Nixon: Eleven Months

Our little man is only one month from being a big one-year-old!  It's unbelievable how quickly the time has flown by, but as always we are having so much fun watching Nixon grow.  He is a very busy little guy, and sitting still is definitely not an option most of the time.  There's way too much stuff to explore!  I spend my days following him around as he pulls things off shelves, empties laundry baskets, scatters his toys, and opens all the cabinets we haven't locked shut.  He hasn't attempted walking on his own yet, but he loves walking with help.  His record for standing on his own is about six seconds.

He's eating three meals a day and is still having fun with eating, although he recently figured out how to purposely drop food on the floor if he doesn't want it.  Not a habit I want to encourage, although it can be pretty funny, especially when he uses his whole arm to sweep everything off his tray.  He has seven teeth so far and with the amount he's drooling, I'm guessing there are a couple more on the way.

Nixon's faves this month:

• Walking with his lion walker
• Emptying the kitchen cabinets
• High-fives - he loves getting high-fives

Baby-Led Weaning - An Update

I mentioned before (in this post), that we're loosely following baby-led weaning with Nixon.  Well, our little man has been munching on solids for over four months now, so I thought it time for an update!

When we first introduced solids, I generally prepared something special for Nixon, rather than including him in the same meal we were eating.  I use the term "prepared" loosely, because many times that meant simply slicing an avocado.  We started out with really simple foods, such as steamed or roasted broccoli, sweet potatoes, squash, bananas, avocados, etc.  These are still some of his favorite things to eat (this boy could munch on broccoli all day), but more and more I'm giving him the same things Donovan and I are eating.  I do generally either season things less or keep out a small portion for Nixon that is less salted and without any strong seasonings.  We've introduced grains in small amounts, as well as dairy (yogurt and cheese, no milk yet).

In case anyone's curious, here's what a typical day of Nixon's culinary adventures looks like.  Breakfast is usually some fruit, most often banana.  I'll try to get some yogurt into him for the protein, and while he enjoys yogurt, I usually only manage about five bites before it turns into a game of "grab the spoon before it goes in my mouth," although I do sometimes hand him the spoon and let him try to feed himself.  Sometimes it works, most times it gets flung.  If I make eggs for myself, I'll give him those as well.  For lunch, I usually keep a container of cooked squash or sweet potato in the fridge, or I'll warm up some frozen peas or other type of veggie.  Dinner is typically whatever we're having, either the finished dish or I'll pull out ingredients as I'm cooking and set them aside for him.  For example, I made chili and cornbread the other day, and Nixon had some beans I left out, cornbread, and some peas for a veggie.

Munching some broccoli and sweet potatoes

I should also state that I firmly believe in the idea of "food before one is just for fun."  He's still having his nutritional needs met through nursing, so if we have a day in which he doesn't consume hardly anything, I don't stress about it.  As he gets closer to turning one, I'm making it more a priority to sit down for three meals a day in order to at least get him accustomed to having three meals a day, but again, I'm not stressing about how much he actually eats at this point.

Having a bite of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving - I typically don't give him things with added sugar, but this was a special occasion!

Nixon will try just about anything I put in front of him, but some of his top favorites include banana, broccoli, clementines, pasta, and cottage cheese.  When we first began solids, he wasn't too thrilled with carrots, but now he can't get enough of them!  It definitely pays to keep offering those foods he's not sure about.

I'll do another update once he hits a year and transitions over to solids even more!

Thanksgiving

We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home, with just the three of us.  We enjoyed a day of relaxing and family time, and Nixon thoroughly loved his first Thanksgiving dinner.

Getting ready to eat

Thanksgiving is hilarious (check out those teeth!)

Mmmm, cranberry sauce

Green beans won the favorite dish award

Sweet potatoes were a close second

Nixon - Ten Months

Our little man has reached double digits, and we are just two short months away from having a one-year-old.  Unbelievable.

He continues to be an active and curious little monkey.  Nothing is safe from his curiosity!  While it would sometimes be nice for him to sit still for five minutes, we love watching him explore and learn.  He's figured out that doors open and close, and will swing them back and forth for a few minutes before inevitably locking himself in and requiring one of us to come rescue him.  He loves opening cabinets and seeing what's inside (and usually pulling all of it out).  He's getting more brave about letting go with one hand while he's standing, and I don't think it will be too long before he's standing on his own.

This month has also brought the appearance of teeth!  After waiting so long for them, he cut four in rapid succession and is working on five and six now.  He's definitely been feeling the effects of actual teething, but it's only slightly dampened his mood.

Nixon's favorite things to do this month:

• Climbing the stairs - we only let him on the stairs when one of us is right there to catch him, but he loves climbing all the way to the top
• Pulling off his socks every chance he gets
• Climbing through and over obstacles - the tighter the squeeze, the better.
• Opening drawers and cabinets and pulling things out
• Eating clementines 
• Escaping while we try to get him ready for bed
• Walking - he still has to hold on to something for balance, but he loves practicing.

Asheville

Asheville, you're our new favorite destination.  We loved your quaint downtown, delicious food, and beautiful scenery.

Our weekend consisted of driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, short hikes, exploring downtown (although we have no pictures to show for it), and, for a certain tiny person, cutting four teeth.  Thankfully, his mood was only slightly dampened and he enjoyed being out in nature as much as Donovan and I.

Our little adventurer

"Guys, my socks don't match my outfit.  This is so embarrassing."

His was as thrilled with snow as he was with the ocean

Linville Falls

Looking out over the Linville Gorge

Nixon - Nine Months

Nine months!  Our little monkey keeps growing up way too fast, but we're having so much fun in each new stage.  This boy is busy.  He's crawling everywhere, pulling up on everything, and grabbing everything he can get his hands on.  Needless to say, he's a handful these days.

We got his official stats at his well-baby check-up.  He's up to 21 lb, 5 oz. (64th percentile) and 28.5 inches (60th percentile).  His head however, just won't stop growing.  We were curious to see if it would be off the charts this time, but it squeaked by at 99 percentile.  Clearly, we have a genius on our hands.

I'm planning a post specifically talking about food and eating, but I will say that Nixon is loving solids.  We're done with purees for the most part, and his lack of teeth doesn't slow him down too much, though obviously we stick to soft/mushy foods that he can easily chew.

Nixon's thoughts on life as a nine-month-old:

• Diaper changes must be escaped from at all costs
• Baths are super fun but being dried off is the worst form of torture imaginable
• Mommy's cool and all, but Dad coming home from work is the best part of the day
• The world is my jungle gym
• I really hope Mommy and Daddy stop calling me Boo Boo McNixon before high school
• If Mom and Dad make me sit in my carseat for more than twenty minutes one more time, I'm going to scream.  Oh wait, I already do that.

Things Nixon has been loving this month:

• Bananas and broccoli
• The park - it's finally cool enough to be outside during the day, so we've discovered the joy that is swinging
• Blowing raspberries on any surface, including but not limited to: your face, windows, the fridge, and the floor.

Outer Banks {Part Two}

Days three and four of our Outer Banks vacation included the Wright Brother's Memorial, Bodie Island lighthouse, and one last trip to the beach with a non-snoozing Nixon.

Hanging out with Wilbur and Orville

Where the plane launched

The memorial, on top of Kill Devil Hill

Helping with the first flight

Bodie Island lighthouse - we were going to climb it, but Nixon was in the middle of a rare 2+ hour nap

Skeptically sizing up the ocean

The cold water was a bit of a shock

We tested out the sand away from the scary waves - still skeptical, but a little happier