7 Months

You're turning out to be pretty feisty, boy.  I like it.  You had me convinced that you were Mr. Mellow, but then this month happened.  Suddenly you're grabbing everything, voicing your opinion, and twisting out of my arms... 

At 7 months you are:

Happy!  You always have a HUGE smile on your face.

Grabby.  I can't eat or drink anything while holding you, and I can't set your purees down on your tray.  Feeding you is even a challenge, because you rip the spoon out of my hand.  (You are freakishly strong for an infant.)  And don't get me started on the hair pulling. 

Learning to whine when you don't get your way.  If you grab something you shouldn't, or if I walk away from you, you let out an intentional little whine. 

A professional puff and cheerio eater. You're an excellent eater in general; you haven't met a food you didn't like. 

Sitting up for long periods of time.  Recently started flopping to your belly and pushing up-- you were terrified the first time you did it.

Anxious to move.  You always want to stand, and you've even taken a few steps with us holding your hands.  And as a result, you are impossible to carry.  You want to jump ship as soon as I pick you up - twisting and kicking - it's frustrating for both of us.

Baby's first sleeveless!

Biting.  Constantly.  STOP IT.  You bite my nipples while nursing; you bite my cheek while I burp you; you bite my fingers, shoulders, legs, and anything else that comes close to your mouth.

Distracted.  Nursing you is such a challenge sometimes.  I have to nurse you in a separate room with the door closed and the white noise machine on, otherwise you whip your head around (usually while latched on) to see all the commotion.  There are days that I actually consider exclusively pumping, but, thankfully, it hasn't come to that yet.

Stinky.  Seriously, you have the stinkiest farts.  It didn't help that you were mildly constipated this month.  (Yay, solid food!)

Officially diagnosed with Eczema.  Will save that story for a separate post.

Oatmeal bath, anyone?

Napping and sleeping more consistently.  You generally sleep from 6:30 pm - 7:00 am (give or take a 30 minutes), and wake once to eat between 1-4 am.  Then you take two two-hour naps during the day.  Overall, I am thrilled with your routine.  It is such a tremendous help to be able to rely on a schedule.

Sharing a room with Lu, and doing wonderfully.

A stomach sleeper!  You move ALL OVER the crib.  It is fascinating to watch.  (Wish we had a video monitor, but for now I'm limited to standing in the doorway.)  You army crawl and scoot and roll.  You don't move nearly as much when you're awake, so it really took me by surprise the first time.

22 pounds (90th percentile) and 28 inches (75th percentile).  Your head circumference is over the 100th percentile...  (Can't remember the exact measurement.) 

Drooling and spitting up less.  Thank God.

Best friends with your big seester.

We love you a lot, buddy!  You are becoming more and more fun with each passing day.  We are so excited for all the milestones ahead.