Seven Months: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,

You turned seven months a week ago and we are just having the best time. You are so much fun at this age and really starting to show off your little personality. Like the past six months, month seven flew by in a wink. It began during the second half of our summer vacation trip to the Northwest, including visits with Mommy's Seattle girlfriends where you met your future buddies Silas and Archie, your first trip to Cannon Beach (but second dip in the Pacific Ocean), and a big family dinner at Waverley where you met Great Uncle Charlie and saw your aunts, uncles, and great grandparents again.

Once we got home, you spent the next few weeks getting to know some other little friends at your Gymboree class and trying really hard to crawl. You can move yourself backwards-- although this is usually unintentional and results in a frustrated whine as the object of your desire moves further away. You've also made several small little inches forward--army crawl style-- on a few occasions, but you're still not quite able to move forward consistently. At the very end of your seventh month, you've started getting up on your knees slightly and rocking back and forth, so I know a full fledged crawl is probably just a few weeks away.

Teething also continues. On August 14th, your top left center tooth poked through and you've had a very swollen little tooth bud next to it for the past few weeks, so I know your other top center tooth will be making its appearance any day now. Despite your teething, however, your sleep habits seem to be improving somewhat. About a week ago we had one night when you slept from 6:30pm to 6:30am, which was amazing. We've also had plenty of nights where you've slept from 6:30 or 7pm until around 5am, and then fall back asleep for another hour and a half or so after a quick feeding. We'll take it. We still have nights when you wake up several times, but we hope that these continue to become fewer and further apart.
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We don't know exactly how much you weigh, and you aren't scheduled to visit the doctor again until you reach nine months, but we estimate you're around 19.5-20 pounds. You are getting quite heavy to carry around in your infant car seat, and we've started just taking you out of the car seat and carrying you in our arms when we go places.

You continue to warm up to solid food. You now eat baby oatmeal like a champ and love most fruit purees, as well as the sweeter veggie purees like carrots, sweet potato, and squash. I've started introducing some finger foods, and you are a big fan of baked sweet potato fries. Occasionally, you'll reach for a bite of our food, and you've really enjoyed slices of peach and plum. We also recently discovered that you love string cheese. You'll probably find this item in heavy rotation on your menu for the next few months.

We introduced a sippy cup with water this month and you love playing with it, although haven't quite succeeded in figuring out how to get the water in your mouth without help from mom or dad. But, boy, when you do get a few sips, you absolutely love water. Who knew? You'll drink it out of the sippy cup, and are equally thrilled to take little assisted sips out of a cup or water bottle. I don't know if it's the novelty of  something other than a bottle, or if you do just really love water. You still nurse about 5 times a day, and several times a week we'll give you an extra bottle feeding of formula.

This month you also truly found your voice. While you've been making all kinds of noises for months now, this month you discovered you can use those vocal cords to shriek. And shriek you do whenever you are in a good mood. It sounds like we live with a rare tropical bird, but it's actually pretty cute and I like your chipper shrieking every morning after you've eaten.

At seven months, you love bouncing in your Sassy Seat, staring at your elephant mobile, sitting up to play with toys or flip through the pages of your soft fabric covered books, taking baths, going swimming, lying under the parachute at Gymboree, chewing on anything you can get your hands on, listening to me sing (badly)-- your favorite is "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and watching all of Daddy's funny antics to entertain you. You increasingly do not like to have you diaper changed, and naps are still sometimes a bit of a battle.

You have such a cheerful, fun-loving disposition. You are just a happy little guy-- and you make us so, so happy. We love you, buddy.

Mommy

You Know You're a Mom When... (Birthday Edition)

This past weekend, I turned another year older. I had a few fun plans with friends, and my two boys did a great job making my day special, but I was struck by how (much like everything else) birthdays are a little different once you have a baby. You know you are a mom when . . .

 . . . You begin your birthday (which happens to fall on a Sunday) not with a lazy morning of sleeping in, a leisurely brunch, or even a hot cup of coffee and a piece of toast. Nope. You begin your birthday with an 8:30am trip to the grocery store. But you're actually excited about it because it's a solo (!) trip and it's been so long that you've been to the grocery store alone that it might as well just be an hour long hot stone massage. It's that indulgent. It's also thrilling to get such a necessary chore knocked out early in the morning before the crowds hit. Birthday perks galore.

. . . Your birthday wish list is a little different this year. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't turn down jewelry, flowers, designer shoes, or a fancy meal out. But what I really, really want? A nap. Maybe an hour alone to flip through the pages of a magazine . . . or just stare out the window. A good glass of wine. And, oh yes, another nap. I'm easy to please these days.

