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Todd at 10.5 months old (picture taken by Kylie) – July 7, 2015
ELEVENTH MONTH
JUNE 21 – JULY 21
WEEK 44 (PARTIAL WEEK)
On June 22nd, Todd had a runny nose and his first fever (of up to 102 degrees). But…that didn’t stop him from having a breakthrough in his standing! (Maybe Todd got a burst of energy from all the icky sweeteners in the children’s Acetaminophen, haha!)
He stood up from the floor– without holding onto anything– and then he kept repeating it over and over. (Remember– Todd stood up on his own for the first 2 times on June 7th, but then he didn’t do it again.) The more we got excited, the more he got excited, and the more he did it.
He did his best walking to date on June 22nd, too: he walked one way, turned around, walked the other way, turned around and walked some more…without falling down. Here’s one of the video clips from that evening…
Starting the next day…
Since Todd could now stand up without having to pull up on something, he started to walk a lot. By the end of this week, he was definitely doing more walking than crawling (and of course falling down a lot). So, basically– he really, really started walking at 10 months old. Here’s the summary of Todd’s walking progression:
- 1st steps –> 9th months (week 39)
- started initiating walking spurts on his own –> 9.5 months (week 41)
- able to stand up from the floor on his own and walks instead of crawls –> 10 months (week 44)
Developmental and other highlights:
- 1st fever & 1st time taking children’s Acetaminophen (6/22)
- runny nose (lasted just a few days, starting 6/22)
- standing up (without using his arms) and doing it repeatedly (6/22)
- he prefers walking over crawling
- he gave me a kiss and he tried to bite my chin with his new bottom tooth (i.e. “Hannibal Lecter Kiss,” 6/24)
- he was all stretched out sleeping prone (6/25)
- 1st time riding in a shopping cart (instead of riding in the stroller while I shopped) (at Costco, 6/25)
1st shopping cart ride – June 25, 2015
WEEK 45
We’ve had an unusually hot summer this year, so Eric bought Todd a baby pool on June 26th. Todd enjoyed the skinny dip and playing with his toys for a while, but then he wanted to get out and explore the grass.
1st time in the baby pool – June 26, 2015
Developmental and other highlights:
- 1st time in the baby pool (6/26)
- able to lift and then carry large items while walking (i.e. an empty diaper box, a basketball)
- able to crawl completely under a kitchen chair
Outdoor nap after a rollerblade – June 27, 2015
Other highlights:
- when I take a shower, Todd “visits” me (Eric holds him up over the shower door)…always with a big grin
- I started using a sign for “pee pee” (6/27) and “poo poo” (6/28)
- we put up the baby gate to block access to my bedroom (6/28)
- morning naps were shorter because work was started on getting the siding on our house replaced. However, Todd slept through a surprising amount of loud noises!
- he loved to watch the workers from the sliding glass door
- playing the keyboard and “singing” from high chair (7/2)
- very funny before bed (7/2)
- he likes to go to the corner of our 2 couches
- When Eric watches TV, Todd reclines against him and relaxes that way
Todd’s corner – June 29, 2015
WEEK 46
Tooth number two!
On Friday, July 3rd, Todd woke up with the rare dry diaper and I noticed that his top left front tooth had broken through the gums. I was finally able to get a picture of it on July 20th (week 48):
View of Todd’s 2nd tooth (top left front) – July 20, 2015
You might have already read about Todd’s first 4th of July (in La Conner). If not, check it out here. We all had a good time strolling along the Channel Boardwalk, listening to some great music, and watching the fireworks show over the Swinomish.
Developmental highlights:
- he grabbed the table with both hands and lifted both feet off the floor briefly (7/5)
- after I combed my hair, he tried to comb his hair (7/5)
- able to stand up, squat down, stand up on the balance board with great control (see clip below) (7/9)
- he took a few steps backward (7/6)
Other highlights:
- running toward me and laughing (and doing it over and over) (7/3)
- he likes pushing his high chair across the room (and trying to push other large objects like chairs, bar stools, vacuum cleaner, etc)
- woke up from a full night of sleep with dry diaper (7/3 and 7/4)
- getting Eric’s phone and laughing while it takes a video (see clip below) (7/3)
- he does this funny thing where he hikes his extended arm by his ear, sticks it out in front, and walks that way
- he likes to drive his little cars on the floor
- he “dances” to music, and has been “singing” (excited screaming) for a while
People & Places:
- 4th of July activities in La Conner and making friends with a dog (7/4)
- visit to the beach at Kayak Point (7/5)
- Cousin Kylie visited (7/7)
Kisses from Cousin Kylie – July 7, 2015
WEEK 47
On Saturday, July 11th, we took Todd to see the goats (and sheep) at Goatalympics. (See “Goatalympics and Vegan Food Trucks“).
