Our Maggical Days : Happy 7th month, Daniel!

Hey Friends.

I wanted to update you all on Daniel’s 7 month birthday!

weight: 20 pounds

diaper size: 2

clothes: 6-9 months

Our baby in a word: CURIOUS (and funny!)

Nursing:

6:45 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

12:30 p.m.

3:30-4:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

real food for dinner

8:00 p.m.

He is a good eater still, and is REALLY enjoying and eating his table food very much. I am still pureeing his food, but KNOW that I need to start getting his used to using his fingers to feeding himself, I am just too scared to do it alone. I would rather someone else be home while doing this in case he chokes. This is one of the only things that I am scared to do as a new mom. He is still only eating one time a day, but I am getting ready to start a second feeding at lunch or breakfast, I am not sure which one yet.

Sleeping:

Sleeping in the 7 month has turned to be a big fight. I am not sure if it is the inconsistency of being home the past couple of weeks, but getting him to go down for the night is like an hour or less long fight. When we had a little bitty baby, I would go get him no matter what. But now, I can tell when I lay him down that he is just mad and insisting upon his own way, so we keep him in there. I go in momentarily to reestablish the paci, and blankie, and walk away. It sounds cold, but I know that he is just mad. You can tell the different cries for your baby, and I know the mad cry.

Once he is asleep, sometime after 8, he still until-6:45 a.m.

morning nap 8:30-10:30

afternoon nap 1:00-3:30 p.m.

maybe a small cat nap, or rest time near 5

8:00 bedtime.

A really cute thing that he does at night and for naps is pull the blankie up to his face and nuzzle into it before going to sleep. I happen also to sleep with my face covered. I guess he gets it from his momma. Winking smile

He takes a paci for nap times, bed times, and sleepy times if we are not home.

He wakes easily.

He wakes up if we are riding and take him out of the car. So, we play a lot of “keep Daniel awake games” if we are close to home.

Behavior

Yes, what a weird category to add to this update!!!! I have had to take my very first measure of discipline in this 7th month. The first happened on Friday, August 19. I was trying to put on his button up shirt, and he moved my hand away from the buttons and made a “eeegghhhh” noise as if to stay “don’t do that!” So, I just looked at him and resumed buttoning. The second time I did it, he had the same reaction and I pushed his hand down and looked at him in the face and said: “Daniel, NO!” I held his hand down a little longer, and then resumed the third button, with the very same reaction. Then, I did the same thing. “Daniel, NO!” and then when I went to button the 4th button, he gently, placed his hand on my hand as if to say: “Can I do this?”

The second form happened today actually while I was buttoning another shirt. Same reaction with pushing me away. I corrected him verbally four times before I had to slap this little hand. (Which KILLED my heart) he roooollllleeeeed his bottom lip down but didn’t cry. After I finished buttoning his shirt, I sat him up and said: “Do not push mommy’s hand away.” then I hugged him, told him I loved him and we went on with life.

I CANNOT believe that my little baby is already showing signs of his depravity! Yikes!!!! I knew that this was coming but I had NO IDEA it would be this subtle and sneaky so soon. In preparation to rightly discipline him when it came time, I have been reading a book called “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Tedd Tripp and it says obedience defined is:

Without Challenge
Without Excuse
Without Delay

Of course, Daniel is only 7 months old, but I have these principles in mind now, I will be able to discipline demanding obedience in this way.

Funny Things:

Daniel LOVES to be the center of attention.
He loves to see and “talk” to people
He grabs everything he can see
he sits up wonderfully
he plays with toys
he chews anything in sight
he reached for us regularly to come to us
he gives “love” in forms of hugs and wide mouthed kisses
he is starting to cry when I leave the room quite often.

To improve this, we have been playing some “peek-a-boo” games to improve on this. I will walk out of the room, and wait until he whines (2-3 secs) and then reappear. He will grin. I stay a second, and then hide again. Wait a few seconds even if he doesn’t whine, and reappear. He will grin. Then I do this until the seconds in between whines is longer and longer. Today we made it 20 seconds. I am trying to establish his trust that I will come back and that there is no need to cry, but only to wait. I hope this helps our efforts in nursery if he becomes anxious about my departure. So far though he does great if he has distractions. At home, there are not 15 other little children to look after.

he will “walk” a long way holding our fingers.
He rolls REALLY well now.
do NOT like to be on his back, will lunge up using his elbows even when I change his diaper.
still loves to be naked
still does not like to be dressed.
loves his crunchy, loud books.
smiles A LOT. We have been told OVER AND OVER how happy he is! It makes us happy parents. I want to take credit for it. :)
smiles for pictures
no longer a fan of cuddling.
Will lunge forward or backward to see something someone has blocked his view from.
Chatters LOUDLY mostly in the evenings.
will catch a ball if Dennis rolls it to him. The first few times he caught it, he laughed to himself in satisfaction for his achievement. I thought it was the coolest thing.
What else?!?!?