Blake - 7 Months!

You're 7 months old buddy!!! Unfortunately you were sick a lot of this month but pretty happy nonetheless. I just can't believe how fast you're growing up! Here's a look at your 7th month including your monthly picture that's getting harder and harder to take....that darn tie is just so much fun to chew on! :)

Memories from the first half of Month 7:
-You love stroller rides. You are very relaxed and love to look at everything around you when we go for walks.
-You are still in size 3 diapers and probably will be for a while.
-Everyone still comments about what a good baby you are! (And how cute you are!)
-You LOVE food! You scarf down all of your food except green beans (so far). You must take after mommy. Green beans are yucky.

-You had your first formula EVER and mommy was feeling all of the "feels". ;) I was so excited that we made it to 6 months EBF but I was so ready for a break from all of the pumping I was doing to keep up with your bottles while I'm at work. You still have breast milk the majority of the day and only 1 bottle a day of formula. Lately though, you're drinking less at each feeding due to the introduction of more solids.
-You've had a good bit of sleep regression this month. It's not every night but more often than we'd like. We don't know if it's because you don't feel good, because of shots, because of teething, a growth spurt....you get the idea. We have no clue what is causing you to wake up unhappy all the time. :( You sure do move around when you sleep though!

-Still no teeth in your cute little mouth. We are on the lookout though.
-You are trying so hard to crawl! I try to lure you with toys and your PJ's are all scuffed up on your thighs from trying to scoot. I know someday I may regret this when you're moving all over the place...but I'm going to be honest, I can't wait to see you crawl! Right now you just roll wherever you want to go. It's pretty funny!

-You show excitement by kicking your legs, smiling, and waving your arms!

Memories from the second half of Month 7:
-You've had a bit of a stuffy and runny nose but you HATE the nose sucker. I have to pin your arms and head down to even attempt to clear your nose. It's no fun for either of us. I've heard great things about the NoseFrida but I feel like you wouldn't like that any better since you hate having anything in your nose.
-After all of the cold symptoms mentioned above, you woke up one weekend WAILING and you rarely cry so we were very concerned. Turns out you got your first ear infection. Poor boy. We were able to get you into the doctor so you got some medicine to make that mean infection go away.

Poor sick baby :(

-After getting through a week of not feeling well (and sleeping in your bouncy seat due to congestion) you are finally (fingers crossed) sleeping through the night again. Hallelujah!
-Speaking of sleep...your 2 hour morning nap has slowly been turning into a 1 hour morning nap. Not everyday, but the majority of the week. Your second nap is still 2+ hours. And sometimes you take a catnap on me after work. I love the extra snuggles.

-You love bath time. We still bathe you in the kitchen sink and you just love playing with the trickle of water that comes out of the faucet!
-Rolling is definitely your preferred method of movement. You just roll wherever you want to go. Trying to crawl frustrates you. And you're fast! I have caught you with a few different dog toys you quick little ninja!

-You have already figured out how to swipe the screen of the iPad..........
-We have grounded you from your exersaucer in the morning because it is your favorite morning "poo" place!!! Hahaha! Let's just say it makes a mess when you're bouncing around in there!

-Let me just repeat that I cannot believe that you are 7 months old already!
-You are really really close to sitting up unassisted. You can hold a sitting position for several seconds but inevitably you keel over. :)

-One more food we've discovered you're not a fan of is spinach. You take after daddy with that one.

- You always try to pull our glasses off our face; you think they are a fun toy! I think it's the first thing I've had to say "no, no" to...and so it begins. (Not that you understand quite yet)
-Your favorite book that I read to you is Your Baby's First Word will be DaDa by Jimmy Fallon. It's a simple book but it absolutely cracks you up every time I make the animal noises. You smile when I pull it out to read to you and turn your head to smile at me every time we flip the page. It's so cute! Your favorite book that daddy reads to you is called Bubbles, Bubbles and it has Sesame Street characters. You love the way he says "bubbles" over and over and how he moves the book around. :)

-We joke that you're going to be a preacher or an evangelist because you love talking to people and you especially love chatting away during church. ;) You are very responsive to the sermons, haha!
-Speaking of being a preacher, I often wonder what you will be like when you grow up. Will you be goofy and introverted like daddy, will you be outspoken and "blonde" like mommy? Will you like sports or music (or both), how about school? I bet these are the things that all moms think about. I am so excited to watch your little personality unfold and discover your likes and interests. Whatever you choose to do, I know that I will be so proud. You have a great daddy and two awesome grandpa's to look up too (and lots of uncles too!).

