Matteo is 11 Months!

This month was major for Mattay.  He grew up so much.  He bonded with Daddy while I was on my one week trip to Costa Rica.  While I was gone, he began crawling on hands and knees.  He now prefers to scoot forward  on his tush while propelled by one foot and one knee.  It's a bizarre way to get around, but it works! 

These pictures were taken a few minutes after he crawled off this chair and face-planted into the tile floor.  Yes, I turned my back for a few seconds to grab the camera.  I'm sooo sorry boo boo! But you can see from these pics that he bounces back quickly. He is such a resilient, sweet (and forgiving) baby.

Matteo at a glance:

• A male cashier at Target remarked, "His eyes are so fascinating.  It's like he's looking right into my soul. Where'd he get eyes like that?"  
• Just like that, at exactly 11 months, his hair stopped sticking up.  I guess it got so long and heavy that it could no longer defy gravity.  
• He can say "dada" and "mama" and Joe swears he said "dog dog" but I was not there to verify. I think he can say "baba" for bottle but time will tell.
• 6 teeth!  4 on top, 2 on bottom.  He is a moderate teether- typically gets a low fever and might have trouble falling back to sleep.  But nothing too dramatic.
• Sleeping well through the night.  One short nap in the morning, one longer in the afternoon typically.
• Growing, finally! Haven't weighed him in a while, but he fits into 12 month clothes just fine, so I assume he is on track now. 
• Nursing 6 times a day to build my supply back up after my trip.  Also having a small bottle of raw goat's milk to supplement.  
• Now on 3 solid meals a day.  Breakfast is "baby smoothie"- raw egg yolk, goat kefir and fruit blended.  Lunch is puree or bits of whatever cheese, meat, and vegetables Sisi is eating.  Dinner is some kind of meat/fish, some veggies, and fruit for dessert.  
• He seems to be getting pickier about food.  He just spits out what he doesn't want or is unable to swallow, which makes our dogs Pesto and Basil very happy.  He is still a remarkable eater though. 
• Fascinated by doors and gates, dog water bowls, and the water draining into the tub. 
• He barely noticed I was gone for a week in Costa Rica. He enjoyed his adventures and outings with his daddy so much, and drank all his bottles like a champ.  When I came home, he stared at me like I was a ghost, like, "You look familiar, lady, but I can't put my finger on it."  Then he buried his face in Joe's chest and wouldn't look at me for a few minutes.  When I tried to nurse him he kept biting down and forgot what to do.  Then it came back to him, he settled into my lap, and remembered that I am his mommy.   Didn't realize I was so dispensable! jk.  
• He sometimes puts sand or pebbles in his mouth, but takes them back out with his fingers.  I believe you should let babies figure out what is edible or not by themselves.  I realized that if you are always reaching into their mouths to grab stuff away from them, you add stress and confusion to the situation, and make them want to do it more.  

I can't believe we have only 1 more monthly update left!  The other day, Sisi and I had a party planning meeting for Matteo's 1st Birthday.  I brewed some tea and toasted some paleo bread with strawberry jam, and Sisi decided on colors (rainbow), theme (costume party), decor (balloons and streamers) refreshments (cheese platter, lamb and steak kabobs, salad), and cake (vanilla cake with vanilla frosting.)  It won't be pinterest-worthy, but it will be swell and heartfelt!  

Matteo crawling from kristin brancaleone on Vimeo.