Eric & Todd at Goatalympics – July 11, 2015
Developmental and other highlights:
- able to climb onto the couch, from a cushion/pillow on the floor (see clip below) (7/13 & 7/14)
- able to quickly turn around 180° while walking and quickly walk (practically run) around in circles
- makes lots of sounds (i.e. “day day day,” “nam,” “ga ga ga,” “ba ba ba” and other babbling “sentences”
- he crawled under/through his Exersaucer and he’s much more aware of himself in space, (i.e. where his head is) so he doesn’t really hit his head under the Exersaucer (7/14)
- he starting pulling books off the big book shelf (7/14)
- he was able to back up his Little Tikes car (7/14)
- while outside, he walks all over the grass (>100 steps without stopping) and he’s not as focused on putting plant matter in his mouth
Other highlights:
- he tries to pull my hair (hard!) and thinks it’s funny (and always grabs for glasses)
- he tries to bite me and thinks it’s funny (the problem is, I laugh, too)
- he loves being outside, will complain (i.e. whine) when brought back inside
- he gave me lots of kisses (7/10)
- still makes moaning sounds when he’s tired and on the verge of falling asleep (for naps or in the car)
- I moved some exercise equipment so that our front room is now open/safe for Todd (7/13)
- he loves the drum set, sitting on our laps to hit the drum/cymbals, playing on the floor by the peddles, shaking the hi-hat, smiling at his reflection under one of the drums
Todd the drummer – July 10, 2015
Out & About:
- Goatalympics (7/11)
- we checked out a carnival ride while out on a walk; Todd got a little afraid of a dragon roller coaster (7/12)
WEEK 48 (PARTIAL WEEK)
On July 18th, we did a 27¼ mile (round trip) bike ride to Snohomish, WA, to check out a very vegan-friendly restaurant that we hadn’t known about. It’s called Grilla Bites, and it was awesome! We’ll definitely go back there again. We each had the Pesto Tofu Grilla (i.e. sandwich) and, later, we split a chocolate Coconut Bliss ice cream bar.
While digesting our food before biking back to the car, we let Todd walk around since the street was closed to traffic for the Kla Ha Ya Days Festival. Todd made a couple new doggie friends. He loves dogs!! I’m trying to teach him “gentle” when he pets them.
Todd in Snohomish – July 18, 2015
Developmental and other highlights:
- walking outside and splashing in the baby pool
- he started trying to turn his Little Tikes car while pushing it (7/19)
- does not like taking a shower
- 3rd tooth coming in (bottom front right (7/19 likely and 7/20 definitely)
- likes to play on a pile of pillows (and a blanket) on the floor
- Eric puts his bike helmet on him in the house, to get him used to it
- Todd loves dogs
Todd pool side – July 19, 2015
ELEVENTH MONTH WRAP-UP
Sleep–
Well, Todd’s tenth month had been his best sleep month to date, but the eleventh month was just as good! The only difference this month was that Todd woke up in the night 4x (compared to 5x). Two of those nights occurred just a few days ago (7/18, 7/19), which coincided with the arrival of Todd’s 3rd tooth (logical).
This month, Todd generally fell asleep on me before I put him in his crib for the night. A ~10 hour night-time sleep duration continued to be the trend.
Good morning, Todd! – June 25, 2015
I strived for no later than an ~8:30 PM bedtime, but sometimes it was a challenge with the seasonal, evening brightness of summer time. Todd’s usually plenty ready for bedtime, but a couple times it seemed that he just wasn’t. Instead of fighting him (i.e. letting him cry), Eric and I just closed the blinds to make the house as dark as possible, we both got on our couches, and we let him play. We modeled “sleeping,” and kept reminding him that it’s “night-night time” when he’d come over to engage with either of us. It was actually hard not to laugh (and we did laugh!). The goal was to show him that it’s not exciting to stay up any later. After about 15-30 minutes, he went to bed without incident.
