Nicole and Brandon: Blake

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: