7 Months of our Sweet Baby Boy

Dear Ricky,

7 months of life with you sweet boy. If I had to choose one word to describe you right now, I would choose the word 'MIRACLE'. Ricky, I am so thankful for you each and every day. You came at a time in my life that I needed you just as much as you needed me. You are our miracle, and will always be our miracle. I can just kiss your sweet face all day long. You are quite the chatter box these days and we love it! I just love the way you explore my face with your hands while you nurse or while I am snuggling and rocking you during sleep time. You are what they call a Momma's boy...and that makes my heart want to explode. You went through a long patch of being sick last month and we are so happy that you are feeling better. After a few trips to the doctors, the nebulizer treatments every 4-6 hours, too many steam showers, extra snuggles, and lots and lots of snot sucking you are back in tip top shape. Thank goodness because sleep somehow didn't seem to fit in your schedule while being sick. On a happy note, we have finally began our walks on the towpath and you enjoy relaxing in the stroller and taking in all the sights and sounds. You still have fussy moments throughout the day where you just want to he held and hugged but over all you are a happy, happy baby. I always want you to know how special you are and how much Daddy's, Stella's and I's hearts love you. Ricky, you are one cutie and I can eat you up!

Love,

Mommy

Weight: our home scale weighed you in at 20 lbs and 6 ounces. 

Height: 

Head Circumference:  I have no doubt whatever the measurement is, you are in the 100th percentile :) All that brain baby!

Appetite:  You are a great eater! You still love love love to nurse and nurse about 5 times a day (that 5:00 am feeding to get to back down to sleep, first thing in the morning when you wake, early afternoon, late afternoon, before bed, and sometimes in the middle of the night) You are also eating three meals a day now- we recently added lunch to your meal intake :) I was happy when we did this because you would sit at the kitchen table when Stella and I eat lunch give us the look as if you were thinking 'hey, where's mine?" You would also open your mouth sometimes when I would take a bite. I felt pretty bad eating in front of you. I am glad those lunches are over ;) Breakfast is a serving of fruit with a small amount of multi grain cereal stirred in, lunch is either a serving of organic baby yogurt or cottage cheese with prunes stirred in, and dinner is usually at least two veggies and sometimes a protein served with small amount of multi grain cereal. I have also started scattering small bits of whatever we are eating (if you can have it) on your height chair tray. Carbs seem to be a winner in your foodie book- either small bits to chew on or frozen to gnaw on! You love pancakes and waffles if we have them for breakfast, you have had pizza crust, baked potato, and baked french fries. You are doing a great job chewing and swallowing. All three meals are served with water! And if the food isn't fed to you at a quick enough rate- the screeching screams and sounds that come out of you are piercing!

Clothing Size: You are currently wearing 6-12 month clothing and you are in size 3 diapers.

Milestones: Your sitting up skills have gotten even better. If sitting surrounded by toys, you actually play on your own for a few minutes. You have began eating tiny pieces of solid foods, but are still working on picking them up on your own. Everything is Da-da with a few Ma-ma's in between :)

Thoughts: So we've reached the month where you are closer to one whole year than you are to newborn. 

Bitter-bittersweet for me.

Our routine:   I think we are finally getting back into a routine! Hallelujah! You have either been waking up around 5 for a feeding which I try to put you back down for some more sleep or sometime between 6 and 7 for the day. We usually sit and play in Mommy and Daddy's bed with Stella for a short bit before we make our way into the kitchen and eat breakfast together at the table. After breakfast we all play or you like to cruise around in your walker while I either fold laundry or get some house crap done. You also love to play on the floor with Stella, jump in the Einstein or stretch it out on your kick mat. You usually go down for your first nap around 10ish. This nap is usually about an hour and a half. Lunch is around noon. And then more play and I try to have you guys nap together in the afternoon. Your second nap is around 1:30ish. All naps and sleeping for that matter are in your crib now. This doesn't always happen ;) You nurse again after you wake up from your afternoon nap and play some more. Dinner is around 5:30/6ish. We all eat at the dinner table together. You get in some Daddy play time after dinner and we have been having most of our baths right before bed in order to try and relax you before settling down into sleep. You nurse once more before you go to bed around 7:30.  

Big changes: Last update, I wrote about weaning you off of the night time feeding- well when you got sick, was teething, and battled sleep regression, this kind of went out the window. Mommy was tired and sometimes the only trick I had left in the bag to get some sleep was to nurse you. So yes I did, I caved a few times. And now this Daylight Savings Crap has you all thrown off....Momma can't catch a break!! "Oh daylight savings how I HATE you!!" I was also thinking to myself recently and if I remember correctly I never really weaned Stella off of the night time feed, she kind of just dropped it on her own. Maybe you will too---but, she also wasn't a nurser like you are and took a bottle. All in all, this whole weaning the night time feed is a work in progress. 

Your favorites: Some of your favorites at the moments are:

1. cruising in your walker.

2. being naked.

3. tubby time with Stella.

4. Frozen Mango in your mesh teether.
5. to stand when someone holds your hands.

6. Hanging in the hammock.

7. walks on the towpath.

8. being held.

9.nursing.

and things you don't like:

the grass on your toes. You make this funny yucky face as soon as the grass touches your bare feet. And carrots? What happened-they used to be one of your favorites??

...oh yea, and the Easter bunny.