The morning nap duration seems to be shortening a bit. While he did have two 3.25 hour naps and four 2.75-3.0 hour naps this month, the trend lately is closer to a ~2 hour nap. The swing is still worth its weight in gold!
Falling back asleep after one of his night time wake ups – 11: 41 PM on July 6, 2015
Food–
At month’s end, we’re working on can #63 of formula, so that means Todd’s gone through ~5 cans this month (compared to ~6 cans per month for the 2 previous months and 7 cans for the month before that).
A BIG milestone happened in week 48: Todd was now able to fully tip back his bottle (to get all the liquid out of it), from an upright position.
Nine+ times out of ten, I prefer (love!) holding Todd like a baby while he drinks because I get to cuddle with him then. He drinks pretty fast, though, and when he’s done, he’s off and running (sometimes with his empty bottle in hand).
After drinking his first bottle in the morning (from my glider chair), he quickly flips over and tries to climb over the arm of the chair, to the nightstand, and grab at whatever looks exciting (i.e. my phone, the teething tablet bottle, his baby nail clippers, etc). He pulls out as many books as he can from the little book rack sitting there.
(Todd doesn’t sit still very well when I try to read books to him in my chair…except when I read “I Love You As Big As the World.” He’ll let me read that one over and over to him…love!)
Bottle bonding – July 14, 2015
Todd eats a hearty 3 meals on most days. When the tray has several different things on it, you can see what he prefers, because he’ll go for all of that one thing (recently– black olive slices, bits of dried plum, Ditalini pasta with sauce.) He’ll “discard” other things by tossing them aside (but he’ll usually end up eating them later).
Developmentally, Todd can push food into his mouth with his thumb, after getting small pieces on top of it. He helps guide the spoon to his mouth and really sucks at the spoon hard. He’s currently working on his pincer grasp.
Green smoothie face – June 29, 2015
On July 6th, I stopped recording every meal eaten, and on July 17th, I did a detailed food post (What My Vegan Baby Eats). Here were the new foods tried this month:
- cabbage roll casserole (week 45)
- pureed prunes (week 46) & cut up pieces of a dried plum (week 47)
- split pea soup (week 46)
- peach pieces (week 46)
- mung bean threads (week 47)
- Organic Happy Squeeze Fruit & Veggie Twist pouch (apple, mango, pear, kale & chia seed puree) (week 47)
- homemade rice cashew milk (liquid part, without the sediment) (week 47)
- licks of a chocolate Coconut Bliss ice cream bar (week 48)
- Eric cut a bottle nipple to see if Todd could drink his green smoothie via his bottle (week 48)
Todd eating a pear slice – July 7, 2015
Todd fell asleep in his high chair for the first time on July 2nd (at dinner). The poor guy was so tired that day because the loud construction noises cut his morning nap very short (30 minutes). He ended up sleeping soundly in his high chair for 40 minutes!
1st time falling asleep during a meal – July 2, 2015
What does Todd hate about meals?
–> The clean-up! It’s one of the few times Todd really makes a fuss.
Toileting–
Todd had a couple more “poo misses” this month (11x), compared to last month (9x). Four out of 10 were the surprise 2nd poops of the day. Otherwise, Todd still generally poops once a day in the toilet. He also pees in the toilet (as well as in his underwear/diapers).
What we thought was diaper rash in previous months was actually his eczema, and it cleared up after treatment with the stronger (2.5%) Cortisone cream that was started at the end of the last month. So, this was the first month in a long time when Todd didn’t have a red, rashy butt. We keep him lubed with a barrier cream to prevent further eczema flair ups. These days we’re using a disposable diaper (instead of cloth) during nap time and when we leave the house.
Todd – July 19, 2015
Well, that’s every detail I can think of! We’re fast approaching the big first birthday (I can’t believe it!!)
5 months old – January 21, 2015
Hello, all! My #minivegan is now almost 11 months old…already! Which means– he’s been eating solid food for about 5 months.
