11 Months

This month has been by far the most eventful so far. We started off getting over a terrible stomach flu (all of us had it) and ended with a cold that won't seem to go away. This is on top of the numerous doctor appointments only to find out Riley has a milk allergy. Considering these challenging circumstances, she has really developmentally grown this month, learning lots of new things. Here are some of the highlights:

• She learned to sign that she wants more, wave hello and goodbye, blow kisses, and make other funny noises with her mouth.
• She is cruising around a lot more but still working on walking independently. I think she still has a little ways to go.
• Books are her favorite thing right now. She loves turning the pages. She also loves any musical toys to shake or bang.
• She is obsessed with dogs and cats. Our dog, Davis, loves her and is always trying to either lick her face or play with her toys. When she's playing with toys on the ground he'll lay next to her and nudge some of the toys that she has. I've even heard Davis playing with some of her toys when she's not around. Luckily he's not eating them, just nudges toys that make noise. His latest favorite is to play her piano with his nose.
• The animals are driving me crazy though. Although it's very sweet that Riley and Davis love each other, she's still learning to be gentle with him and he's still learning to be gentle with her (still has a lot of puppy in him). The cat has also decided to go into Riley's room during naps and meow at her, which of course wakes her up. Ugh!
• She's growing fast still (now 20lbs. 13oz), but no new teeth this month.
• Milk Allergy! After a couple failed attempts to get her blood drawn, they finally ended up doing a skin allergy test. I feel terrible that we didn't get her tested sooner because looking back, I now realize some of her challenges (sleep, tummy, acid reflux, etc.) were all caused by this milk allergy which could have been fixed a long time ago. Riley can't have any milk products including cheese, yogurt, any baked goods with milk in it, etc. It's a real challenge finding things she can eat while making sure she's getting the proper nutrients. We have a call into see a dietitian. She should be drinking soy milk now, but doesn't seem to like the taste so that's our biggest challenge right now. This also means that I can't eat any milk products until she's done nursing, which I hope will be any day now...until she drinks soy milk. Missing my chocolate!
• The good news with this milk allergy fix....she's finally sleeping through the night!!!!!!!!!! There have been a few challenging nights when she was sick but ever since I stopped eating milk products, she has been sleeping better.

Baby Fun

Here are a few pictures from the last month...

First art project... I read that you can let your baby experiment with art by using baby food on the high chair tray. Although it was a messy first art experience, she loved it!

Birthday Tutu

I finished making Riley's birthday tutu!! I found no sew tutu instructions online and also found a couple videos that were helpful. It was super easy and took only an hour and a half to make. If I make another one, it will probably take an hour max now that I know how to make them.

I've seen them in stores and online ranging from $25-$30, but I made mine for only $13. It would have only cost around $8 if I didn't use a fancier pink fabric with sparkles. I made my tutu a little different than the instructions since I had the fancier fabric. I used one piece of hot pink sparkle fabric with one piece of hot pink tulle fabric on top for each knot. Then I used one piece of light pink tulle every couple knots. Here's the finished product:

It's a little long for Riley right now, so I'll wait until it gets closer to her birthday before I trim it to fit. Stay tuned for other birthday crafts that I'm working on...