. . . Your little man is teething and decides that, nope, he is simply not going to nap whatsoever on your birthday and you realize that even cranky, tired snuggles from your seven month old are a pretty good gift.

(And the antics of a cranky, non-napping seven month old are made infinitely more tolerable when your husband bakes you chocolate layer cake with chocolate butter cream frosting from scratch for your birthday dessert. Amazing and delicious.)

Nicholas' Nursery

I'm about six (or seven) months late in posting this, but I wanted to share some pictures of Nicholas' nursery.  I'm pretty confident in the kitchen and I happily experiment in the garden, but decorating... well, frankly, it intimidates me. That's not to say that I don't have my own personal style, but I just don't spend a lot of time  pondering paint colors, imagining ways to rearrange my furniture, or conjuring up the perfect tablescape. Likewise, I was never someone who daydreamed about decorating a baby's nursery. When we found out we were pregnant and moved into our current house, I literally had no idea what I wanted to do with the nursery. After we found out we were having a boy, I remembered an old Babar movie poster that I took from the entrance of the Paris metro when I was studying abroad during college and had saved all these years. Bingo! Babar was my jumping off point.

The only other idea I had was that I wanted to paint the room yellow. After some discussion, Jason vetoed yellow in favor of blue, and I figured it was probably in my interest to let Dad have a little bit of say in some of our baby preparation decisions. But, then, the dilemma... what shade of blue? After perusing several sites where I could select fabric and design my own custom bedding (also vetoed by Dad... OK, fine, so it wasn't exactly budget friendly), I found a crib sheet in a jungle pattern that included both elephants and an appealing shade of aqua blue on the Carter's website. From there, the rest of the room came together pretty easily. We went with a similar shade of aqua on the walls, and then used navy accents throughout. My goal was to keep everything in the room as budget friendly as possible (props to Target), while still winding up with a cute place for our little boy to sleep and play. I think we succeeded.

As you enter the room (the door is on the right side of the picture below) and look to your right, you'll find our awesome glider, gifted to us by Jason's thoughtful mother and sister. I have logged more hours in this thing than I ever could have imagined, and it's amazingly comfy.

Sitting in the glider and looking to your left is the crib. It's from the Baby Cache line at Babies'R'Us. It was easy to put together and has held up great so far (although, to be fair, Nicholas isn't giving it much wear and tear yet.)

Above the crib is my one crafty contribution to the nursery. If I'm not a decorator by nature, then I am most definitely not crafty. But I'm pretty proud of my mobile. I was looking for an elephant mobile on Etsy and found several like this one that were selling for $85-plus. I thought, "I could make that!" So I did. It took a little trial and error, but after several trips to Hobby Lobby, a lot of felt, some spray paint, and the first three seasons of Breaking Bad, I put this mobile together for the low, low price of just over $30. Not bad. And I like how it helps tie together the crib sheet with the other Babar elements.

Looking from the crib over to the right, you'll find Nicholas' dresser and changing station. The dresser is a vintage piece I bought at a used furniture store right after I graduated from college. It came with a beat-up paint job that showed some light blue under the white, so after I purchased it, I added to the distressed look by sanding down all the edges to show more of the blue. As it turns out, it matched the shade of blue we chose for Nicholas' walls perfectly. The top is a little narrow, but we've made it work as a changing table.

And above the dresser, you see the Babar movie poster. I have some slight hoarding tendencies, so even though I compulsively save things, I'm not always sure I'll find a use for them in the future. But my inability to throw anything away paid off this time. I've been carting this poster around from apartment to apartment since I graduated from college, always thinking maybe someday I would find a home for it. And now I have. I had it matted and framed at Hobby Lobby and I love how it turned out. I hope it's something Nicholas will enjoy in his room for years to come... or at least until he hits junior high and wants to replace it with a Megadeth (or the 2025 equivalent of such) poster.

So there you have it... Nicholas' room, only seven months late. I'll close with a shot of the little guy lounging in his bed. I think he's happy with it.

Six Month Photo Shoot Outtakes

These were just too funny not to share. And they so accurately capture Nicholas at this stage. I'm not sure how many more monthly photo shoots with Babar we'll be able to capture!

 Oh, hey, don't mind me... I'm just giving Babar a friendly pat...

Just looking at my foot... nothing going on here...

[Moves lightening fast] ... I. Just. Need. A Little. Taste!! Nom nom nom!

I wasn't supposed to do that? Alright, fiiiiine. I'll sit still...

Haha! Just kidding!!

Sitting still is so boring. Wait! I have an idea...

Here, how about this?
Cheese!

Six Months: A Letter

Dear Nicholas,


I'm a little late posting this (that seems to be a theme lately), but that's just because the past few weeks have been so busy and active, and we've been having so much fun. I can hardly believe that six months have passed since you entered the world, and that you're now closer to your first birthday than to your birth. How our life has changed... we can't imagine it without you now.

