11 Months!

Ethan
No stats for him this month, again no doctor's appointment, but I did weigh him in the last few weeks and he was at 23.5lbs!

This month Ethan loves to stand up and walk!! Well sort of.  He loves holding our fingers and walking around the room. He also loves walking the perimeter of the couches, bed, fireplace and pretty much any piece of furniture or wall we have.  He is so close to walking on his own we can feel it!  He loves standing and moving around from place to place on his own.

So long my cuddly wuddly little man, this guy is all about independence!  He likes to play with his toys and sometimes with Ellie.  He rarely cuddles with me anymore but does still let me squeeze him once in a while.  He doesn't like to be in one place very long unless it's his highchair, he can sit there all day.

He smiles a lot but now it's more of a teasing smile, like he has a secret or he knows he is into something he shouldn't be.  It's pretty funny watching him.  He is still my little love.  I can always get a smile out of him.

Ethan is never full.  We feed him almost anything and he just gobbles it up and grunts for more.  He also likes to feed himself.  When I offer finger foods he prefers to take it from me and put it in his mouth.  I haven't given up the reigns on feeding him his oatmeal or some of his dinners yet.

Ethan got another tooth!  He now has a total of 7 teeth and I can see swollen spots on his gums and know he is working on more.

Ethan understands lots of words like: hungry, momma, daddy, Baxter, Yay!, clap, wave, water, handsome, grandma, etc. He is also pretty good at saying Momma and Dada.

He has become a lot more vocal lately.  He screams for almost any reason and it is starting to really get annoying.  When I change his diaper I feel like I am wrestling a full grown man sometimes.  He is so strong and hates being laid down for a quick change.  He is at that tantrum phase which is not fun.

Ethan is very interested in doors.  He opens them and closes them and opens them and closes them.  Brian had to child proof the cabinets in our bathroom because Ethan loves them.  At Grandma Neilson's house he likes to play with her kitchen cabinets as well.  He always goes right over to the cabinet that holds her stand mixer and baking toys.

He is still in size 3 diapers and 12-18 month clothing.

Ellie
No stats for Ellie this month but at weigh in a few weeks ago she was 19.5 lbs.

Ellie can do no wrong.  She is just the sweetest most loving little lady.  Brian did a time lapse video of him and the babies in our living room playing, Ethan was in his own world and Ellie came over to him 6 times in a matter of 26 minutes!  I know that when I play with them it's almost the same thing, except when Ethan notices that Ellie has occupied my lap he comes over to me and tries to steal my attention.

Ellie is standing on her own now and still (assisted by furniture) walking everywhere.  She comes over, grabs our fingers and then tries to walk us around the room.  She loves to climb all over Brian and I.  She has created the perfect little soft spot on her daddy's heart and knows how to win him over.  Brian just loves the attention his little "Ellie Bell" gives him.

Ellie is not an independent girl, she loves attention and being held.  I hardly get anything done while she is awake because she weeps most of the time if I am not near her or with her.  I must admit that I love being wanted that much, it just forces me to capitalize on nap time to get everything done.

She doesn't hate headbands right now but if you remind her that she is wearing one, by touching it, she will take it off.  So I try not to remind her too often. :)

Ellie is such a giggly little lady.  She has the most infectious laugh that just makes you want to kiss and tickle her all day.  She is darling when her daddy wakes up and wants to play with her.  They laugh and have a ball together.

One thing I forgot to mention last month was that Ellie has teeth!!!  She now has 6 teeth, four on top and 2 on the bottom.  She is a great little eater but definitely knows when she has had enough.  She likes to feed herself occasionally but really just likes opening her mouth and having us put the food in.  Already a princess complex haha.

Ellie is in size 3 diapers and wears 9-12 month clothes.



The babies didn't really understand Christmas, I think they were a little overwhelmed with all the attention and chaos that the holiday season brought.  We took them to see Santa at Disneyland and California Adventure and we took them out to see Christmas lights.

We didn't get to Disneyland that much this month because our passes were blocked so we stayed home a lot.  Uncle Cameron and Uncle Skylar came home for a few weeks and they took the babies to the park.  Ethan does not like swings, he tenses up and gets all shaky.  Ellie wasn't a fan of the swings either but after playing peek a boo she warmed up to it.  Watching my grown up brothers go down the kiddie slides with the babies was icing on the cake!

Ethan and Ellie take 2 naps a day and sleep really well at night.  They go down at 7 and sleep until 730 the next day waking up only one time to eat around 3-4AM.