Conor Christopher: Seven months

Conor by month 1 // 2 // 3 // 4  // 5  // 6

Growing // You probably weighed about 13 lbs 2 ounce, but you weighed 13 lbs 0.5 oz a week before you turned 7 months at your 6 month checkup! And you'd gained 10 ounces in 10 days. That felt like a record to be honest as I feel like you've been slow going in the weight gain department. And at that appointment you measured 23.75 inches and your head circumference was 43.5 cm (41st percentile). It's the only measurement that has you on the growth chart for your actual age, all the others are 0th percentile!

Eating + Sleeping // You are eating 140-150 mls and I think you started the month at 120 mls. You continue to eat well. Praise the Lord! And feeding you is so much more enjoyable. You still don't have a ton of hunger cues and you don't really cry when you're hungry. I can just tell because you start sucking on your hands and you welcome the bottle so readily! We feed you when you wake up, and sometimes I feed you again before you go down for a nap just to get those extra ounces in you! There have been some moments where I feel like I'm forcing you to eat, but for the most part we've been really good at following your cues and trusting that what you might not finish at one feed, you'd eat at another. 

You're eating 7 times a day still. And we typically feed you after your last nap around 5ish, and then keep you up till about 630ish and feed you again before you go to bed. You're still napping 3 times a day, and I'm still waking you up to eat before I go to bed around 11 and again in the wee hours of the morning around 5 or so.  I can't wait for the day we can just let you sleep, but truthfully, I feel like it might be awhile just because you're slow going in the weight department! But you are such an incredible sleeper, truly. Your brothers wake you up and you go right back to sleep. And when I wake you up to feed you, you just go right back to sleep without any fuss. It's such a gift. Not much else to report in the sleeping department. 

Wearing // You are still wearing some 0-3 month things, but you've started to wear a few 6 month things and I've cycled alot of the 0-3 month things out of your clothes bin. It's so fun to watch you grow! And I'm loving those Zutano booties. You wear them with every single outfit. And you're in Size 2 diapers. And you're still rocking the cloth diapers too.

Loving // You love when dada bounces you on his leg and raises you up in the air. You love to laugh, I mean you truly giggle. And you're ticklish. And you just love when people pay attention to you and talk to you! You just smile and laugh, and it's just lovely. 

Loathing // Truly - I have no idea what you don't like these days. You don't really like having your hair washed and water streaming down your face, as it all just catches you off guard, but who does.

Nicknames // Connie, that's really the one that will stick I'm sure!

Doing // So much smiling and babbling and rolling from front to back and rolling onto your side.

Doctors appointments // So many doctors appointments this month. 2 Occupational therapy appointments, 1 visit to North Seattle pediatrics, 4 appointments at childrens with cardiology, pulmonology, nutrition, and radiology, 1 three hour infant development appointment at UW, and 1 appointment with an ophthalmologist. You had so many appointments at Children's this month, most routine followups, but you had an MRI - your head had grown a ton since leaving the hospital and they thought you may have fluid in your brain because you were having some eye issues. Alas, everything was fine, but even to this day, so many months removed, I can still remember the panic of the day as they got Conor in immediately. The concern all began a few days prior at he infant development appointment, and they told us to go see our pediatrician and see what they'd say. And they said take him to Children's, so we did that same day. And everything came back clear. 

Milestones // First Halloween! First eye Doctor appointment at Childrens. Maybe your first time at church? 


Jack by month 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12
Ryan by month 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 //12 

Ryan Alexander: Seven Months

 Ryan by month 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 //

This age just might be my favorite age ever!! You are so curious and interactive and you just love to laugh! And you are just so sweet and so fun and so easily entertained. And you are just darling. I'm sure I'm biased because I'm your mom, but whatever. I could just smile at you and kiss your soft cheeks all day long.

Growing // You are definitely growing! It's crazy to have such a sturdy baby with little rolls on your legs. I think you weigh around 17 lbs, but I really have no idea. Your head is still big and people think you are a whole lot bigger than you actually are simply because of your head size!

Eating + sleeping // You are such a good eater! You are still breastfeeding around 7 times a day, maybe 8, which is about how much a newborn eats! I keep waiting for you to drop feeds, especially at night, but you haven't. Whatever. I've been able to pump three times during my work day, which means you have just enough milk for the next office day. We haven't had to buy formula yet, and I don't know if we will seeing as I've been WAY more diligent about pumping while I'm at the office this time around.

I've made a ton of food for you this month, and now we are just reaping the benefits of it all as it's just sitting in the freezer waiting to be consumed. I normally make a bunch and then freeze it in ice cube trays and then take them out of the trays and put them into little baggies. And I just pull out cubes the night before - sometimes I combine the cubes and sometimes I don't. And I've also given you frozen bananas and other cold items in your little nuby mesh feeder thing. You love that thing, not only for the yummy food inside, but I think you also love the way it feels on your teeth and gums, and I love it because then you can feed yourself.

You normally wake up after 7 and go to bed after 7. You are doing 3-4 naps a day. You are starting to drop a nap and your afternoon napping is now about 2 hours long, and your morning nap is normally longer than an hour. You are such a good sleeper. Your dad and I were just saying how easy it is to put you to bed. We just put you in your sleep sack, turn on your sound machine, and place you in your bed awake, and you just fall asleep. So easy - I really don't understand! And you've started to sleep with your head to the side- it's the cutest thing ever.

Wearing // You are wearing mostly 6-9 month items, but I did pull out a bunch of 9 month clothes that you have also been wearing. You are still wearing size 3 diapers. And I adjusted your cloth diapers to the size in between. 

Loving // You love to eat and you love that nuby mesh feeder thing. I should probably buy some more of those! As you just love sucking and knawing on all the items that are inside of it - what a brilliant idea! I don't know why I didn't use it much with Jack. You love ALL of your teething toys! And we've been putting you in your bouncer a lot lately and you love bouncing whether in your bouncer or on the bed or in our arms. You just love to kick your legs - you rarely stay still. And you absolutely love to laugh!! And I've been calling you my joy baby as you just radiate joy! Your brother loves you so much, and I think you love him too. He's always asking to carry you.

Loathing // The only time you ever cry is when you're tired and hungry, and I don't blame you! I'd cry too.

Milestones // You are teething like a maniac and everything goes in your mouth! Every single thing. you celebrated your first 4th of July and slept right through the fireworks. You went for another boat ride, and this was your first time wearing your infant life jacket! I wasn't too sure how you'd do with that giant thing on, but you actually fell asleep. What else? We started putting you in your big boy seat in the stroller, and have stopped using the car seat adapter.  We've taken you on quite a few hikes, and I just started wearing you on my back rather than on my front, and you love that. You are sitting up like a champ now! At the beginning of the month, you were pretty top heavy and you would sit there and your head would go forward and now you may just lose your balance a bit and sometimes you correct yourself and sometimes you topple to the side. I can't even believe how much you've grown and changed in 7 months already. It's going so fast!!