Holy buckets, we’ve arrived at the 7 month mark!
Well, technically the 7-1/2 month mark. I am so awful about taking Lincoln’s photos on time – I barely squeaked his 6 month shoot in before I had to turn around and take his 7 month photos! Anywho, here’s what’s on my mommy mind right now!
Say it with me – this has been the best month yet. I KNOW. Seriously though, life with a 7 month old is not without its challenges, but I feel like it’s finally returning back to normal and we’re not in this constant manic infant state. Here’s why:
We’re finally on a schedule. It took 7 months, but by golly, we did it! It’s funny, you go through pregnancy having this preconceived notion that your baby will sleep perfectly and when you want him to. Well…that’s not always the case – at least in our experience. That being said, we’re finally at a place where Lincoln is eating and sleeping at predictable hours throughout the day. WHEW. So many people told me it would happen when it happens, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that it finally did!
This past month we also gave up Lincoln’s 9:30pm dream feed which means we put him to bed at 7 and he sleeps until morning. It’s a small change, but knowing that I don’t have to feed him before going to bed myself has just made evenings that much more enjoyable. (To wean him off the dream feed I fed him at 9pm for 4-5 days, then 8:30 for 4-5 days, and then stopped completely.) To be honest though, I do miss that last quiet snuggle before bed. (Holy close up.)
Lincoln can now stay up for 2 hours between naps, which happened very suddenly. For so long he was only able to stay up for 1:15-30, minutes then one day he was magically able to stay awake for 2 hours. Again, sounds like a small thing, but it’s been life changing! I don’t feel like I’m rushing to get out the door and complete one errand before having to turn around and come right back for a nap. That feeling of being in a constant hurried (and harried!) state that I wrote about in my 3 month update has lessened significantly as a result. I can breathe again!
If he’s not eating or sleeping, Lincoln is likely blowing raspberries with his lips. All. Day. Long. It’s his favorite thing. That or growling. I cannot get enough of his hilarious growling (which he’s entertaining himself with in his crib as I type.)
Adventures in eating are going well! We’ve only had one episode involving carrots. He didn’t have a full blown allergic reaction but was kind of gaggy and acted like they itched his throat for awhile afterwards. Other than that we’re currently chowing two meals a day rotating between bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, pears, prunes, peaches, green beans, peas, applesauce, and butternut squash, with an afternoon snack of finger foods like banana chunks. I’m not sure a single piece has made it from hand to mouth yet though. : )
Speaking of baby food, I’ve been making mine in my Blendtec (more details and a giveaway coming soon!) I’ll steam veggies then add to the blender with a little water, and then freeze in ice cube trays. Soft foods like pears, frozen peaches, and avocado I’ll blend uncooked then freeze. It’s so handy having pre-measured food cubes all ready to go, and really doesn’t take that much time at all.
I know a lot of baby’s first babbles are ba or da, but Lincoln’s was MA! Mama-mama-mama or moooooom, is what I hear all day long (when he’s not blowing raspberries or growling, of course.) He has no idea what it means but it makes me nearly melt into a puddle on the floor every single time.
The weather has been crazy these past couple of weeks, alternating between 60s one day, then snow and 30s the next day. We’ve been getting out on walks and trips to the park whenever we can though. Lincoln was unsure what to make of the swings at first, but totally got into it a few seconds later. We’re waiting for Dad to be able to join us before I take him down the slide for the first time. I don’t want him to miss all his playground firsts! ; )
Like I said, life with a 7 month old is not without its challenges – I think Ben and I are still adjusting to the fact that we can’t go and do whatever we want, whenever we want (that being said, thank goodness for Grandparents who love to babysit!) – but we’re truly savoring each moment with our funny, sweet little guy. Our funny, sweet IMMOBILE little guy. I think this zen-like state will likely go out the window once he starts to crawl!
A little mini Ben. So CUTE!! And his hair is so gorgeous (among his eyes, nose, and smile). I’m jealous! My baby girl is 14 months and has less hair than Lincoln.
Readers request: more family and baby photos/posts!
Did I read that right, that you freeze avocado? I heard you can’t do that, so I had to find a recipe that required half an avocado as no one else in my house likes avocado (including me), just baby. It would be awesome if I could freeze it! How does it turn out for you?
Oh yeah, it freezes/reheats beautifully! I just blend it up with a little bit of water (could use breast milk) then freeze in ice cube trays. :)
Have you froze potatoes?? She seemed to really like a bit of mashed potatoes I gave her once from my plate. So, I’m thinking I might add that to our line-up.
