Kippy || 7 Months Old

On Saturday Kippy turned 7 months old!! This month was the quickest month of Kip's life so far. I blame it on the fact that February is the shortest and lamest month in existence. I feel robbed by February.

Kipling at Seven Months 

Weight ??? no well check this month (17 lbs. 4.8 oz. last month)

Height ??? no well check this month (26.97 inches last month)

Personality: Sweet and Active

Likes:

Sweet potatoes
Sassy bumpy ball
Bath time - still his favorite
Facing out in his new stroller
Haba baby (a plush baby doll)
Tickles
Being held and "walked around" 

Dislikes:
Pot pie filling
Mixed vegetables
Being set down when he wants to be fed
Diaper changes immediately after waking up (sorry bud, you're poopy gotta get it done)
Being rocked or cuddled when he just wants to go to sleep in his crib (he is NOT a snuggler, yet)
Getting coats put on

Wearing:
Size 3 diapers
6-9 month clothing
He is growing but just at a much slower rate than before which I am grateful for. Stay little!

Things I want to remember about Kippy at 7 months old:
- When you are completely exhausted by the end of the day and about to fall asleep while nursing but fighting SO HARD to stay awake, you look so tiny in my arms and your fussing reminds me of when you were first born and we struggled to get you to latch and nurse. It makes me miss you being so tiny but so grateful that we persevered and figured out that nursing.
- All the different noises you've figured out how to make with your mouth and how proud you are to display your skills.
- Your soft and squishy skin.
- Your light blonde hair slowly growing in.
- How when I look over at you and catch you staring at me, you beam a huge smile and dart your eyes, a little bashful grin.
- How you pout and cry when I make crying noises, I wonder if you will be sensitive and empathetic towards others, like your Daddy.
- How you light up every morning when we come into your room.

The other day I was thinking back to the time when I was pregnant and we had a bit of a scare and how sad I felt that I might not get to love you alive. I wrote this little letter for you. Fortunately, everything was fine and now you're here. But I still feel so much anxiety for your safety all the time. How to love you and protect you but also how to let you grow and go. This month you've learned to eat food, learned to sit-up unassisted, and even started getting yourself ready to crawl. You're moving farther and farther away from me, tiny bit by bit becoming more a part of the world and less a part of just me. It's exciting but terrifying at the same time. The slow approach of independence. I envy mothers now who are just holding their newborns. I want to be them. I want to treasure you more every day. 7 months feels so big and so old. I finally understand when people say "babies don't keep."

Sleep:
Sleep is this month was about the same. Kippy still goes to bed around 6 pm every night and stays asleep until 6/6:30 am. He does still rouse several times in the night but this month he LEARNED HOW TO FIND AND PUT THE PACI BACK IN HIS MOUTH INDEPENDENTLY.  Did you hear the heavens rejoice right there? It is a beautiful thing and actually really cute. We've seen him do it several times while watching the monitor and we know it happens throughout the night because I will check on him before I go to bed and the paci has fallen out. When I wake him up in the morning the paci is back in. I remember googling "when will my baby put the pacifier back in his mouth" when Kip was a few weeks old and I was getting tired of the paci game. Most things I read said 6-9 months and here we are! Bliss.

Naps are still sporadic and now that he is rolling around and moving a lot in his crib it takes him longer to fall asleep during the day.  He will sleep in the crib, car, and stroller. Mandy manages to get him to sleep on the couch but he refuses to fall asleep in our arms. Sad, but true and I'm hoping it will change. We have a very rough schedule for him during the day but we haven't been able to make it consistent since it seems like so many variables interfere from day to day. In some ways this lack of a strict schedule is nice because I don't feel obligated to get him home for a nap if we are at church or out and about on the weekend. I want him to be somewhat flexible and so this rough schedule is working out okay for now.

Eat:
We started solids in earnest this month and I'm not going to lie, I don't like it. It adds a lot of time to the feeding, it's messy, and it's hard to know what to feed him. Our doctor said "feed him anything, nothing is off limits except for honey." I like that freedom but I also like more direction. So far we've made most of his food by steaming or roasting veggies and blending them into a puree and freezing in little ice cube trays. He likes sweet potatoes the most but also likes baby yogurt (yobaby), rice cereal mixed with a veggie like squash, and baby oatmeal. He has tried broccoli and mixed veggies as well. I would say he doesn't dislike eating but he isn't a super fan. He is sort of meh about it. He did break out in hives once and we aren't 100% sure what caused it (maybe bananas) so it's hard to just feed him whatever without some anxiety. I made pot pie filling the other night and left out the seasoning and blended that up. He hated it. So, the idea of "just blend-up whatever you make yourself for dinner" hasn't really worked yet.

We feed him three "meals" a day. He gets nursed first thing in the morning then gets breakfast before his second bottle around 9 am. He gets lunch around noon followed by his midday bottle. He gets a 3 pm bottle (which he seems to be dropping little by little). Dinner is around 5 pm before his bottle and then bedtime. The amount he eats is pretty small and we let him lead so if he starts refusing or spitting it out or generally not interested, we don't push it. I don't want him to be a picky eater but right now I don't feel like I have much control.

Play:
Kippy loves to play now. He is so active and engaged and it's so much fun. He can sit-up unassisted now and will play with all the toys laid in front of him and even reach and bend to get at things nearby. He gets a little distracted when there are a lot of choices in front of him however. He loves his jumper gym still and likes the stroller and car rides still as well. His favorite toys right now are his Sassy bumpy ball and Haba baby. But he also like stacking rings and anything to knock over and anything he can get into his mouth. He is awake to the world around him and taking an active part in it and it's so wonderful to watch.

Little Kippy, you are my favorite little guy. I love you so so so much and I wish I could be with you all the time. I love watching you learn and grow but I also love when you just settle into me to nurse. I'm so grateful for all that we have experienced together so far and look forward to so much more ahead!