the afternoon vs 2.5 hours which is fine.
When we were in Gothenburg you had trouble sleeping but I think it was all of the skylights in the bedroom. Once we put up black trash bags over the windows, thanks Alyssa for that tip, you did great!
Clothes
You are still wearing size 68/74 clothes or 9-18 months. You haven't changed much which is probably because your weight stayed the same or dropped this month. You are wearing size 5 Pampers diapers.
Playtime
You are still very content and happy which is great but also makes me a bit nervous. You just aren't meeting milestones as quickly as your sisters were. I never really worked with them to introduce the next milestone. I could see them starting to be interested and then I'd help them practice. With you, I feel like I have to introduce the skills more because you aren't exploring them on your own yet. The physical therapist isn't concerned and I wasn't that concerned until I watched a video of Stella at 9 months old and saw a huge difference. I know I'm not supposed to compare but it's hard not to.
Our Days
We've been trying to soak up our last few stroller gang hangouts before I head back to work. We had one of our first get together with 4 of the 5 families and then we had a hangout with all 5 babies and mamas which hasn't happened since Christmas. That night all of the mamas hung out on the dock together and it was just the best time.
Look who ended up twinning!
Man this was a great night!
Activities and Outings
We celebrated Midsummer with our neighbors and preschool friends.
Clothes
You are still wearing size 68/74 clothes or 9-18 months. You haven't changed much which is probably because your weight stayed the same or dropped this month. You are wearing size 5 Pampers diapers.
You are still very content and happy which is great but also makes me a bit nervous. You just aren't meeting milestones as quickly as your sisters were. I never really worked with them to introduce the next milestone. I could see them starting to be interested and then I'd help them practice. With you, I feel like I have to introduce the skills more because you aren't exploring them on your own yet. The physical therapist isn't concerned and I wasn't that concerned until I watched a video of Stella at 9 months old and saw a huge difference. I know I'm not supposed to compare but it's hard not to.
You love playing ball.
We've been trying to soak up our last few stroller gang hangouts before I head back to work. We had one of our first get together with 4 of the 5 families and then we had a hangout with all 5 babies and mamas which hasn't happened since Christmas. That night all of the mamas hung out on the dock together and it was just the best time.
Otto, you get the credit for the Stroller Gang. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have met these moms and their kiddos. I am so thankful for them.
We got to hangout with Tim and Mona at their place.
We celebrated Midsummer with our neighbors and preschool friends.
My brother's family came to visit for several days and we had a great time with them.
Nora and Otto are about 5 months apart.
We celebrated Connor's 7th birthday.
Jake and I watched all of the kids (minus Nora) so Aaron and Lindsay could go on a date.
The cousins spent a lot of time jumping in the lake!
Birthdays
We celebrated Linnea's birthday and my birthday this month. Linnea wanted a party with just a small group of friends. They all mostly speak Swedish so that was a fun challenge.
Linnea turned 6 and I turned 38!
Birthday, birthday, birthday!
I went out to dinner and grabbed ice cream with a friend which was great.
We discovered a new park.
We went to Gothenburg for a week with our friends.
We played several games at night which was so much fun.
We rented a house in Gothenburg with a yard and a trampoline. It was great. We went to a few parks and on a ferry ride and just chilled. It was a great week!
The beach day was awesome. The water was super shallow. The weather was warm. Otto slept and I got to sit next to Angela and chat for about 1.5. It was glorious!
Linnea started to learn how to play chess.
You are very fast at army crawling but still won't crawl on your hands and knees. You can go from your belly to your bottom and back again really quickly thanks to your cousins encouraging you when they were here. But once you get your foot turned around you flatten out your hips and army crawl instead of staying on your knees. I've been trying to get you to do some knee playing but you don't like it much.
We are still going to the PT so hopefully, they can give us some tips next week. I looked back at Stella's monthly posts and she never army crawled. She just went straight to her hands and knees around 8.5 months. Funny how different each baby can be.
Sister & Brother Moments
Linnea has started asking to put you on her lap. She saw her older cousin Avery playing with you and with your new cousin Nora so now Linnea also wants to be a big girl and hold you more than she used to.
Sister & Brother Moments
Linnea has started asking to put you on her lap. She saw her older cousin Avery playing with you and with your new cousin Nora so now Linnea also wants to be a big girl and hold you more than she used to.
Stella New Skills
Sorry Stella but I can't remember much and I didn't write anything down but I'm going to guess that you were hilarious this month.
Stella and Jared were buddies when we were in Gothenburg. It was so fun seeing them play together.
This was our last full month together. It was busy and full but also really good. I'm so thankful I got to be home with you for so long. You've made the days so bright and fun!
Love you Sweet Boy!
Your Mama