Just sweet potatoes, which freeze very well (I blend them up with a bit of water before freezing.) I haven’t tried white potatoes yet only because I keep forgetting – I’m sure he’d love them! :)
I just realized I wrote Landon rather than Lincoln!! Im so sorry. I hate it when someone even misspells Charley’s name. Just read about the lovies. Charley uses his fingers too and I am beyond thankful we arent dependent on anything!
Oh gosh, no worries at all! :)
I havent been on your site for a while ..because I have a now 8 mo old. He is maybe 2 weeks older than Landon I think. We are going through all the same things and it is amazing!! We have alot of the same clothes too which is funny! GAP is the best. Charley started crawling and warning it might throw off his new schedule! But it came back within a week so don’t stress! Landon is beautiful. Enjoy every second..we sure are!
My (big) little guy is turning 7 months tomorrow. We sorta have a schedule – nap at 9:30 and then again anywhere from 1.5-2 hours after he wakes. So the afternoon schedule *really* depends on how his morning nap goes! And that varies daily.
Jealous that you have an all night sleeper – we are still dealing with 2x a night feedings (down from 4!!) and he is a horrible self-soother. Does Lincoln have a lovey/stuffed animal/blankie he uses for soothing? Or are you still swaddling?
Lincoln doesn’t have a lovey and isn’t swaddled (though I do put him in a sleep sack) but I tell everyone who will listen that the day we took away his pacifier (around 4 months) was the day he learned how to self soothe by sucking his fingers. Does your son use a paci? Maybe try slowly taking that away slowly over the next few days? (I’m obviously no expert just suggesting what worked for us!) :)
Thanks for replying, Kristin! :) I always feel special when bloggers respond to my comments. It makes me so happy to hear that Lincoln can sleep without a lovey – “everyone” has been telling me there’s no way I’ll get my guy to sleep by himself without one! Thanks for the pacifier tip, too!
ADORABLE!
To help keep up with the constant changes we took pictures of the kids every month on their birth date. We have pictures of them from newborn through age 6 or so. We do a lot less now, but looking back at those usually casual pictures is priceless.
Oh, the raspberries! I remember that 2-hours-awake mark, too – totally threw off my schedule. What saved my bacon was finally realizing it’s OK if he sleeps in his carseat occasionally when I’m out running errands, and that I didn’t have to tie nap time to the crib (or swing, or bouncy chair). We have car naps even today when necessary. You seem to be having so much fun with Lincoln, and that’s the way it should be!
Thank you Kristin for taking me back to the days when my two angels were Lincoln’s age. They grow so quickly, trust me. Our boys are 28 and 26 now. Our eldest is with MLB (it’s the truth, I swear, haha!) and our baby is finishing his Masters in Epidemiology at Harvard. He’ll be starting his post-doc this Fall. Both are incredible young men and we bask in their every achievement (yes, even now, you’ll see!). I miss those days of cuddling. Truth be told I miss every single moment of their childhood. We live for their phone calls and visits. Take tons of pictures and video. You’ll need to relive those precious moments, for as much as we think we’ll never forget, sadly some memories do fade. Your baby is adorable. I don’t think I’ve ever met a baby that I didn’t immediately fall in love with. It’s God’s plan! Cherish every moment, even the tough ones. You are a wonderful mother, and you’re both great parents!
Love the raspberries! So funny! I was sick for a couple of days when my dd was about this age. Her daddy took care of her and the first thing I heard when I felt better was da da da da! :-)
My V didn’t sleep at all..ever..he would cluster feed at night, and then I would be up an hour later trying to pump. He has spent most of his nights in my bed, which is fine when it is only him and me and two cats. We are now trying to get him back into his bed after 3 plus months of constant strep throat and then removal of his adenoids and tonsils.. keep in mind, he will be 7 in May..
Not the best of plans..but it was worked for us..I am all for what works for you. Don’t let anyone else tell you how to raise your child. Do what works for you and him, every child is different.
What a doll! I love the look on his face in the picture near the end where you are holding him….looks like a devilish grin :)
My favourite time with my little ones (who are not little anymore) was the 6-months-and-up time. Before that is a blur I think, neither one was very co-operative with sleeping! But once 6 months hit, the schedule kind of fell into place and their personalities really started to come through….such fun times!
They’re so much fun when they’re little!!! Those eyes of his, though!!! Gorgeous!! :)
I LOVED this stage with my daughters. They were still little but not too big and not yet getting into trouble! He is super cute and I love reading these updates :)
He is the cutest, bright little baby — a joy!
Yes, going 2 hours between naps is huge! I remember when my little one made that switch. She is now 9.5 months old and just switched from 3 naps to 2 – basically is on a 2-3-4 schedule. First nap TWO hours after waking, second nap THREE hours after waking, then FOUR hours after waking from 2nd nap is Bedtime.
Adorable! I love your posts & pics of Lincoln!