Beckett James | Seven Months

I have had this ready to go for one month I just never got around to adding the picture and hitting publish.  Oops!  Zoe's posts got sporadic once I started work too so I feel a little less bad.  And no pics other than the monthly pic :(  I just have no time to add them!

Clearly, I think you are a month older than you really are since I almost titled this post EIGHT months.  Regardless of your age, you are SO.MUCH.FUN right now.  I could spend all day every day playing in the backyard with you and Zoe.

Stats:  We had to go in for your ear recheck after your ear infection and you were 17 lbs 8 oz there.  No idea where that is on the growth chart, but you are definitely plumping up!  You've got a double chin going when you get excited, your cheeks are round and squeezable and you are starting to FINALLY get some rolls.


Likes:  Zoe.  Numero uno favorite thing in this world.  She can immediately turn your mood around just by walking in the room.  It's pretty amazing to see how much you love her already.  And she loves you right back.  She does really well at sharing with you and even tells us how you are sharing your toys with her (let's hope that you are good at sharing too when you actually realize what is yours and what is hers).  The swaddle when away this month so we put Mr. Monkey and your lovey in your crib and you play with them in the morning when you wake up at your ungodly hour.  Food - bottles or solids, you don't care.  You gobble it all.

Dislikes:  Loud noises…You still scare pretty easily.  Being overtired.  Being left alone.  You like to be sitting by yourself, but you need to be able to see people.  You are content for a few minutes while I run around to get laundry done, etc.  but it doesn't last very long.  Not having your paci although that has gotten MUCH better of the last few days.

Biggest Achievement This Month:  Rolling from back to tummy.  Although, you don't like to show your rolling tricks too often :)
 
Biggest Challenge This Month:  Getting rid of the swaddle AND the paci.  You started busting out of the swaddle and rolling around the same time so we decided to give it a try and you really did ok.  I think they still swaddle you for naps at school, but your naps there aren't always the best so whatever works. 

The paci, oh the paci!  You weren't that reliant on it until you got sick.  Then you had a cold and an ear infection and were just irritable so we popped it in your mouth all the time and you became addicted.  So much so you were waking 10 times a night for us to pop it back in.  Cue the end of the paci.  The doctor said that if it wasn't interfering with sleep, it was ok to have for the first year.  Well, I'd say waking up screaming for it all night is interfering with sleep.  So we went cold turkey.  We endured 3 or 4 nights of screaming for 20 minutes when we put you down (you wanted nothing to do with us...just that paci).  Then the next few nights just some whimpering.  You'd wake up maybe once and whimper but that was it!  You've had one bad nap where it took you FOREVER to fall back asleep after you woke 40 minutes in but you got there.  It would be nice to have during the day sometimes when you are a little whiney, but we are done and at least we don't have to worry about breaking you of the habit later.

Sleep: Down for the night around 7:30pm.  You then wake around 5am or 5:45am (TOO EARLY!).  Then sometimes you just chat and want up, sometimes you fall back asleep.  It's random.  We are trying to hold off feeding you until at least 6:30am so that you don't get used to waking so early.  I think the light mornings are a big factor here.  Your naps are at 8:45/9am, 12:30/1pm, and 4:30/5pm.  Your first two naps are anywhere from 1-2.5 hours.  Your last nap is usually only 30-45 minutes unless one of your first two naps were shorter, then you'll sleep longer.  I think we are getting close to getting rid of the third nap.  As long as you nap well the other two, you can easily make it to bedtime without total meltdown.  Maybe you'll sleep in a little bit too (doubtful) ;)
 
Temperament/Personality:  Happy, happy, happy!  Again, you love to "play" with Zoe.  You want everything she has, and she's usually very good about sharing and passing things back and forth.


Eating:  We upped your bottles to 7 oz since we cut out a feeding.  It seems like a lot, but we talked to the doctor and she said the average for your age is 24-28 oz/day.  So by upping it to 7 oz, you are now at the max which you seem to want.  You take bottles at 6:30/7:00am, 11:30/12pm, 3pm, 7:30pm.  The exact times depend on how long your naps are.  I usually try to make sure you've slept at least 2 hours and then I'll let you go 15-30 minutes longer.


You now LOVE your cereal.  And food.  The only thing you haven't like so far are peaches (which is weird to me) and chicken and gravy (which sounds disgusting ground up so I can't blame you here).  You take your cereal and yogurt and 8am, two small packs or one large pack of food at 11am, and then again at 6/6:30pm.  School sometimes sneaks in another pack at 4:30 or 5pm if you seem cranky, but you've never needed that "snack" at home.
 
Randoms:  A mix of 6 and 9 month clothes.  The 6 months JUST fit now.  Still in size 2 diapers.  Although, I have you in size 3 for nighttime since you are close to leaking out of size 2 now that you are sleeping through the night.

Milestones:  You can roll both ways now.  You can also sit pretty well on your own which is a little earlier than Zoe.  Still no teeth.  You are eating everything in site though.  I'm not sure if it's your teeth or just that you are at the age where everything goes in your mouth.  We've talked to Zoe repeatedly about what she can give you to play with and what she can't.  She loves to share but sometimes a little too much.

I love this phase and love watching you and your sister become the best of friends.  But feel free to slow down a little.  I'm going to miss my baby!  Love you Beckett!