Seven months
Seven whole months of this guy.
Carter is becoming more and more active, like,
crazy-moving-all-the-time-and-it's-exhausting active. He still inchworms his way around, but he
is more frustrated than ever that he can’t just ‘go’. He twists and turns to
scan the room for anything interesting to grab, and the second you pick him up from somewhere (as he whined for
you to do, mind you), he immediately turns back towards that spot and leans as
if he wants to go back. He’s a huge fan of playing on the outside of his exersaucer
or bouncer or car carrier while we hold him. Rascal. He also recently started leaning back when you hold him to look upside down, so both arms are usually needed with him.
Buckles, tags, iPhones, and glasses of water continue to
fascinate Carter. He will lunge at the sight of any of them. Fortunately, he hasn't started crying when we take them away or move them out of sight. We're fearfully waiting for that day.
We are definitely in teething territory. I thought we were a few months ago given the drool, but it stopped until recently, and this is now a whole other ballgame. We have been giving him ice cubes in a mesh feeder, and there has been crying at night so I’ve been up nursing him more. I can see a bulge and feel the tip of a tooth in his lower gum and just hope that it pops through fast.
He's also now refusing solids, which I think is related to the teething. It does make our evenings easier.
We are definitely in teething territory. I thought we were a few months ago given the drool, but it stopped until recently, and this is now a whole other ballgame. We have been giving him ice cubes in a mesh feeder, and there has been crying at night so I’ve been up nursing him more. I can see a bulge and feel the tip of a tooth in his lower gum and just hope that it pops through fast.
He's also now refusing solids, which I think is related to the teething. It does make our evenings easier.
On a happier note, we have had quite a fun month of firsts!
- trips to the pool and the lake
- sitting up in a shopping cart
- enjoying peek-a-boo, or just 'boo'
- time in the grass
- trip to the park with Mama and Daddy
- consistently turning when hearing his name
- playing in the sand
- riding in the stroller without the infant
carrier
- understanding (and shrieking at) “I’m gonna get
you….!”
- giving kisses on command ('on command' is somewhat debatable)
- putting himself to sleep
- smiles to Auntie over Skype
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI'm a sleep-deprived mama to a four month old, so naturally I latched on to the first that your boy is putting himself to sleep :). Do you have any tips for sleep training, or did he grow into it on his own (that sounds awesome if that's that case)?
Hi Allison,
DeleteI’m sorry to hear about the sleep-deprivation. So hard!
My son didn't quite grow into it on his own, but perhaps he was ready? While he slept fairly well at night, we really struggled with naps, having to bounce and shush him to sleep, only to have him wake when he was placed in the crib or not long after. I read up on different sleep training methods and determined I wanted a no-cry method. I sort of adopted my own plan pulling from several articles I had read. I first started doing less and less of the sleep aids (bounce, shushing, rocking) each time, not letting it put him completely to sleep. I knew cutting it out cold turkey would have been hard for him. I also laid him down awake (ideally really sleepy), told him to sleep well, and walked out of the room. Originally, he cried for 30 seconds quite hard but then stopped and just fussed (which was his way of calming down and putting himself to sleep). I’d let him fuss for 3 min before going back in and picking him up or rubbing his back briefly until he calmed, then lay him down again. The second time I’d wait 5 min, and every time longer waits. If he cried hard I’d go in immediately to comfort him, but always laid him back down when calm. He realized I wouldn’t be holding him like before and started falling asleep on his own within a couple of days (with some help). Though a couple weeks later now it’s still not foolproof. BUT his naps have gotten longer and more consistent, so he is sleeping better.
That is what worked for us, but I know every kid is different. And every mama has a different comfort level. I’ve heard of plenty of success stories with Cry It Out – it just wasn’t right for me.
I hope you (and baby) find some great sleep in your near future.
Can't believe he is 7 month! Whoa! It seriously goes so fast that first year (and every year after that to be honest)! He is such a cutie and seems to be quite advanced (or maybe I just had really lazy babies who were late to do everything)! Love these posts, I dont get to see him (or you) as much as I would like with crazy busy schedules but I still feel like I am watching him grow thanks to all your awesome pictures!
ReplyDelete