Caleb’s Seven Month Update

Seven whole months…what in the world? We are over half a year into this journey as parents and it has been such a joy, even as its challenged us and grown us.  Enjoy some updates from the 7th month of our little nugget’s life!

The Numbers

Caleb is still our little peanut, weighing just above 15 pounds and measuring 25+ inches long. Baby rolls are obviously adorable, but I love that this slim little guy still fits right into the curve of my hip without killing my back and his little belly is oh so kissable.

We are transitioning from 3-6 month onesies/tops to 6-9 months gear, but our skinny bean is just now making the transition to 3-6 month bottoms since anything bigger literally falls to his ankles when we stand him up.  I had WAY too much fun shopping for some fun new 6-9 month gear and can’t wait for the weather to get cooler so he can actually wear it!

Some Milestones

Ladies and gents, we have a VERY confident and happy roller.  He had started rolling back to belly occasionally by six months but he is all over the place now, rolling back and forth to move himself toward whatever he wants (usually the package of wipes on the floor or one of our shoes).  We’ll see him roll onto his belly in his crib and do little pushups, looking around the crib with his big ol’ noggin in the air.  I can no longer just leave him on a blanket while I do things in the kitchen since he will just roll right off it to get to me (see picture below – that face is about as cute and ornery as it gets).

How He’s Eating

Like I shared about in this post about what I’ve learned in our breastfeeding journey, we are still breastfeeding.  I love how these moments with him are little pauses in my day, little reminders to slow down and soak in the sweet snuggles with my boy who is growing oh so fast.

In addition to breastfeeding, we have started solid foods and it is SO much fun! I started with some little tastes of sweet potatoes, apples, pears, and bananas and he was all about it.  It only took 2-3 days for him to start opening his mouth and taking in as many bites as I’d let him and he loves to play with the bowls and spoons afterward.

So far, he’s a big fan of the things I mentioned above plus carrots, peaches, squash, and prunes (they were a necessity, y’all – I’ll leave it at that).  Peas were NOT a hit, and led him to make some of the best mean mug faces I’ve ever seen all three times we tried them.

I’ve been mostly serving him pre-made food so far, but I have started making some of my own and I’m excited to explore that world.  Right now we’re just doing breakfast and dinner and I’m hoping to add lunch soon and start giving him more finger foods to try.  The only thing I’ve given him that’s been whole is some bananas, and he pretty much just mashed them in his hands then sucked the mush off his fingers.  Seeing him hold little pieces of food will be pretty darn weird!

What He’s Liking

We found this great Exersaucer on Craigslist and Caleb loves spinning around and grabbing everything in it.  He’s had a big thing for tags lately and manages to find the tag on just about everything (burp cloths, clothing, toys, etc) and this toy is no exception.  He somehow manages to find all the little tags and play with them in his fingers as he wiggles around and explores!

Even though I couldn’t get him to smile in this picture, Caleb has been LOVING Olive lately and it is too stinking cute.  Any time I put him on the ground she comes and lies right next to him and he smiles when he sees her.  He’ll roll over against her, rub her fur, play with her ears, and she just sits there and occasionally gives him toe kisses.  We could not have a better dog for our kids, y’all.  She is so sweet and I love seeing Caleb start to notice and enjoy her!

What He’s Disliking

So far, Caleb (okay, mama) is not a fan of doctor’s appointments.  After seeing some abnormalities in his kidneys during an early scan we did for something unrelated, our pediatrician recommended we see a kidney specialist at the hospital downtown to make sure everything is good to go.  Good news – it is! He has some very mild swelling in part of his kidneys and they’re hopeful it will just go away as he gets older.  He actually was a champ for the appointment, even though it was hard to keep his wiggly, naked little self entertained as we waited for the doctor.  He may or may not have torn up all the paper on the patient bed when I laid him on it for approximately five seconds.  Welcome to life with a curious, grabby baby…

The last not-so-fun thing? Teething.  This kid has been drooling like crazy and gnawing on anything he can find.  He has some definite swelling and a little bump on his bottom gums so I’m thinking we might see a bottom tooth sometime soon. This little mesh teether/feeder below has been my favorite.  I can put a slice of frozen banana or an ice cube in the mesh piece and he will sit there gnawing and sucking on it for a good 20 minutes.  Absolutely brilliant!

How He’s Sleeping

Like I shared in Caleb’s 6 month update, it’s been a weird few months with short naps, lots of fussiness, and more middle of the night and super early wakeups than he’s had since he was a newborn.  After joining some mom groups on Facebooks and picking the brains of a few mom friends (my sister-in-law Melissa has been a champ at fielding my MANY questions), I started stretching out his waketimes and moving him towards a two nap schedule.  He’s still transitioning to that schedule and some days we need a little catnap, but his naps have finally started to stretch out and the last few days he’s taken two 1.5 (ish) hour naps! PRAAAAAAAAAIIIIISSSSSEEEEEE!!

I seriously just sat on our couch eating chocolate covered almonds and watching the monitor in awe that he was still sleeping the first time it happened.  What do moms do when their children actually nap for more than 34 minutes?! Shower AND blow dry their hair?! Eat lunch AND watch a show? So many possibilities!

We’re still dealing with some not so fun wake-up calls between 4-5 AM, but I’m hoping that he will start to sleep better in the mornings once he’s getting more day sleep and is generally more well-rested.  And since Jordan and I go to bed around 8:30/9:00 like the boring old people we basically are, we’re doing okay so far!

A Parent Update

This season has had lots of sweet moments and lots of hard ones.  I think my favorite part of this past month is that Caleb has just felt like my little buddy.  I love wearing him in my Tula carrier while I run errands and I’ve had a lot of fun playing and interacting with his silly little personality.  I once heard someone say that being a mom to a little boy is like “being a movie star in a world with no critics,” and that describes it perfectly.  Caleb sits in his exersaucer or high chair and watches me with wide eyes, his little face lighting up whenever I make eye contact. I find myself dancing around the kitchen, doing finger guns and winking at him as I strut across the room, making up silly songs to serenade him, and really doing just about anything to make that little face light up. I love the sweet, silly innocence of those moments and wouldn’t trade them for anything.

On the other hand, this past month has continued to stretch me when it comes to control.  I’ve felt so discouraged when I do everything I can think of to help Caleb sleep better at night and during the day and he still wakes up crying at 4 AM and then takes 35 minute naps all day.  There were a few moments this month where I felt so overwhelmed by feelings of failure and eventually shame.  The voices of shame in my head said there was something I could switch in Caleb’s schedule or routine that would magically take away all the sleep issues, but I just couldn’t figure it out.  The shame made me feel like I was failing as a mom, like the little red rings around his eyes and his pitiful sleepy cries were my fault and I wasn’t doing enough to help him.

As his naps have started to stretch out and he’s sleeping a bit better, I’ve been reflecting on that shame and trying to replace it with God’s truths.  I love my son and I am doing my very best to keep him well-rested.  It’s okay if he’s not a naturally good napper like some other kiddos and that fact isn’t a reflection on my value as a mom.  And in the end, my value doesn’t come from my failures, successes, or identity as a mother – it comes from the fact that I am fully known and deeply loved by the God that made me.  I’m trying to cling to that truth when Caleb wakes up yet again after 35 minutes of napping and remember that this too shall pass – but even if it doesn’t, God is still good and I am still a good mom.

I love my kiddo with all my heart, and it has been such a gift to have another whole month of being his mama.  Here’s to many, many more my sweet boy.