Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Seven Months!

 Olivia Grace, you are SEVEN months old!

What have you been up to?
*You are about 21 1/2 pounds and somewhere between 29 and 29 1/2 inches.  You outgrew the mats we measure you on, so we had a hard time getting your length.
 
*You are still in size 6 to 9 month clothes.  You have a few Old Navy things and in those you wear the size 6 to 12 months.  You still wear about half of your 6 to 9 jammies.  I had to put 3 pair of one brand away, so we've also started using some of the smaller size 12 jammies as well.

*You are still in size 3 diapers.  Since you started sleeping on your stomach, and you sleep so long, we were having some night time leaking issues.  We bought some night time diapers and we haven't had an issue since.

*Speaking of sleep, you go to bed around 7-7:30 each night.  This is the bedtime you have chosen for yourself.  You wake up each morning between 7 and 8.  You take a nap two hours after you woke up--almost to the minute.  You usually sleep 30 minutes.  You keep this pattern up throughout the day.

*You still wake up some nights.  It's usually between 3 and 5, but generally closer to 5.  If you do wake, we just feed you and you are right back to sleep.  I have tried putting you back to sleep without feeding and it just never works.  You cry for an hour and then daddy says it is time to eat as to not upset the neighbors.  I think you probably are hungry.  Otherwise you wouldn't go back to sleep so easily.

*You don't move around much for your naps, but at night you prefer the top corner of your crib.  It doesn't matter how we place you, you somehow squirm all the way up and put your head right in the corner.


*Right after you turned 6 months you discovered your hands.  You've been holding them close to your face... well, since you were in the womb.  You've been sticking them in your mouth for months.  Now you realize they are attached to you and you will examine them for great lengths of time.  You slowly turn them and inspect your fingers.  It's pretty cute.

*Along with finding your hands, you've started opening and closing them.  You will open and close them around our fingers, around objects, at your side, or just in the air. 

*We started doing some sign language with you.  So far we just do mommy, daddy, milk, eat, more, and all done.  You definitely know the sign for milk and eat! :)  You don't do it back to us yet (although your opening and closing of the hand looks pretty similar to milk-I know it's just a reflex), but when we do the sign(s) you get all excited and start bouncing and making noises.  I've read that even though you may start to understand the signs, it may take you months to be able to do them back to us.  Even if we only do a handful of them, I will be happy to have a way to communicate basic things.


*You have started solids.  We are following the 4 day rule.  This isn't really all that popular anymore.  Especially with those who do baby led weaning (BLW).  Since you have a know allergy, it's just wise for us to go this route.  You have had avocados, sweet potatoes, peas, butternut squash, bananas, pears, carrots, apples, and green beans.  Sweet potatoes and bananas have been your favorite.  You weren't really a fan of peas, but you ate them just fine when mixed with sweet potatoes.  You had a weird reaction after carrots, so we only did it for 2 days.  I'm not 100% positive it was from the carrots and not something else, but we are just being cautious.  We'll try them again in a few weeks.  You hate green beans! I couldn't even disguise them in sweet potatoes.  It could be a texture thing though.  Peas and green beans don't puree very well.  I've heard it takes something like 20 times for a baby to decide if they really don't like the taste of something, so we'll keep trying! :)


(Her hand on her hip cracks me up.)


*It took you about a week and you were a pro at eating.  You have been eating one meal a day.  Right now it's dinner.  You usually eat about 2 to 3 ounces.  You have about 2 ounces of the "new" food and one ounce of a food you've already tried for 4 days (or more).  When it is a food you don't like, we are lucky if you get an ounce in you.

*You take 5 bottles a day and have anywhere from 28 to 36 ounces.  We are about to add a second meal to your day, so I'm hoping we will drop a bottle...or at least a few ounces.  The doctor said you should be taking about 30 to 35 ounces a day.  I'm hoping to get closer to the 30 ounce side of that scale.


*If we had to choose one word to describe you it would be sweet.  I tell you that you are sweet all the time.  It seems others have the same impression.  I have had both friends and relative strangers tell me repeatedly that you are sweet.  I don't know if it's your cheeks, your smile, or your disposition that makes others think this of you.  I think it's probably a mix of all the above. :)


*You can sit up unassisted now.  You can sit for a long time if you want to.  Although sometimes you throw your back out or you wobble to the sides.  For this reason we use pillows (or the boppy) around you.

*You are in the beginning stages of figuring out that you can move around.  You get up high on your hands a lot.  You've just recently started to try to get up on your knees too.  You scoot around on your belly.  You mostly go backwards at this point, but you can get some distance.

*I don't believe you are getting teeth.  Ever.  You have had the "signs" of teething since you were 3 months old.  Literally.  You drool through 7 to 10 bibs a day.  You chew on anything you can get in your mouth.  Your gums have been swollen and have the little white lines on them since before Christmas.  I think it's all just a joke. (EDIT: This was written Sunday night.  She woke up Monday morning with a bottom tooth poking through!  More on that in another post!)

*You love Little Man and Little Man loves you.  You stare at him.  You reach for him.  You track his movements around the room.  He makes you smile.

*Daddy calls you squiggs (short for squiggle bug) and I call you punky (short for 'punkin')--because apparently our nicknames needed nicknames.  I also call you booga.  No idea where that came from!


*You still aren't fond of the church nursery and you won't let anyone except mommy or daddy hold you.  How long does separation anxiety last?

*You've started babbling.  You definitely have /d/ down.  We've also heard /h/, /n/, and /g/.  There are probably a few others as well, but these are the ones you stick with the most. 

*You love any silly face or sound we make with our mouth.  You've started trying to make your own silly faces and sounds--including making fish lips. (We've yet to capture it on camera, but it's coming!)

Things you love right now: the itsy bitsy spider, the computer on your activity table, your jumperoo, water bottles, baths, eating, Little Man, Mommy, Daddy, and your paci.


Your least favorite things right now: anyone that is not mommy or daddy, green beans, trying to get somewhere but not being able to do it

 (She kept trying to get my cupcake!!)
HAPPY SEVEN MONTHS BABY GIRL!
WE LOVE YOU!! 

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