Eline at 11 months:

• Easily sits unassisted for very long periods, with great trunk rotation to reach toys and see what’s happening around her.
• Loves to play with toys, waving them around, chewing them, passing them from hand to hand, banging them on the floor or table, and eventually dropping them. She has been building great arm strength lifting heavy toys!
• Is able to bear her weight in an all-fours position for short periods, and will start rocking back and forth in a pre-crawling motion while supported.
• Laughs more readily and has a broad range of vocalizations, including lots of consonants (da-da, ba-ba, la-la, na-na, with some “g” and “m” sounds thrown in occasionally). Has started mixing her vowels and consonants in new ways and is beginning to respond to our vocalizations with answering sounds, though not necessarily with the same sound or pattern.
• Is teething heavily. One top front tooth has mostly cut through, with the other still working its way out. This will make a total of four teeth.
• Has started reflux medication to help with feedings, which seemed to result in dramatic improvement at first, but now issues are cropping back up. A little more time will tell whether it has really made a permanent difference.  If not, an official feeding evaluation is likely in order. Takes anywhere from 3 – 6 ounces per feeding, with total daily intake ranging over the past month anywhere from 16 ounces to 27+. Still feeds five times a day.
• Continues to strongly prefer mom and dad and brother but is beginning to tolerate other family members, friends and therapists a little better.
• Has physical and speech therapy appointments and TEIS teacher visits twice a month.
• Has not been able to use the loaner traditional hearing aids, so we are in the process of ordering a bone anchored hearing aid. The ENT was able to evaluate her ears better at this past week’s visit and has confirmed that her hearing loss is due to the tiny size of her ear canals rather than fluid, so tubes will not be placed. She will simply need to grow until her ear canals are large enough for sound to pass through more easily. The ENT expected this to take at least two years.
• Is generally a happy, smiley baby and is very engaged in what’s happening around her. She loves to study faces and has a fixation with hair. She loves the “honk mommy’s nose” game, which I am likely going to regret having taught her.
• Weighs about 17 1/2 pounds and wears size 6 – 9 or 6 – 12 month clothes.

I find it truly shocking that she is now approaching her first birthday. I am trying to soak up as much snuggling and cuddling as I can, as I know it won’t be long before she’s truly on the move. I love how affectionate and sweet she is. I am incredibly grateful for my girl and what she brings every day to our family.