7 Months

7 Months

June 27 – July 26

Happy 7 months, baby boy!  You are now closer to being a one year old than you are to being just a newborn.  Time flies!  This month you were On. The. Move.  Of course, I will be always be excited for your milestones and achievements, but I think part of me had kind of hoped you would be a late mover.  Well, you have your own agenda and nothing can stop you from moving and exploring now! 

Here’s a look at what Jack was up to during his seventh month of life:

Long story short:

-Milestones: Sitting up from laying down, sitting up from all fours, worm crawl, crawling on all fours, pulling to stand, cutting his first tooth

-Likes: Screeching, pulling my hair, aggressive open mouth kisses, music class, “Scout” toy, tags, eating paper, crawling, rubbing his head and playing with his hair while he eats or when he is tired

-Dislikes: Having his diaper or clothes changed, sleep, getting his head dunked during swim lessons

-Foods: Jack has tried most fruits and vegetables, and he seems to like most of them.  He started having meat (chicken and turkey) and dairy (yogurt) this month. 

-Sizes: Diaper size 4, Clothing: 6-12 month

-Sleep: I didn’t think it was possible, but his sleep has gotten worse.  There’s really no point in blaming it on teething, a growth spurt, a developmental burst, or whatever else, because really his sleep has never been good.  I’m trying to build up the courage to do some sleep training.  He needs an intervention.  And I need sleep. 

Long story (very) long:

Week 27 (June 27 – July 3)

Week 27 started off a pretty impressive streak of mobility for Jack.  He figured out how to sit up from laying down and from all fours.  On June 29, Jack did his first worm crawl across our bed.  He went right up to the edge and would have gone right over had I not been right there videoing… I mean watching him carefully.  This week he also started crying when something is taken away from him, and he thinks it hilarious to try and put his hands in my mouth. 

6 Month Doctor Appointment (a few days late).  He did much better with his shots this time! 

Waiting for snow cones!

This is what happens when dad is in charge of putting on pajamas.  Poor guy!

No fear

Probably my favorite picture of my son.  Germs... yum! 

28 Weeks (July 4 – July 10)

Jack celebrated his first Fourth of July this week.  We went to a little street festival in our neighborhood, but it was SO hot that we only lasted about 20 minutes before just finding an air conditioned place to have lunch instead.  We had Mexian food.  How patriotic!  Jack was in bed before it was dark so no fireworks for us this year.  Jack’s new favorite thing this week is playing on the kitchen floor.  I usually give him a spatula and a whisk and he entertains himself for quite a while.  

Watching the World Cup

 

BFF Scout

Mail From the Obamas

He likes swim lessons, I swear. 

Young Love At Music Class

Snow Cones with Friends

29 Weeks (July 11 – July 17)

Jack crawled on all fours for the first time this week (July 12)!  This milestone was made even more exciting, because he crawled to ME!  Oh, and later that very same day, he also pulled to standing.  Slow down, baby boy!  I’m not ready for all this mobility and independence all at once.  

In less exciting news, sleep has regressed hugely this week!  Ugh!  Naps are OK for the most part (2 per day), but night sleep is just bad.  He’s back to newborn status with his waking up every 2-3 hours.  It’s brutal.

This week we had lots of fun hosting our neighborhood mommy group at our house for a playgroup. It’s nice to have a nice group of mom friends in our neighborhood.  We also got to visit with one of my friends and former co-workers on Friday morning, and later that day Aunt Renee (and the rest of the Hemmasi clan) visited.  The very next day, my mom arrived for a week long visit!  

Playdate with Old TFA Friends

Crawled Right Up To the Teacher At Music Class.  Little Teacher's Pet

Aunt Renee

Our friend Lily

30 Weeks (July 18 – 24)

My mom (Mimi) was in town this week.  On Sunday we took a little day trip to a Round Top to see the farmhouse that my aunt bought as a second home.  It was fun to show my mom the Texas hill country and to let Jack experience the Texas countryside for the first time.  He loved it!  We also ate out several times, and it’s so nice that Jack is so much easier to handle when out to eat now.  He likes to sit in the high chairs and play with toys or try things off of our plates. 

In other news this week, Jack is cutting his first tooth (bottom, left).  I can’t imagine his cute gummy smile with a little tooth poking out!  He is now eating 3 meals a day, and he really does like most foods that he tries.  He does seem to like the sweet things better, but I’m trying to balance fruit and vegetables, so he doesn’t turn into the crazy picky eater that I was as a kid.  He also tried Puffs for the first time this week.  He was actually pretty good at getting them into his mouth.  He only near-choked/gagged a couple times.  

 

Lunch At Royer's Cafe In Round Top

Texas Country Boy

Music Class With Mimi

Baby's First Mohawk

Baby Jail

Swim Lessons

Happy 7 months, Jack!  I am sad you are growing up so fast, but I’m excited to see you learn and change! 

4 Months

4 Months ~ April 26, 2015

Couldn't resist including this hilarious outtake.  

Jack has been in our lives for one third of a year now!  Month 4 was a busy one for Jack. He has changed a ton and is doing so much now!  Here's a look at the past month in the life of Jack...

