Week 31

Two big milestones this week! 

First of all, since you've been reaching for our drinks a lot,

I researched "first sippy cups", 

and found one from Zoli that seems to fit the bill.

It's a got a super soft, flexible straw that has a weight on the end, 

so no matter how you hold the cup, the weight is in the water.

Also, it involves sucking, rather than tipping up the cup, 

which makes it slightly easier for you to drink.

We are limiting you to 2 to 4 ounces of water per day,

per the pediatrician's recommendation.

We have bought other products from Zoli,

and they are sleek, simple products that work!

Since you are teething now, 

you love their 'gummy sticks'...

We also have the Zoli Buzz-B electric nail file,

which helps to tame those unruly fingernails of yours.

You had a busy weekend!

On Friday, you turned 7 months old!

We went to your friend Adeline's 1st birthday party!

We also went to the Piccolo Spoleto finale in Hampton Park,

and you got to hang out with your friends Elizabeth, George, Leland, and Brinkley!

Sunday had us a little worried again

with that silly cough of yours that won't go away,

as well as a questionable bug bite.

So it was off to the doctor again...

I swear we should have a 'standing appointment' on Monday mornings.

You are fine. Your lungs are clear, your ears are good, '

and the bug bite was apparently normal.

Peace of mind.

Tuesday night we had visitors at the house!

Cousins Charlotte and Cassie and Mallory came to stay the night,

since they were touring the College of Charleston 

on their whirlwind tour of schools.

It was so great to catch up!

Charlotte had asked if you were sleeping 

on your stomach yet, to which I replied 'no!'...

which leads me to the next milestone.

At 5:30am I glanced at the baby monitor,

only to see that you were in fact sleeping on your tummy!

I ran in there to check on you, and you were sleeping soundly.

I proceeded to go back to bed 

and stare at the monitor for the next half hour.

Month 7

Happy 7-month birthday!

At 7 months old, you love to sit up on your own.
Whether you are sitting on the floor, in the middle of the bed, or playing in your crib,
you want to be sitting rather than laying or being reclined.
Therefore we tend to use your exersaucer more than the bouncy seat these days,

as well as the bumbo or highchair, although you associate those with certain tasks.

We still take nightly walks around the neighborhood in the umbrella stroller,
and we keep your big stroller in the car,
in case you fall asleep in the carseat when we're out,
we can just pop it into the stroller.

New tricks include:
rolling over (which I've only witnessed once)
and definitely sitting on your own!

Food: Breastmilk, a formula bottle (or two) per day, 

one meal at daycare... typically a vegetable,
and then one meal in the evenings, usually fruit.
The newest food that you've tried is peaches,
as well as some Stage 2 baby food combinations,
so more mixed veggies, and mixed fruits.
You've tried the yogurt melts, but you were not impressed!
Of course, your daddy tried one too,
and you both shared the same puckered-face reaction.

Sleep: You have finally started sleeping through the night again!
The tricky part is getting you to GO to sleep! You fight it hard.
Once you are asleep, you are good to go though.
Occasionally your pacifier will fall out, but one of us will stick it back in,
and you are off to sleep again pretty easily.

Clothing size: You are wearing size 6-9 month or straight up 9-month clothes,
I occasionally squeeze you into cute size 6-month outfits
that you never got around to wearing because it was too cold.
I have to get you in them at least once!

Toys: The farm animals are a must in the morning,
And we carry the set of plastic keys pretty much everywhere we go.
I must say that Sophie the Giraffe is probably your favorite "chew toy" these days.

She's easy to hold, and her ears and horns

 (aka ossicones - learn something new everyday!)

must comfort your gums.

And without Your Pal Violet, you'd be lost!

Bath toys have made their way into the mix as well!
The Eric Carle toys, as well as the "it's a small world" boat
that your cousins brought you back from Disney World
have been a huge hit!
And there's nothing like chewing on a wet washcloth!

Thanks Jennifer!

Book of the Month:  Your latest book club book is Pouch!
by David Ezra Stein

I love this book too!
Such a sweet story of growing up and exploring the world,
and finding a friend. So sweet.

Week 30

Dear little one,
here we are at 30 weeks!

And your little quirks and constant desires keep me on my toes.
I love, love, love you... in case I haven't mentioned that before.

When you are nursing, 

you've started to pull your hair in one spot.

Kind of like twirling it, but more of a tug 

You also grunt.

A lot.
And squeal!

Saturday night, we went to our friends Brooke & Brett's house,

and you wore a gold chain, and played in the yard,

and took a ride on their swing, which you LOVED!

 

 

 

You played with Elizabeth, and George, and Brinkley.

Fun was had by all (including your parents)!

Sunday, after your morning nap,
I heard you over the monitor,
so I glanced down to see that you were in a new position,
calling for Brian to 'hurry, come see',
we both ran from opposite rooms
meeting in the hallway outside your nursery,
only to find you laying on your stomach!!
You FINALLY rolled all the way over!!
There was clapping and celebrating,
and I'm sure you were completely confused (and amused).

You are pretty good about keeping yourself entertained,
whether it be on a blanket on the floor while I'm doing dishes,
or sitting in your exersaucer while we eat,
you seem content!

Thank you, sweet girl!

Well, you rounded out your 30th week with a trip to the doctor!
Daycare has had a scare with chicken pox, and you had some questionable bumps,
so they sent you home and I immediately made an appointment with the peditrician.
Turns out for now that you just have a bad case of bug bites!
That's a relief!

You loved the paper on the examining table,
and you are weighing in at 18 lbs 4 oz.

Week 29

We started the week with your 6-month well check, 

and everything was great!

The doctor doesn't seem nearly as concerned about your 

lack of enthusiasm for tummy time,

or the fact that you aren't rolling over yet, 

or that you seem constipated most of the time! 