We love you so much Blake! 

Here are some other shots from the month:

Meeting your cousins for the first time!

We visited the apple orchard and you saw some animals, went on your first hayride, and wandered through the corn maze with mommy and daddy!

Fun at daycare (and your first time in a swing!)

Ready for Halloween!

Caught mid screech!

Caught mid "fake" cry! Lol

First time playing in the grass :)

Hanging outside on one of our last warm fall days.

Looking cute!

So handsome!

Oh! Hey there Zoey! We haven't forgotten about you! Hahaha!

That smile :)

Seriously, you're the best! We love you Blake!

Blake - 6 Months!

Blake you are half a year old already! Part of me feels like we were just in the hospital and another part of me feels like we've been parents for years. These past 6 months have been some of the best months of my life. You fill my heart with joy. I'm so glad God chose me to be your mommy.

Here's a look back at the last month:

This post is a little late because I wanted to include your 6 month checkup stats.

6 month stats:

Weight: 

17 pounds, 10 ounces (47th percentile)

Length:

27.5 inches (78th percentile)

Head Circumference:

18 inches (96th percentile)

We also had your 6 month pictures taken and I think they turned out really cute!

Memories from the first half of Month 6:

-You love kicking your legs around and flailing your arms. Sometimes you kick so hard in your Rockaroo that the swing quits rocking for a minute. You also start to kick when you get excited, like when mommy picks you up after work. :)

-Somehow you chuck your pacifier out of your crib almost every time you're in it. Mommy is getting sick of army crawling under your crib to retrieve it. Haha! ;)

-One day when daddy was shaving you got a handful of his shaving cream and got it in your mouth before we could stop you. It was pretty funny and we managed to wipe most of it out of your mouth before you swallowed.

-You've officially started solids. You eat cereal in the morning after your first nap and a vegetable at dinner time. We started with carrots. You like them a lot.

-You've started screeching a lot. Cute for now! ;)

-You finally learned how to roll the other way (belly to back)! Now you roll all over the place. You really want to start crawling too but you can't quite figure it out. The knees of your jammies are getting pilled. 

Memories from the second half of month 6:

-Mommy is officially back to work so you started daycare. You go to a home daycare three days a week and grandma's two days a week. You transitioned just fine and mommy did pretty well too.

-We've moved you up to size 9 month clothing gradually. Most of your 9 month stuff is for the fall so we squeeze you into 6 month shorts on the warm days.

-So far you've tried these solids (and loved all of them): rice cereal, oat cereal, carrots, squash, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and honey crisp applesauce. I've bought the Beechnut brand jars and the Gerber "jars". I do not make your food from scratch nor do I plan to. ;)

-You went in the church nursery for the first time (during SS, you stay with us through the service). 

-You also got sick for the first time. Poor guy. You got a fever and daddy had to stay home with you. You also had a runny nose and raspy voice. You just didn't feel good for about a week. 

-You're still an awesome sleeper! You sleep approximately 8pm - 7am at night and take two 2 hour naps and a catnap during the day. 

-We keep wondering if you're teething. We're pretty sure your fever was cold related but I know that it can be a sign of teething (though some disagree). Your saliva seems to have a more watery consistency lately. We'll see.

-You LOVE cups and water bottles! Every time I have one in my hand or on a table in front of you you reach for it with your whole body and try to bring it to your mouth.

-You gave me "kisses" for the first time. Awww
-Every time mommy gives you a bath you think it's funny to pee all over! Last time you hit all of our clean pump and bottle parts that were drying....ughhh. I still love you buddy. :) Daddy claims you never do this when he bathes you!

-And finally, this has been going on for pretty much your whole life, but you are obsessed with Uncle Tyler. Specifically his face and beard. Hahaha!

And, as always, some pictures from the past month!

A very rare instance of snuggling captured here. He must have know I was heading back to work soon.

Caught mid-screech bouncing up and down!

Little soccer thug, hahaha!

Celebrating Opa's birthday

Checking out the stingrays with Zoey at the aquarium store.

We made Grandma a special birthday gift 

Out shopping, chewing on Sophie :)

After church

You think daddy is so funny!

Feed me mom!

Hanging outside while we play ball with Zoey

One night I came home from grocery shopping and found you like this. Daddy said you were playing and then just rolled over and fell asleep! You must take after mommy!!!

We love you so much Blake! Happy half-birthday!