Long story short: rolling back to tummy, putting weight on legs, visit from Mimi, 1st Easter, sleeping in crib

Long story long: see below

13 weeks (March 21 - 27)

Jack became a bit of a narcissist this week when he discovered and fell in love with his own reflection.  How could he not, though?  I love holding him in front of our full length mirror, because once he catches a glimpse of his reflection, he will flash a huge smile and then hide his face in my chest like he's playing shy.  It's so cute!

This week my mom was in town again for my birthday.  As always, we loved having her! Jack loves his Mimi (so do I), and it is so nice to have an extra set of hands to help!

Another discovery this week- his feet.  It's so funny to think that he never even realized before that he had feet.

Also worth mentioning- Jack had his first ride in the "big boy" side of the stroller!

Jack continues to be a poor sleeper, unfortunately (for both of us).  The hardest part is just that he is inconsistent. It's hard going to bed at night not knowing what kind of night we will have.  HOWEVER, out of nowhere this week, for 3 DAYS IN A ROW, he slept through the night!!  It was amazing.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a random stroke of luck, because it has yet to happen again. Sigh.  Also new in the sleep department, I started trying the occasional nap in the crib this week in anticipation of transitioning him to the crib soon.  

14 weeks (March 28 - April 3)

Jack met some pretty exciting milestones during week 14.  He finally began to put weight on his legs, AND on April 3, he rolled back to front! I actually missed this first milestone, sadly. He was playing on the rug in the living room, and I walked into the kitchen to get a drink.  When I came back, he was chilling on his tummy like no big deal.  I couldn't believe I missed it!  And he didn't roll again for another few days, but now he rolls all the time.  However, he has yet to figure out how to roll tummy to back (which is actually easier to do), but oh well- he'll get there eventually. His head and neck control is getting better and better.  I can ALMOST carry him around on my hip, which will be basically life changing when I can have one free hand while holding him.  

His new talent this week is blowing raspberries. He does it all the time now and makes a giant mess while at it.  

Jack is starting to show some affection and attachment to his Lovie which is so cute.  He still refuses a pacifier, so I'd love for him to have SOMETHING too soothe himself with.  

This week we attended the baptism of our friends Gerald and Nary's daughter, Ella.  Ella was born just a couple weeks before Jack.  It was so fun to finally meet her!

Another first this week - Jack's first mini visit to daycare.  I had a doctor's appointment, and amazingly, the doctor's office offers childcare during appointments.  It was hard to leave him with people I did not know, but he was happy when I left and happy when I picked him up, so I call that a win.  

15 weeks (April 4 - 10) 

We celebrated Jack's first Easter this week!  Our neighborhood put on an Easter egg hunt at the park across the street from our house.  Unfortunately, Jack ended up taking an unexpectedly long nap, and slept through the event.  We went over after he woke up though and enjoyed some breakfast and took some pictures.  We'll try the whole Easter egg hunt thing again next year!

New skills: Jack is becoming more intentional with his hands and arm movements and is starting to reach for objects. He's not always accurate with his aim, but it's so neat to see him focus on an object, decide he wants it, and just go for it.  Jack has been discovering his voice for a while now, but this week, he started making some seriously loud and high pitched screeches.  The first couple times he did it, he scared himself and started crying!  

 

16 weeks (April 11 - 17) 

April 11 marked 1 year since I found out I was pregnant.  It's so crazy to think that that small plus sign on the pregnancy test is now our 4 month old baby boy!  Another big event that happened on April 11, was officially transitioning Jack to the crib at night.  I was SO nervous about this transition, and I was absolutely convinced that several nights of crying and even less sleep than usually were ahead of me.  However, Jack really surprised me, and it was MUCH less tramatic than I imagined.  Before this transition, I was a little bit nervous that Jack might roll to his tummy in the middle of the night.  Sure enough, on the first night in the crib, he did just that.  I barely slept the rest of the night and was watching him on the monitor like a hawk with the message of "back is best" in the back of my head.  I went in once to flip him back over, but he just rolled right back to his tummy.  He did the same the second night, and I finally lightened up about it. The SIDS police didn't come, and I realized that I can't stay up all night and roll him back every time he ends up on his tummy.  He's strong enough to hold his head up, and there's nothing loose in his crib, so I figure he's fine.  I just have a stomach sleeper on my hands.  

How cute is he sleeping with his little booty up in the air?!

Like most babies, Jack has always been fascinated with ceiling fans.  But this week, he took it to a new level and began talking to the fan.  He loves to lay on the bed, stare up at the fan, straighten out his whole body as he gears up to let out loud screeches at the fan.  It's pretty funny.  

First kiss from Jack!

My first glass of wine in a whole year!

 17 weeks (April 18 - April 24)

Jack has officially been in his crib for one week, and he's doing great!  He still has his normal 1-3 wakeups at night, but he does seem to be more comfortable in the crib in general.  He was getting way too big for the Rock 'N Play. We are even getting some better naps in the crib during the day!

Jack is SO over this lame baby gym.  "Get these ridiculous toys out of my face, mom."

Unforunately, Jack caught his first cold this week.  A coughing baby with a runny nose is pretty much the most pathetic thing I've seen- poor little guy!  I hope it doesn't last too long!

Happy 4 months, sweet boy!