As you well know, I’m the write-everything-down type of mom. Every food that crossed Todd’s lips was recorded! Every meal was logged…until last week.
Starting July 6th, I decided it was time to stop the madness and start just writing down the new foods that are introduced to Todd.
But– in this post, I thought it would be fun to go back and compile the full list of every FOOD that Todd’s eaten so far. (Just where does this vegan baby get his protein? Ha ha ha!)
PUREES AND SPOON FEEDING
First of all, Todd is practically made out of green smoothies. Pretty much every day that I was pregnant, my breakfast was a green smoothie. Still now– the green smoothie is our family’s #1 breakfast of choice. Naturally, the green smoothie is a BIG part of Todd’s solid food diet.
Green smoothie face – 6 months old – February 23, 2015
Our daily GREEN SMOOTHIE contains: ORANGE, frozen BANANA, dark leafy greens (KALE, COLLARD, or SPINACH usually), AVOCADO, frozen CELERY, frozen BLUEBERRIES, PINEAPPLE, PEA POWDER, and HEMP POWDER. Occasionally some frozen STRAWBERRIES, MANGO, PEACH, or APPLE gets in there.
In our kitchen, we found that our silicone Le Creuset pinch cups (1/4 cup size) are perfect for serving purees to Todd. He slurps while I hold and pinch the cup. Or, I can simply spoon feed.
Eric feeds Todd with the Le Creuset pinch cup – February 13, 2015
Todd’s first food was several spoonfuls of guacamole (i.e. AVOCADO + LIME)! It was actually a spontaneous feeding, not planned. It went well…until he gagged and regurgitated! (Picture of the gagging in process here.)
First solid food – guacamole – 5 months old – January 25, 2015
I don’t buy much jarred baby food, but Todd has sampled several of the Earth’s Best Organic flavors. He liked all of them except the green peas. I must admit I like buying the carrot and sweet potato flavors, for convenience.
- PEAR MANGO, PEACH MANGO
- APPLE BLUEBERRY
- PEACH OATMEAL BANANA
- PRUNES
- CARROT
- SWEET POTATO
- WINTER SQUASH
- GREEN PEA
Earth’s Best organic carrots – 7.5 months old – April 4, 2015
Another fruit in pureed form that Todd loves is organic unsweetened APPLESAUCE. I freeze portions in an ice cube tray.
Once or twice, Todd sampled a little bit of CHOCOLATE BANANA SHAKE (made with frozen bananas, cocoa powder, and SOY MILK, RICE/CASHEW MILK and COCONUT MILK).
And– when we were visiting family in Bend, Oregon, Todd had a few licks of a non-dairy (coconut milk-based) GELATO.
Here are the bean/legume purees that Todd eats. Todd doesn’t at all mind the stronger flavors of the lemon-y/garlic-y hummus or smoky paprika-y Romesco:
- HUMMUS (with CHICKPEAS, TAHINI, LEMON, and GARLIC; sometimes mixed with cooked QUINOA)
- refried beans (PINTO)
- canned BAKED BEANS (mashed)
- RED LENTIL dal (Picture here.)
- SPLIT PEA SOUP
- Romesco KIDNEY BEAN puree (with roasted red pepper, olive oil, unsalted ground PISTACHIOS, smoked paprika, and more)
Spoon feeding red lentil dal – almost 9 months old – May 18, 2015
Here are some soups and thick/chunky entrees that Todd’s had via spoon feeding:
- TACO SOUP
- MUSHROOM CAULIFLOWER LENTIL SOUP
- SLOPPY LENTILS
- MINESTRONE SOUP
- CABBAGE ROLL FILLING (with MEATLESS GROUND, BROWN RICE, and more)
- VEGAN TACO MEAT
Finally, Eric likes to offer Todd tastes of various condiments and homemade salad dressings:
- KETCHUP
- homemade BBQ sauce
- salad dressings (made with JUST MAYO, olive oil, vinegars/lemon, seasonings and more)
FINGER FOODS
When Todd was “younger” and first exploring foods (rather than truly eating them), I’d present him with various raw vegetable sticks. He liked to rub them on his gums, and he was able to taste the different flavors. I gave him:
- CARROT
- CELERY
- CUCUMBER
- RED/GREEN PEPPER
Gumming a cucumber stick – 6.5 months old – March 4, 2015
I also gave him ROMAINE lettuce leaves several times, but repeatedly it made me nervous when he’d get a large piece in his mouth and have trouble managing to spit it out. I finally decided the leaves are too much of a choking hazard. For now, Todd gets his dark leafy greens in his smoothies.
