7 Months Development & Milestones

Happy 7 Months, Baby Asher! - 9.9.2013

WOW. I can't believe how much change and progress occurs in the 6th month of age. These things happen so quickly. And the physical growth! I swear that after each nap, Asher is noticeably bigger and has more hair. He has so much hair now that I have to brush it and.. eh hem... gel it... in the mornings. :) His personality continues to build and we see more moods than ever. Sometimes he's calm and patient and others he is wild and active, kicking those legs 100 mph. He absolutely LOVES the pugs, Suki and Sumo. If he hears their little feet go tap-tap-tap outside of his nursery door while he's relaxing with a bottle, he stops eating immediately and pulls up toward the door trying to see which doggy has come to pay a visit. This is awfully cute, but it also can be quite a distraction when we are trying to wind down at bedtime. 

As with every other monthly update, the interactivity just builds and builds. Asher will give me a "kiss" if I ask for one, he snuggles, he laughs, he gives you a perplexed look if you do or say something strange. Every day I am just amazed at the constant leaps being made in what seems like the shortest amounts of time.

MILESTONES @ 7 Months Old

• Saying "Mama" & "Dada"
• Sounding out multiple new sounds and consonants
• I'm pretty sure he's trying to say "doggy", "baby", "baba", and "milk"
• Sitting with ease, catching self when loses balance for "graceful" falls
• Scooting/Rolling across floor
• Working on getting on all fours with tummy off ground
• "Walks" if I support him and hold his arms :)
• Responds to his name
• Imitates sounds and actions
• Self-entertains for short periods of time
• FIRST TOOTH - Can feel the sharp tip coming through.

BABY SIGNING UPDATE

Baby signing is starting to take shape. Before the past few weeks, Asher would sign intermittently and seemed to mix up his signs from time to time. The only real consistent one had been "dog". (LOL) Now, that's starting to clear up a bit. A few times he has signed "milk" when he wants milk - not only while he is drinking it. He signs "more" multiple times while eating to signal that he wants another bite. 

We haven't been focusing on teaching new signs yet. We are just trying to stay consistent with the ones we have already introduced and been exposing him to. 

Signs we've seen most often...

Dog

Milk

Up

More

Eat

Hurt

Banana

Mama?

TEETHING UPDATE

Oh, are we teething. Our saving grace, Hyland's Teething Tablets, unfortunately, I believe have caused a serious case of eczema. It's either the tablets or a different body wash we've been using. I've stopped both. I'm not good at slowly eliminating to figure out the real cause. I'm definitely leaning more toward the tablets, though. The eczema was accompanied by a severe case of diaper rash. It almost appears as though Asher's been exposed to dairy or soy again, but from my reading the lactose base in the tablets would not affect a dairy allergy... ugh this stuff gets more and more confusing every day. We will get through!

Anyway, that little tooth is making its way out and we've seen an increase in chewing, irritability, and difficulty going to bed and staying asleep. So far, the symptoms have been relatively mild, though, so fingers crossed that things don't get worse! The BabyGanics Teething Pods have been our new best friends.

SOLID FOODS / FEEDING SCHEDULE

Asher loves his solids. He won't even finish a bottle anymore in anticipation of a solid meal. This just makes every day all the more interesting around here in that he barely eats during the day and is up all hours of the night to fill his tummy with milk. We're back to two night wakings where he finishes off 6oz each. I can't complain too much since this is the only way he gets enough milk! 

I may have slipped up and given Asher some wheat a few weeks ago which I thought caused an eczema breakout, but with our current breakout and it's seeming connection to the teething tablets, I think I am in the clear. I'm pretty sure I had given him some tablets back then, too. Slap on the wrists rescinded. Phew.

PLAY, 7 MONTH BABY, PLAY!

I really want to be sure I encourage imaginative play as much as possible. I gave Asher a shoe box awhile back to put his blocks in, dump them out, put them back in...etc. to encourage his developing sense of spacial awareness and positioning. We flipped that box over a few days ago and with a few blocks and creativity made a makeshift car! :) I think he wondered why it didn't move. In all seriousness, I am looking around for a little ride-on toy for him but haven't found the perfect one just yet. It is amazing, though, how much more interested Asher is in water bottles, wooden spoons, and cardboard boxes then his is in most of the toys (some expensive!) that I have bought for him. Go figure.

We do a lot of peek-a-boo and "I'm gonna get you!" games. Asher loves to crawl around in the laundry when I am folding it. He loves to bang on his new drum but always within minutes is making it into a bucket for his toys. He also loves to dip his hands into a little bowl of water for some hand washing / sensory play.

All in all, 7 months is a fabulous baby age. Some things get harder, yes, but a lot of things get easier, too. I guess that goes for any stage. I love this little man more than anything. I don't know what we did so long without him here. :)