Seven Months Old!

At 7 months old, Caleb...

...weighs 16 lbs 13 oz. He's really growing like a weed now and hopefully he'll catch up to "average" kids his age soon!

...will pretty much only nap in his crib now, which is a good thing since he fought it so much at first. He does ok in his pack n play if we're away from home, but for the most part he will only sleep in his crib. The days of him falling asleep in his carseat in the buggy while I shop at Target are long gone and shopping trips aren't as easy nowadays!

…is gradually moving up his bedtime, little by little. Last month, he would eat around 8:30pm and be in bed by 9:15pm or so and now I try to feed him closer to 8pm so he'll be in bed between 8:30-9pm depending on how much he fights going to sleep. We are working on moving it up a little more because by 7-7:30pm, he is usually getting pretty tired depending on if he napped before dinner.

...is still nursing every 3-4 hours during the day, eating 5 times a day. However, as of his 7th month birthday, I am beginning to wean him b/c I am just not making enough milk. I think the stress of everything lately is putting an end to breastfeeding for us. After we got home from Woodville, I rented a baby weigh scale and now know for sure that he is not getting enough from me alone. I'm actually beginning to wonder if this has not been a part of his weight gain problem all along and wish we'd rented a scale a long time ago.

...has battled nasal congestion for the entire past month and has had "croup" twice! The first time was the night after Josh's funeral. He woke us up in the middle of the night with difficulty breathing and the "seal bark" cough. It was so scary! Then, just last week it happened again but did not last as long this time. We are praying that he will be healthy this month!

...can now roll to his tummy both ways (not just to the right), although he does prefer rolling to the right!

...is not crawling yet, but instead slithering all over the floor on his tummy. If I turn my back for a minute, I usually find him halfway across the room or halfway under a piece of furniture!

...starting sitting up unsupported. He can't sit himself up yet, but if you sit him up he can sit for quite a while and loves it!

...has moved past the infant swing (which he never much liked anyway) and his beloved bouncy chair and now loves his jumperoo. He goes wild jumping in that thing! He also still really likes his activity mat and that's what usually entertains him while I take a shower in the morning.

...watches his puppies all the time and just smiles and laughs at them! Tag is his favorite for some reason. He lights up and even cracks up when Tag is near him. Tag, on the other hand, doesn't want much to do with Caleb.

...has tried quite a few "solids" and HATES anything green (we've tried green beans, peas, and zucchini). He does like butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and pears, and will sometimes tolerate peaches/nectarines. Oatmeal cereal and prunes are still his diet staples.

...has tried drinking pear juice (watered down) in a sippy cup and is somewhat getting the hang of it. Most of it ends up on the front of his shirt but he does swallow some of it!

...lost a very special person, his Uncle Josh. Although he will never know him personally here on this earth, he will always hear about Uncle Josh and know just how special he was.

...is still the sweetest, most handsome little boy ever!

"I've had enough of this nap, Mom!"

First bite of squash:

"Mmmm, that's yummy!"

Let's see what happens with green beans...

"Oh no you didn't. Get this stuff out of my mouth NOW!"

"Mom, you can't hide them in my cereal - it won't work!"

Playing outside:

"Hmm...what are these things?"

"I'm irresistably cute!"