Another thing that I gave Todd a few times early on was APPLE sticks. But– they, too, started making me nervous. It seemed that no matter how small a cylinder or how thin a strip I sliced, Todd still managed to bite off pieces with just his gums. I know someone whose toddler died from choking on an apple piece, so I’m particularly wary about that food. For now, we stick to applesauce!
Sucking on a red pepper -5 months old – January 28, 2015
The following fruits Todd has done very well with in “stick form.” These fruits dissolve/mash up quickly, and therefore don’t pose a choking risk. Todd can really strip the mango flesh off its peel! (Picture here.)
- BANANA (quartered)
- MANGO strips (peel left on)
- PEAR slices
- CANTALOUPE (rind left on)
- WATERMELON (and other melons) (Picture here.)
- AVOCADO strips (peel left on)
Avocado is easier to hold with the peel on – Almost 8 months old – April 18, 2015
Todd doesn’t seem too thrilled about potatoes, but he has eaten these roasted vegetables in wedge-shaped pieces:
- RUSSET POTATO
- SWEET POTATO
- YAM
Eating roasted potato and bean burger – 8.5 months old – May 8, 2015
Dried MISSION FIG was an early favorite. At first, I let Todd suck on the biggest figs I could find in the bag (too large to present a choking risk), and he absolutely loved it. He could really extract the juice and pulpy bits from it with his gums. However– as Todd got older (it seems odd to say that), the fig in the whole form was no longer safe. Now, I only give figs to Todd within my Fig Banana Corny Oatcakes.
Sucking on a mission fig – 6.5 months old – March 13, 2015
Speaking of pancakes…
Breakfast is the one meal that doesn’t vary. Todd always has a green smoothie and a pancake/muffin. I make the pancakes/muffins without added sugar. They’re simply sweetened with fruit (typically banana). Pancake flavors have been blueberry, fig banana, cherry, and PUMPKIN. (Picture here.)
Who wouldn’t smile for a blueberry pancake? – 9.5 months old – June 2, 2015
In March, we went out to eat with family at Jimmy’s Pizza & Pasta. Todd had a lot of fun tearing apart and tasting some large, raw TOMATO slices. Juicy! (Picture here.)
Speaking of pizza…
Who doesn’t love pizza? Todd sure loves it. He’s had PIZZA CRUST with PIZZA SAUCE. Similarly, he’s been able to slurp ANGEL HAIR noodles with SPAGHETTI SAUCE. (Picture here.)
Other grain-based foods:
- strips of WHEAT BREAD
- CORN TORTILLA, FLOUR TORTILLA
- CORN BREAD, CORN MUFFIN
Munching on a corn tortilla – 6.5 months old – March 7, 2015
As a vegan, I think it’s very important to include beans/legumes in most meals. In addition to the bean/legume purees mentioned previously, I feed Todd these homemade foods:
- CARROT SUNFLOWER BEAN BURGERS (made with kidney beans, ground OATS, ground SUNFLOWER SEEDS/ground CASHEW and more)
- CURRY PATTIES (made with WHITE BEANS, ground QUINOA, ground CASHEWS, red curry paste, tahini and more)
- CHICKPEA FRITTERS (made with garbanzo beans, garbanzo bean flour, and more)
- TAMALE (my parents made them)
Curry patty – almost 9 months old – May 12, 2015
And speaking of the wonderful, miraculous (and not feared here!) SOYBEAN…
Todd drinks Earth’s Best Organic Soy Formula, but he’s also had tofu and tempeh. He loves Allison Rivers Samson’s Tempeh Reubens. (You need to try this recipe if you haven’t already!!)
- BREADED MARINATED TOFU STICKS
- TOFU LENTIL LOAF (made with TOFU, GREEN LENTILS, oats, onion and more)
- TEMPEH BACON
- TEMPEH REUBEN (Picture here.)
