Little Lermas!: 7 Months!

I have always said that I love the 6 to 9 month age period. Not only is that SO true with Isabella, it is even FAR better than I thought. She is growing into quite the little lady with such a personality, and she definitely cracks us up on a daily basis. If months 8 and 9 (and beyond) are just as sweet, being a Mama has far surpassed my every dream! With that...

Happy 7 Months Isabella Rae!

Raspberry blowing, drooly drooly baby!

7 Month Highlights:

-You started the month with a family Christmas party filled with singing along to Christmas carols, sugar cookie decorating, and watching Elf. Mimi, Pops, Tia, Uncle G, and Dani were all there and we had so much fun!

Oh tired family...can you tell Bella still hasn't gotten the whole sleeping thing down yet!?

-We then had a Christmas lunch at church. Unfortunately daddy was sick so it was just us 2, but we still had fun watching all the kids sing Christmas songs and eating a good meal. Unfortunately Santa must have been sick, because he was a no show.

-Next up was Mama's 9th Annual Christmas Brunch for the ladies. Just because we moved to GA doesn't mean the tradition needs to die! Unfortunately we were having such a fun time, we didn't get any pictures. But there was tons of food, lots of ladies, and just a lot of fun!

-We took a bunch of walks this month which was amazing because we would never have been able to be outside so much in December and January if we still lived in Chicago! Love living in GA!

-You definitely got better at eating solid foods, although some days you just aren't feeling it at all. Weeks 29 and 30 since you were teething so much, you barely ate at all. This month you tried more avacado, as well as sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, bananas, butternut squash and broccoli, all of which you ended up liking...if I could get you to eat! Squash is your favorite. I love making food for you, knowing it is all organic and fresh!

YUM...carrots!

-Christmas Eve and Christmas day were fun at our house, spending time with Mimi, Pops, Tia and Uncle G. Pops read you and Dani "Twas the Night Before Christmas" right before bed to continue a family tradition which was sweet.

Pops and the girls

Mimi and her girls

-You got your 6 month shots (late, as the whole schedule was started later) and did great. Daddy said you cried harder this time, and you may have, but you stopped crying as soon as you got your moo cow and we picked you up. You are such a good baby! You also got the first flu shot and this made you MISERABLE the next 2 days...you were achy every time we tried to pick you up or move you, you cried a lot, and had fevers all day. Poor baby...so sad to see you feeling so poopy!

-New Years Eve was really relaxing and chill. We went to Mimi and Pops for dinner and a movie. You decided you wanted in on the festivities and stayed up until 9:30! Hello! But you slept pretty good the rest of the night, so all was good : ) New Years day was full of "clean the garage excitement!" While mama and daddy worked hard, you loved being in the Ergo all day and listening to music!

-You got eczema really bad this month on your cheeks, chin and chest. Not a highlight, but something Mama wants to remember for timing for later on. 1% hydrocortisone cream twice a day and coconut oil 3-4 times a day really helped it clear up within 4 days or so. Since then, I've been using coconut oil and lavender essential oil which has kept it under control.

-We had a girls day with Mimi, Tia and Dani and you loved it! While mama got a pedicure you stared at the water, and then took at good 35 minute nap!

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-You really started sitting better this month, although you would much prefer to stand. If there is something really interesting in front you of though, you may sit for a few minutes! The day before you turned 7 months you actually sat on your lambie with a few toys for a good ten minutes. Yes, you tend to topple over sometimes, but you actually caught yourself a few times as well!

Sometimes it takes a little bribing to get her to sit : )

-You have a new found love- your jumperoo! We have to put a thick blanket underneath your feet because you are still a bit too short to touch the ground, but you absolutely love bouncing up and down! When we take you out of it, you still try and bounce : )

It is near impossible to get a clear picture of her in this thing b/c she's a jumping maniac!

Sleeping: Ohhh, sleep has never been her strong suit! But we finally hit a sweet spot when she turned 27 weeks. She goes down for the night at 6:30 pm, and doesn't wake up til 5:30 or 6am to eat, then goes right back to sleep after eating til 7:30 or 8 am or so! At 28 weeks most days she would wake up to eat at 7 or 7:30 am, and go back to bed right after eating for about an hour (oh how nice that was!). Occasionally she would wake up at night, but after a few nights of crying it out towards the beginning of the month, she learned she could easily put her Moo Cow back in, and fall right back asleep. Since she really started teething over the last week, that has also started to interfere with her sleep! If it's not one thing, it's another. But overall her self soothing has improved a ton, and she doesn't wake up near as many times as in the past!

Her morning nap is pretty regular from 10-11:30 and then perhaps there will be a second nap later in the day for about 45 minutes to an hour, but timing on that one is always all over the place. It is amazing how it feels to actually get some consolidated sleep...finally!

Breastfeeding: I thought we hit a bump in the road towards the beginning of the month, but everything has worked out great. At a check up, Bella dropped in weight from the 20th percentile to the 2nd percentile so we had some catching up to do! The MD wanted her to eat 2 bottles a day of 4-6 oz pumped milk. No problem I thought b/c I had tons of frozen milk and could additionally pump once before I went to sleep. However, all my frozen milk smelled and tasted awful, so I thought it had gone bad. Luckily, I didn't have the heart to throw it out and talked with a lactation specialist. Turns out I have high lipase in my milk so once it's frozen it smells and tastes...well awful. BUT it's not harmful and Bella can drink it. Only she won't take it straight. So I pump before bedtime and generally get 2 oz which I mix with 2 oz frozen milk. She gets this bottle right before bed, after being breastfed for the 5th time.
So overall, she eats 5 times a day, pretty much every 3 hours from 6 am to 6 pm. It takes about 20 minutes because she eats both sides twice (she gets really frustrated after the initial let down so won't work at it until she has had the let down on both sides).

Isabella Loves:

-Moo cow paci

-Baths in the pink tub
-Piano play mat
-Caterpillar toy, crinkle book, and tambourine mirror
-Being held and cuddling
-Dancing and singing
-Her jumperoo

Isabella Hates:

-Socks and shoes, or anything on her feet for that matter
-Teething...poor thing has been miserable the last week and a half!
-The last few weeks I would add eating solid food to this list : (
*Yay, we can finally take carseat of this list...she loves going for drives now!*

7 Month Stats:

-Height 25.25 in (21st percentile)
-Weight: 13 lb 8 oz (4th percentile)
-Head circumference 16.25 in (11th percentile)

*Still in size 1 diapers, and using Pampers Swaddlers.
*Wearing 3-6 month clothes, although still in a few 0-3 mo things (especially long sleeved onesies). Most, if not all, 6 month outfits are way too big still.

Isabella's Firsts this Month:

-First carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, butternut squash, broccoli and bananas
-First Christmas!
-First drink in a sippy cup (water) 12/30/14
-First New Years!
-First time sitting for a prolonged period while playing 1/12/14

This Month in Pictures: