At 7 months, Iver:
- weighs around 16-16.5 lbs (at his 6-month WCC, he was 15#4 oz and staying in about the 10-15%).
- is still in 6-month (and some 9-month) clothing
- is still on all breastmilk and a good eater. He has tolerated the solids (but has to be distracted with toys while eating and it can be a fight), including (Gerber) oatmeal cereal, and homemade pureed fruits/veggies including sweet potatoes, bananas (a big hit), zucchini (two thumbs down), squash (eh), avocado (a hit), mango, apples, carrots, and watermelon in a mesh feeder. He will take water in a sippy cup and lets us know when he's done eating.
- Has pretty much outgrown his reflux/spitting up. However, in the past week, he has had two impressive (outfit-change-requiring [mine and his]) vomiting episodes (one waking himself up from sleep), consisting mostly of milk, but which reminded me of the projectile-puking days. Not sure if this was a food reaction, or an overfilled tummy (entirely possible) as he had no other systemic symptoms and a good appetite
- is still a prolific pooper (i.e. at least 4-6 times per day) with frequent blow-outs despite the solids. We have actually started some potty habits since he is so regular (am) on the pooping and peeing (always after a nap), sitting him on the Baby Bjorn potty chair at these times and letting him do his business. I've done some reading on "elimination communication," and I can see how it's pretty possible to (if you have the time and patience) almost completely potty train a child before about age 18 months (which would be awesome for many, particularly environmental, reasons) if you pay attention to their patterns.
-
is in cloth diapers during the day (which is definitely more icky now-- we are using flushable liners and a spatula as a scraper) and size 3 Naty or Pampers (usually with one change after the 3 am feeding)
-
loves rolling around (and across) the floor and the crib. He can almost sit independently but still topples over occasionally. He easily gets up on all fours often in his crib and floor, rocks, and I can see that he wants to crawl but can't connect the brain and motor skills yet. He pushes up with his feet, scoots and face plants a lot and sort of army-crawls. He is still very squirmy. He is a very strong grabber-- which hurts our ears, face, and we have to be careful with earrings/glasses/everything within reach in the diaper changing area (which includes a lamp and dreamcatcher, as well as diaper creams). He likes his jumperoo but prefers exploring the floor. He doesn't seem to like the restriction of the bumbo chair.
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sleeps in his crib/own room at night (although one of us [usually Kelvin, for the first shift] is often on the futon next to him at times). He still goes to bed pretty easily
between 7:30 and 8
p.m. and wakes 2-3 times at night, usually around 11pm-midnight and 2 or 3 am (and sometimes at 10pm or 5 am). He is "up" for the day usually around 6 am (although the last few days have been met with a 5 am wake-up time... not our favorite). On alternate nights (to preserve some supply and minimize my need to pump extra) or often when I'm post-call, Kelvin has started giving him the first feeding 2-4 oz by bottle so I can sleep which has done wonders for my ability to be functional during the day, and I nurse him the second and third. We are considering some sleep training to try to eliminate this first waking (Kelvin is starting to come around to the idea of graduated extinction/cry-it-out, but not there yet). We are often tired in the days and need naps ourselves, but are managing ok.
- has become pretty regular with the naps in the crib (although these
have been a bit off with the earlier wake-up time). He sleeps about an
hour-to and hour-and-a-half around 9 a.m. and about another hour or so
in the early-to-mid-afternoon, although sometimes only snoozes 30-45
minutes. We often find him cooing on all fours when he's had a good nap. We are bringing back the naptime pacifier and encouraging a
security blanket/transitional object.
- is still scratching his head (or my arms) while nursing or at sleep times, which keeps us putting mittens on his hands at these times (and saying "ouch")
-
gets bathed about once per
week on Sunday nights (sooner prn blowouts), and is not always a fan, as he's often tired/cranky at the time of the bath
-
loves walks and runs in the stroller/BOB, and swinging at the neighborhood parks
- is incredibly smiley and vocal, shrieking, laughing, and smiling. He has started to say "ya" and "da," nonspecifically. We have been signing to him (mom, dad, potty, change diaper, milk, more, all done) but have yet to see him sign back. He has a great personality and this is an extremely fun age.
Morning smiles
Potty time!
He mostly eats, not reads, books
Loving the swing!
I loove this one!
Cool in the stroller
With his favorite person, grandma...
... and his next favorite... dada!
We had some fun (and challenges) taking the 7-month pictures!
Not too into it, initially:
Now hamming it up a bit...
Thumbs up?
Sitting mostly unsupported
Love this smile!
On the go, as always!
