Parker at Seven Months

SEVEN months? Can you believe it? We're on the downhill side towards 1 year old!

I haven't weighed him recently, but my arm is about ready to fall off after holding him on my hip for about 5 minutes.  So I'm guessing: Heavy.


Unfortunately, this is coinciding with the "I want to be with mommy all the time" phase, so we're back to some serious weight lifting.  


Up until this weekend, we weren't really seeing any inclination toward crawling.  He's much more tolerant of tummy time than a month ago, but once there... he is generally content to push himself up on his arms and look around.  If there is something just out of his reach, then he has several possible ways to resolve this.  If he can get there by turning himself in a circle or pushing backwards, he's good. Needs forward motion?  Well, let's see if I pull this blanket toward me... yep. The toy is coming too.  Rock On.


Should these options fail to work, then we start crying and see if mommy or Maia will help out.  That said, if you leave him on the floor (sitting or on tummy) and wander out of sight, he will often be in a different place when you return.  I keep asking him if he is a stealth crawler.


In addition to the videos you've seen here of some of his favorite games, he's starting to enjoy Peek-a-boo.  Other things that are cool (either for us, or for him):

• trying to sit up from lying down
• pushing arms through sleeves when getting dressed
• reaching toward Mama, Maia, Daddy
• fave babble: ba ba ba ba ba
• drooling
• playing with interactive toys, like the driving toy, alphabet spinner and his tool bench.

He is mostly good at getting himself to sleep when put to bed sleepy/drowsy but awake. Sometimes he fusses a bit, but can usually get himself to sleep w/in 10 minutes without cuddling/rocking. In the last month, Parker finally slept through a feeding... for the first time since I went back to work.


General schedule:

• wake between 5-6:30 am for 2nd feeding. If it's closer to 5 am, he will go back to sleep. If it's closer to 6:30, he'll be up for the day, because we're all up and getting ready.
• 7:45 drop off at daycare
• play
• bottle around 8:30-9 am
• nap
• cereal around 11
• bottle (or I will feed) around 12:30
• play, nap
• bottle around 2-3
• play, nap
• cereal around 4-4:30
• home by 5 pm
• family dinner between 5:30-6:30
• bathtime around 6:30 a couple times a week
• (7:00-7:30 bedtime for Maia).
• 30 minute nap anywhere between 6:00 and 8:00 pm
• feed and play after nap
• to bed for the night between 8:30-9:30
• wake between 12 - 1 am for feeding (this is the one we need to drop, soon!)
• Start over at the top!

 Rawr.  How can you not love this happy guy?

And check it... a little pre-crawl "swimming."