She is level-headed, and relaxed, and knows that these things take time!

I should really follow her lead!

Anyway, the appointment was fine, 

and started out with all the measurements...

weight: 17 lbs 6 oz (80th percentile)

length: 26-1/2 inches (75th percentile)

head: 17-1/4 inches (90th percentile)

So overall, you are proportional! 

You did have 4 shots, which was NO fun. 

But you survived, and quickly passed out as soon as we were in the car.

You even stayed asleep once I took you out of the carseat at daycare!

one of our nightly walks around the block

We went to Georgia for Memorial Day weekend,
and to celebrate your Uncle John's 50th birthday!
The trip was great, and you managed to stay mostly happy in the car!

There was lots of playtime with all the cousins!
We went to the Farmer's Market, and hung out at the store.
All in all, a great time!

 

Happy Memorial Day!

Week 28

This is another week of firsts for you...

although you've had apples and pears previously,

this was your first experience with peaches! 

And since you are half-South-Carolinian,
and half-Georgian, 

peaches are a must! 

Your daddy broke out the jogging stroller this week,

and you've been on a couple of runs.

I imagine you holding on to the sidebars of the stroller for dear life! 

And I'm not convinced that it was a coincidence that you're 

diaper blowout that we've been waiting for 

just so happened to occur after an evening run!

Apparently the ducks came up to greet you,

and your daddy was quacking for the occasion.

Wish I could have witnessed that!

Another big deal, is that being a coastal kid,

you finally made it out to the beach for the first time!

 

 

 

 

 

You didn't actually get in the water (too cold),
and you didn't even play in the sand (too messy),
but we did stroll along the shore, lathered in sunscreen.
Our annual family beach trip is in a few weeks,
so there will be plenty of that going on then!

Your school pictures arrived this week,

and considering that you smile ALL the time,

I'm not sure how they made you look so serious!

We won't spoil the surprise for family, so you'll have to wait to see them!
They aren't any better than some of the photos that we've taken of you,
but I had to buy a couple just to commemorate your 1st school photo shoot!

Week 27

Happy birthday, Onnie!

I'm approaching this post a little backwards, 

since today is my mom's birthday, 

which always falls right around Mother's Day,

as well as my sister's birthday, which was last week,

so Mother's Day weekend is a special celebration 

of the most important ladies in my life!

After wrapping up Teacher Appreciation week

with little gifts and puns each day, similar to this one...

We took a trip to Spartanburg. 

Friday night was all about Allison,

since her birthday was Thursday.

My stepsister, sister, and their families, 

came to my mom's for steak night,

and it was great fun to be with all of them.

The big event on Saturday was Ellie's dance recital! 

She did great! And fortunately only had one dance this year,

to "my tippy tap shoes". Precious! 

She had lots of support in the audience from the 3 of us,

her mom & dad, Granddaddy, Onnie & Papa, 

her Nana and her Aunt Tammy. 

 

 

 

My 1st Mother's Day was Sunday, 

and you and your daddy gave me a sweet card,

as well as the new book by my favorite author David Sedaris.

There was also a gift certificate for a 60-minute massage 

and 30-minute facial slipped in there!

Can't wait to use those!!

(Guess I need to get busy on Father's Day!)

Onnie had helped you make a card with your handprints for me, as well!

We went to church with the family, 

and then all of us went out to lunch at our favorite 

Upstate restaurant, Wade's!

Once we were back at Onnie's house, 

we went on a long walk

(one of several over the course of the weekend).

In other news, the past 48 hours has looked like this...

although with a lot more screaming, kicking, and arm-flailing.

You've been coughing since last week, 

and I took you to the doctor on Monday, 

only to find out that your respiratory issues have resurfaced. 

They prescribed that you do breathing treatments every 4 hours 

(even through the night), as well as a steroid for 5 days.

We stayed home sick yesterday.

We had a follow-up appointment today, 

and you are sounding better, but your oxygen levels are still low.

We have to continue with the treatments (although less frequently),

most likely through next week.

I just want you to get better, sweet girl!
I do love the bonding time though,
because as much as you HATE the mask of the breathing machine,
you love to cuddle up afterwards for the calm down.

Developmentally, you are doing great!

You LOVE to sit up on your own and play.

You grab for EVERYTHING.

You have a healthy appetite and love bath time.

You've started sitting up in the baby tub, 

splashing and playing with toys.

I love watching you discover new things and be so curious.

A blog that I just started reading called Design for Minikind,

made a good point in one of her posts...

"I think the reason God doesn’t let six month old babies speak yet is because there aren’t enough exclamation points allotted in the English dictionary to properly illustrate your excitement for the sheer amount of things you discover daily."

I think this is so true because I can tell that your mind is racing 

so much so that your mouth wouldn't be able to keep up!

Week 26

In this 26th week of your life,

Daddy and I were able to get out again to another concert.

Jeff & Katie were kind enough to babysit, 

while we went to the Daniel Island Tennis Center to see...

Dawes + Bob Dylan

We had such a good time!

While Bob had mirrors and low lights and all kinds of tricks for preventing photography, 

we did manage to snap this photo while Dawes was on stage.

You can see our proximity to the stage (about 10' from it), 

but of course the crowd was much more dense once Dylan took the stage!

As I mentioned in your 6 month post,

you've started this funny little clap this week,

which I LOVE!

As promised, I got it on video...

This week has been "teacher appreciation week" at daycare.

I've been so excited to take little treats each day to your teachers.

Today had a cut-out of your handprint tied to little bottles of hand sanitizer,
with a note that read "you deserve a hand".
Gotta love Pinterest!

Hard to believe that 6 months have gone by!