Tempeh bacon – almost 7 months old – March 14, 2015
Now, for the veggie meats and sausages. Yes, our family does enjoy a little Gardein, Field Roast and/or Tofurky each week. Here are the ones that Todd’s had. (Note– the sausages I cut up into little bits so it should be included in the next section instead of here.)
- GARDEIN BEEFLESS TIPS
- GARDEIN FISHLESS FILETS (Video clip below.)
- GARDEIN CRISPY TENDERS
- FIELD ROAST SAUSAGE (APPLE SAGE, ITALIAN)
- TOFURKY SAUSAGE (KIELBASA)
Finally, the only cracker-type foods that Todd’s had are BABY MUM RICE CRACKERS and (once) some VEGGIE STICKS. Typically, we save the Baby Mums for when we’re at a restaurant, waiting for our food to come. It keeps him occupied.
FOOD IN SMALL BITS
Todd seems to appreciate when I help him with the things he can’t manage quite yet, in terms of his fine motor coordination. I simply finger feed him small pieces of these foods:
Fruits–
- RED GRAPE (each cut into 8 pieces)
- CHERRY (each cut into 8 pieces)
- KIWI FRUIT
- RASPBERRY (broken up into several pieces)
- RAISINS (whole)
Little piece of cherry – 9.5 months old – June 8, 2015
Vegetables/Legumes–
- GREEN BEAN (very soft and cut into pieces)
- PEAS (whole)
- GARBANZO BEANS (whole) (Picture here.)
- MUNG BEAN THREADS
- CAULIFLOWER (steamed)
- BROCCOLI (steamed) (Picture here.)
- PICKLED BEET (cut into pieces)
- SAUERKRAUT (small threads)
- BLACK OLIVE (thin slices)
I mentioned (and posted a picture) in Todd’s ninth month update that Todd eats olives quite effectively by sticking his index finger in the hole. It’s super cute to watch.
Sometimes Todd can pick up something as a small as a pea, and sometimes not. He hasn’t quite mastered the pincer grasp pattern yet (i.e. index finger and thumb tips opposing each other). Frequently, he can get a pea (or a bean) onto his finger or thumb by smashing it first.
Regarding nut/seed butters…
As you know from my previous post (Oh No- Peanut Allergy!), Todd has had PEANUT BUTTER, but after May 1st (when he had an allergic reaction) we didn’t give it to him anymore.
Peanut butter banana face (the day of the allergic reaction) – 8.5 months old – May 1, 2015
He’s had some ALMOND BUTTER within some pancakes and TAHINI (SESAME BUTTER) within hummus and burger patties.
I’ve saved dessert for last (except for the mention of gelato above)…
Todd once took several licks off my square of unsweetened dark chocolate while I held it for him. Although bitter, he really seemed to like it!
The only really sweet thing that Todd’s been exposed to was just a few little pieces of a gluten free ALMOND SUGAR COOKIE. That was just last weekend.
A SAMPLE DAY
As I mentioned before, breakfast doesn’t vary. At lunch and dinner, I try to offer a balance of fruits, vegetables, beans/legumes, a source of fat, and some grains. I offer a mix of purees and finger foods. I sit with him to help him with anything he can’t get into his mouth successfully. I use a spoon or feed him with my fingers. Todd eats heartily and there aren’t any foods that he seems to dislike.
Breakfast–
- green smoothie (about 1/2 cup)
- small pancake
Lunch–
- pureed fruit such as applesauce OR leftover green smoothie from breakfast
- fruit pieces such as mango, watermelon, kiwi, etc
- curry patty OR hummus puree mixed with quinoa OR mushroom cauliflower lentil soup…etc
Dinner–
- fruit pieces such as cantaloupe, banana, etc (different from lunch)
- avocado slice OR black olive slices
- vegetable such as steamed broccoli, green peas, beet, potato, etc
- chickpea fritter with Romesco sauce OR baked beans OR Gardein OR spaghetti with Field Roast OR bean burger …etc
So I’ll leave you with this sad face picture. But– he wasn’t sad about the meal! I think he bonked himself on something right before. But to be clear, he does hate being cleaned up after eating, and he will cry or put up a fuss then!
Almost 10 months old – June 14, 2015
Freeheel Vegan 