Your sixth month was action packed. The first thing you might notice is that Babar isn't in the photo above. That's because I couldn't keep you still as long as he was sitting next to you... so tempting and chewable. I have plenty of funny outtakes from this little photo shoot, but the picture above without Babar was the only one I could get with you looking forward and smiling. The rest of them look something like this:

You are on the move now. You mastered rolling over both directions last month, and this month you added speed. You can cross a room in a matter of seconds when I turn my back. You are trying so hard to crawl, but haven't quite figured out to use your legs on the carpet. When you're in your crib, however, you manage to plow forward by pressing your head down on to the mattress and then pushing with your feet. We haven't seen this trick anywhere outside of your crib, and we're guessing that's because this doesn't feel quite as pleasant on the floor.

This month also marked the beginning of a new era: teeth. I noticed your first bottom tooth poking through your gums on June 28th, and then the next day I noticed the very tip of your second bottom tooth poking through. You have been drooling nonstop since you were about six weeks old and you will gnaw on just about anything you can get your hands on (and you've got quick little hands!), so we were expecting a tooth any day. The drooling and gnawing haven't slowed down any since then, and you've had several very fussy spells throughout the month, so we've been on the lookout for your center top teeth, but nothing has show up yet. Needless to say, nursing you has become... interesting... but we're working on this.

During your sixth month, you also starting sitting up for short periods of time unassisted. At first you would topple over within a matter of 10 seconds or so, but now you can sit for several minutes at a time playing with a toy before we shout "Tiiiiiimberrrr!" and you hit the floor.

This month you also took your second plane trip. We enjoyed a 10 day vacation back to the Northwest to see family and friends. Our first stop was Seattle, where we attended the wedding of Daddy's good friend, Kalani. You joined us for the rehearsal dinner, where you met all of Daddy's friends, and then we enjoyed a night out for the wedding while you stayed home with Dzia Dzia and Grandmama.

A beautiful evening at the Elliott Bay Seattle Yacht Club

The day after the wedding, your grandparents threw an open house for you to meet all of Daddy's family friends. You had a great time being passed from guest to guest as you met everyone. You are a party animal and, at this stage, you're thrilled to meet every new face you encounter. 

The very next day, you officially turned six months old. We celebrated with a trip to the zoo, where you saw the "real Sophies," the elephants, the monkeys, and some other animals before crashing in your stroller.

In front of the "real Sohpies" with your Sophie

I think it's safe to say you had a pretty good time!

Later in the week, we headed south to Cannon Beach and Portland, but we'll recap that next month. When we got home, you had your six month doctor visit and-- no surprises here-- you have grown quite a bit. You're  now weighing in at 18 pounds, 7 ounces (75th percentile) and measuring 27 inches (75th percentile). The big jump in growth since your four month appointment was your head, which now measures 46.5 cm, putting you in the 97th percentile and nearly off the growth chart. Since you jumped from the 75th to the 97th percentile in head circumference since your four month visit, they wanted to take a closer look to make sure nothing was awry. I knew in my gut that you were fine, but I was still a little nervous when they sent us to Dell Children's Hospital for a cranial ultrasound. Happily, my gut was right and you just have a really, really big head. You can thank me and Grandpa for that. 

Some of that growth is probably due to the fact that you are starting to really pick up on solid foods. We haven't yet revisited carrots, but you've liked just about everything else we've given you, including apples, bananas, pears, avocado, sweet potato, squash, and peas. Well, maybe you could live without the peas, but you'll eat them. You are still nursing 6-7 times a day, but you've outgrown your aversion to formula and will now take a bottle of formula a several times a week.

Unfortunately, while you are doing great at just about everything else, your sleep habits have taken a nose dive. Naps are a constant battle, and you are now waking up 2-3 times a night. You've had quite a bit of travel over the past two months, and I know teething doesn't help, so this isn't totally shocking. But, we hope to get you on a better schedule soon.

When you do sleep, you look pretty adorable. I took this picture specifically to capture the little roll around your wrist, which I love and want to remember forever.

Goose, I say it each month, but you have made our lives so much richer and more fulfilling. We wake up every morning excited to greet you and watch your funny antics. You've now reached the stage where you are fully engaged with your environment and the people around you, and it's so much fun to watch you explore and discover the world each day. Last weekend, we delivered a meal to a friend who just had a baby, and as she stood holding her four week old, I could hardly remember what you looked like at that stage. That made me sad, but I know there is so much fun stuff to look forward to, so I am just trying to enjoy each day as it comes. They're all lovelier with you by our side.

Much love,
Mommy