11 Months Old

11 Month Portrait -
His face transforms when he smiles
Squinty, happy, eyes and big dimples

Leo's Obsession

Serious Leo - A very rare scene

Leo turned 11 months old yesterday and he is growing into such a big boy. The biggest change we recently made was to start sleep training with Leo. We were all sleep deprived and something had to be done. Sleep training involves us letting Leo fall asleep on his own, without help from breast/bottle feeding or rocking. Unfortunately there is crying that goes along with this process and I was very hesitant to do this because Joe and I have never allowed Leo to cry without coming to his rescue. We have done sleep training for 2 nights now and the results have been miraculous. Leo cries for a few minutes and then we go into his room, put him back in sleep position (he is usually standing when we walk in), pat him gently and say"night night Leo." We come back every 5 minutes or so until he has fallen to sleep on his own. It only took about 15 minutes the first 2 nights and when he woke up through out the night, after we went in his room to reassure him, he fell asleep again within 5 minutes. For 2 nights now, with minimal wake-ups, he has slept 10-11 hours straight. I just hope this successful streak continues! I have to admit that it is heart breaking when he is crying, but if we all get more sleep, it will be worth it. Plus, it is only fair to allow Leo the opportunity to learn how to sooth himself to sleep.

Leo continues to be obsessed with balls and saying the word ball. He must say ball at least 100 times a day and everything round is a ball...oranges, the soup ladle, balloons.

Leo is close to walking. He can stand unassisted for up to 10 seconds and can travel quite far with the use of his walker. I predict he will be walking by his first birthday. We officially signed Leo up for Gymboree, so he has many opportunities to practice his skills.

I have to admit that this week has been especially emotional for me. Leo has been accomplishing so much and he is growing into a little boy so quickly. He is falling asleep without me, he plays with older children at the gym (and wants to be a big boy so badly), he says words and is almost walking. It is all so wonderful, but he is no longer my little baby. I just can't believe he is almost a year old.