Sweet smile
Peter is so much fun at seven months! He’s a bouncing bundle of energy with a surprising amount of strength (wiping his runny nose or giving him medicine is sometimes an epic struggle!). Another pleasant development of late is that Benjamin has actually started playing with him, instead of just taking toys away or tormenting him. Here’s the rundown on Peter at seven months:
- Weight: 18 lbs. (Benjamin weighed 15 lbs. 3 oz. at 7 months…)
- Nighttime Sleep Pattern: I usually nurse him just a few minutes before he falls asleep, and I put him in bed between 8:45 and 9:15. He is persistent in wanting to start his day around 6 in the morning, but if he wakes up any time before 7, I just take him to my bed and nurse him. We usually both fall back asleep, and he even stays asleep after I get up with Benjamin between 7 and 7:30.
- Sleep Disruptions: Last month we enjoyed a brief respite from the previously frequent sleep disruptions. He was in between ear infections, so if he did wake up during the night, it wasn’t too difficult to help him get back to sleep. This week I’m taking him to an ENT to talk about the high possibility of getting tubes for his ears. I’m ready, if it will mean a happier baby and a well rested mama!
- Sitting up on his own – Just before he turned 7 months, he could suddenly sit up on his own, without falling backwards or sideways a few seconds later. He entertains himself for long stretches now if I just sit him down on a quilt. He’ll play sitting up for awhile, then slide onto his belly or side. Eventually, he manages to scoot, rotate, or otherwise make it to the other side of the blanket. I haven’t figured out how he does this yet – I just know it isn’t by crawling. But I think crawling is only a few weeks away.
- Babbling – babababa, mamamamama – those are Peter’s favorite “words” to say. He especially enjoys singing when he’s playing with toys in his high chair.
- Eating – I nurse him about five times a day now, roughly every four hours, except at night, when it’s just after dinner and at bed time. He eats some combination of baby food and rice cereal/oatmeal at lunch and dinner. And he loves every bite! So far, he hasn’t met a jarred baby food he doesn’t like. Can’t say the same for mashed up banana and avocado. He’s not a fan of texture yet. Usually he has a fruit and a veggie at one meal, and a veggie and cereal at another. I think I’ll have to start feeding him more soon, because he has a big appetite. When he really, really likes something, he opens his mouth wide and leans forward to meet the spoon as I lift it toward his mouth. Such enthusiasm! I still hope to eventually try my hand at making him some homemade pureed veggies and fruits, but we’ve been too busy with all this moving business lately for me to even consider it.
- Bathtime – Peter has outgrown his baby tub, so I’m trying various new methods of bathing him. We have a bath seat that I could use, but I find it hard to actually clean all of him when he’s surrounded by a plastic ring. I tried the kitchen sink, but there’s really too much trouble for him to get into there. My current favorite is also the riskiest: putting him in the tub with Benjamin. The downside is I have to keep Benjamin from stirring up the water too much, and I have to hold Peter steady the whole time. But last night Benjamin helped me by soaping Peter up with his hands. It was a very sweet big brother thing to do.
- Clapping – He has started clapping his hands, but he doesn’t quite know that’s what he’s doing. Sometimes he just pats his hands on his belly. Whatever he does, he loves discovering his hands, and so smiles and laughs a lot.
- Playtime – I think the person who invented the exersaucer is brilliant. Peter absolutely loves ours! It’s like a baby carnival – there’s something bright and noisy around every corner. When he isn’t hanging out there, he enjoys playing on a quilt, in his high chair, or sometimes even on Benjamin’s bed. He has gotten really good at handling his toys – and at grabbing anything you are silly enough to leave within his reach.
Here are some pictures of Peter at seven months:
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- Peter likes to fold his hands together like this
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- Sharing a snuggle with his big brother
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- Sweet smile
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- Inquisitive boy
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- Sitting up on his own, and proud of it!
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- Hanging out with his cousin Owen, who is four months younger
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- I often put Peter on Benjamin’s bed while I get Benjamin ready for bed. This night he got so comfy he fell asleep there!
