Sarah At Eleven Months

Stats 
Guessing...
Weight: 22lbs
Height: 30"
Head circumference: 17.75"

Sleeping
Sarah had a really rough week of sleep while Robert was away at summer camp.  I could blame it on several things: teething two molars which caused a stuffy/runny nose and a cough, unusual routine while Robert was gone, missing her Daddy.  It was tough, and any time something like this happens I am definitely reminded to be thankful that this isn't the norm.  She started each day between 5:00-6:00am and took very short 30 minute naps.  However, since that week she's been back on track.  Unfortunately, long naps aren't her thing right now, and she takes two naps a day that are about 45 minutes long.  I had a friend suggest going down to one nap a day, but she really is genuinly tired when she goes down for that first nap.  It just doesn't last very long.  Thankfully, she still sleeps about 12 hours straight at night, so she gets about 13.5 hours of sleep a day.

We're working on her putting herself to sleep a bit more still.  I usually try to sing three songs while rocking her and then put her in the crib.  One night this month she played quietly and happily for an hour before conking out.  It was the cutest thing!  It's become a lot easier to transfer her from the car seat to the crib when we get home if she's fallen asleep in the car which is awesome.

Eating
Sarah still eats an 8 ounce bottle every four hours four times a day.  Some of her favorite foods this month were raspberries, scrambled eggs, broccoli, yogurt, peas, cheese, peanut butter, watermelon, strawberries, and dark meat chicken.  Pretty much the only two things we spoon feed her are yogurt and apple sauce.  She feeds herself everything else.  She's way better at this than I had ever imagined she would be at this age.  Obviously, we're many years away from her being a 100% independent eater, but she's doing great!

When she doesn't like something she's eating she spits it out and blows a raspberry.  It's cute for now.  Let's just hope she isn't doing it in three years!

Personality
Sarah's never lacked a personality.  She loves dancing, bobs up and down, and waves her arms around when she likes a song.  Her favorite word is uh-oh.  She uses it when she drops something, but she also repeats it over and over again until you get her what she wants.  When there's a big uh-oh she adds extra uh's like uh-uh-uh-oh.  Sarah loves being chased while crawling.  She crawls do her bedroom doorway, turns back to look at me, I declare, "I'm gonna get you!" and she takes off into the hallway.  Sarah is independent and doesn't want you to move her if she isn't finishing what she was working on.  She hates sitting still for diaper and outfit changes.  She loves playing peekaboo!

On June 11 Sarah was yelling Mama so I'd get her out of the car seat.  Robert came around and said, "Dada," and she said, "No!"  We didn't know she could say no until then.  She's also mastered the art of the head shake and does it furiously.

Sarah has really started enjoying playing with her dolls and stuffed animals.  She meticulously arranged her stuffed animals until they're just how she wants them, and she plays with Raggedy Ann and Andy in her window frame for about 30 minutes at a time.  She definitely has a story line that she is acting out.  She "talks" a lot and moves the dolls around a lot.  It's so stinking cute, and I am crossing my fingers that she becomes a Barbie fanatic like I was.

Health and Physical Ability
Since Sarah got another UTI in May she had to get a VCUG on June 9.  We went to the hospital so a radiologist could insert contrast dye through a catheter to monitor the reflux through an x-ray.  Sarah handled it like such a champ.  It went much better and faster than I had imagined.  On a scale of 0-5 her right ureter is a 2, and her left ureter is a 4.  Sarah's UTI's aren't caused by things like wiping wrong, using bubble bath, or dirty diapers.  Urine should stay in her bladder, but hers refluxes up into the ureters and into the kidneys.  She has an appointment with a pediatric urologist on July 19.  She's taking a prophylactic antibiotic every day until then to prevent another UTI.  Prayers are appreciated regarding this situation!

Sarah's new words this month are no, boom, red (pointed to red SUV and said red), bottle, and you.  Robert likes to get her to say boom when she falls down.  She says it, but it's in the most dainty voice ever.

Sarah walked with a push walker for the first time on June 11 and cruised next to the couch for the first time on the 12th.  She's really enjoying cruising now and does it along the couch, crib, tables, chairs, and anything else she can find.  She only ever walks while holding on to Uncle Jim's hands.  Every time Robert and I have tried it with her she just cries.  Guess he's going to have to be the one to teach her how to walk!

This was another big month for teeth.
June 9 - 8th tooth (lower lateral incisor)
June 11 - 9th tooth (first molar, lower right)
June 17 - 10th tooth (first molar, lower left)
Molars are no joke.  Sarah woke up multiple times writhing in pain.  It was so pitiful!  We made it almost 11 months before breaking down and using Orajel.  It works wonders!  Her poor gums her blistered and bloody looking from the molar.  Thankfully, the fact that she has so many teeth makes me more comfortable with feeding her table food, so that's good.

Superficial
Sarah is quite possibly the cutest sleeper in the history of mankind.  Whether she's sleeping on her side with he knees bent, sleeping on her stomach with her arms and legs tucked under her, or clinging onto you while you hold her this girl never looks anything but angelic while sleeping.

She has little curls going around the whole perimeter of her head.  The top of her head still has straight her, but I'm sure it'll get curly as it gets longer.

Highlights of the month
June 6 - Zoo with Tarah, James, and Asa - This was Asa's first time at the zoo.  We enjoyed watching a little talk about the elephant and watching her get fed.

June 11 - Day trip to KC - Robert had a training meeting for summer camp, and we got to have lunch with Bethany and Jason.

June 12-16 - Vacation Bible School - This wasn't the best week ever for Sarah as she was teething and VBS went way past her bedtime, but it went okay, and she got the smallest VBS shirt ever that is absolutely adorable.

June 14 - My first night away from Sarah - Robert and I went to St. Louis for the night to go to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting.  Sarah stayed with my parents, and I had no anxiety about leaving her in such capable hands.  I know she had a great time with them.  Robert and I enjoyed going out to eat without little hands reaching out for everything, and I enjoyed sleeping in until 8:30.  I woke up seriously disoriented which is always a sign of a good night's sleep.

June 16 - Zoo with Emily and Waverly - They came over for lunch and play time after the zoo.  Fun!

June 19 - Robert's first Father's Day

June 20-25 - Robert at summer camp - Robert and the students couldn't have had a better time at summer camp.  Unfortunately, as I said earlier, Sarah suffered through teething and trouble sleeping this week, so I was pretty exhausted.  Thankfully, my mom spent a lot of time with us this week.  I don't know what I would have done without her!

June 25 - Day trip to Clinton - We met up with Serina and Mark for a trip to the park, lunch, and a belated birthday celebration for Robert.

July 4 - Sarah's first Independence Day

Dear Sarah,
Thank you for teaching me how to be a more forgiving person.  When I've let you down and can't read your mind, don't feed you fast enough, you have a leaky diaper, or I can't get you to sleep it doesn't take you long before you are smiling again, loving on me, and wanting to follow me around.  As you become older it might become easier to hold a grudge and more difficult to accept an apology or to humble yourself and apologize to someone else, but God wants you to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19).  I hope you always feel comfortable asking for my forgiveness, but even more than that, I pray that you know that God has already forgiven every sin that you will ever commit, and when you run to him and ask for forgiveness he will take you in with loving arms.