Zara's Progress Report - 11 Months

She actually walked around with this Nerf pellet

on her head for almost half an hour!

Gosh... is Zara really just less than a month away from turning ONE? I find it so hard to believe that I'm enroute to being the mother of a toddler. I'll probably still be saying the same thing when she becomes a teenager. But more on that in 12 years :-)

The good news is Zara has finally put on weight - she's up to 8.6kg now and my arms are finally beginning to develop muscles.

Anyway, I digress. As is customary, here is Zara's progress report thus far:

New Gross Motor Skills

Can walk fast and steadily; can almost run, but still falls when not focused

Can high five

Can throw objects

Can open boxes and pull out toys

Can empty her toybox by turning it upside down

Can put a bucket (her hat) on her head, remove it and put it on Mummy's head

Can climb down stairs (finally) by sitting on her bum and putting legs down on the next level

Can jig to music she likes, and familiar sounds like ringtones

Enjoys opening and closing doors, cupboard doors and drawers

New Fine Motor Skills

Can use a shape sorter and correctly insert shapes into the right holes

Can empty the shape sorter and repeat the process

Has discovered the joys of nose and ear-digging (!)

Can flip pages of a book

Can snap the doors shut on her peekaboo airplane, but hasn't figured out how to open them again

Communication Skills

New words - Mama (indiscriminate), Baba (indiscriminate), Dah (when she sees Duster the cat). Mummy is worried that her first word might just be Cat instead of Mummy!

Two different types of crying - Aiiiiiiyaaaa (when tired or wants milk/food), Gahhhhhhhh (when she doesnt see Mummy or Abah)

Can understand 'No' better and ignores it less

Can understand 2-step instructions like 'Pick it up, and give it to Mummy'

Interests

Has gotten bored of Mickey Mouse and reverted back to Sesame Street, a new video called "Exploring Together"; often laughing when she sees something funny.

Enjoys flipping through and touching the pages of her Usborne Touchy Feely book.

Her new favourite game is throwing toys out of the playpen.

Feeding

Has started a third meal at lunchtime (around 2pm), followed by a 5oz bottle of formula at 3pm.

Breastmilk cut to 2 feeds a day now, at 6am and 12pm, while formula has been increased to 2 bottles a day at 3pm and 10pm.

Lost appetite for 4 days in mid-January due to mild rotavirus (vomiting and diarrhoea), refused to finish more than 3/4 of her milk or solids. Appetite now back to normal, thank God!

Sleeping

Refuses to nap earlier than 2pm, unless she's in her carseat and the car is moving

Naptime cut to one session from 3-6pm

Sleeps from 10pm to 6-7am, and after a feed will sleep on til 9-10am. In the last 2 weeks she has started waking up at odd hours again, refusing to go back to sleep until Mummy holds her. Will sometimes not sleep until Mummy takes her into the big bed. Mummy getting very cranky from not enough sleep.

New Quirks & Characteristics

Extremely friendly with strangers; will reach out to be cuddled by strangers and approaches them in public places. Very worrying so have started attaching her to a harness!

Still suffers separation anxiety when Mummy is out of sight or gone for too long.

Enjoyed Kiz Sports immensely during her first outing there last month. Was less enthusiastic about Gymboree because she couldnt understand what the heck was going on.

Teeth

They have appeared finally! Bottom right tooth at 10mths, 1 week and the bottom left a week after. Now sprouting upper right tooth. She looks a bit like a pirate.

New bad habits!

 

Has started slapping mummy hard on the face, and laughs when told 'No! No slapping, it hurts!' And believe me, it does hurt :-(

 

Nose-picking!

 

Well, nose picking is about as far as my mushy brain can recall at this early hour of the morning.

 

So far, I'm extremely happy with Zara's progress this last month. It's as if she has suddenly grown up overnight; I looked at her the other day and was suddenly struck by the fact that she suddenly looked less like a baby and more like a little person. It was scary and exciting all at the same time.

 

Slow down Zara, slow down... Mummy's not done having fun with you yet!