My Seven Month Old

In the busyness of the move, I never got around to writing Lucia's seven month post and she's already half way to eight months.  But I firmly believe in the concept of "better late than never" and I really don't want to miss a month.  When I started writing her monthly updates, I wasn't quite sure why I was writing them, but now I believe it will be fun to read these will subsequent children and compare their development.  And I'm so much better at writing here than in her baby book (although I will be catching up on that soon!).

What's new this month for my little Lulu?  Unlike previous months, I can't think of much that is completely new.  This month has been more of a continuation of the development she started last month.  She is getting so very close to crawling though.  She gets up on her hands and knees, rocks back to her toes, gets frustrated, rolls around, usually scoots backwards a bit and gets frustrated that she is even further from her desired location, and yet still somehow manages to eventually get to the toys in front of her.  I think it's only a matter of a few weeks before she's really crawling.  I'm sure I'll be writing about it at at nine months if not at eight.

at the weight bench

Besides being so much more mobile, Lucia's also become much more expressive.  She has many more sounds in her repertoire, including excited little grunts which are reserved exclusively for when she sees the dogs (we have two dogs in the house now that we've moved in with my parents and Lucia loves them!).  In addition to grunting, she also kicks her legs when she sees the dogs and looks down and around the room for them whenever we leave our room.  She has new clicking noises and a puckered kissy face that are pretty darn cute too!  She's also become quite a bit more of a crier and whiner, much of this stemming from the fact that she has suddenly become much more cautious around strangers (stranger danger!) and much more reliant on having those she's comfortable with right next to her.  She had a hard time with her grandparents and aunt and uncles when we first moved back, but now she is very comfortable with all of them and quite enjoying their attention.

Lu's sleeping situation has become quite changed due to the move and is only just getting back on schedule ("schedule" has always been a loose term around our home anyway).  Although Lucia will have her own room in a few weeks, she is currently staying in our room in a pack and play until the new carpet gets put in my parents house (so that we don't have to take down and move all her furniture) and her room is repainted.  At first, the two hour time difference threw us all for a loop, but she's finally starting to go to sleep at a consistent time again.  She is regularly waking at some time in the middle of the night and spends the rest of the night in bed with us, although I think she may sleep more soundly through the night once she moves back into her own room.  She will wake a few times at night, wiggle around and then nurse, although her sleep doesn't seem to suffer for it.  David and I on the other hand are having a bit of a rough time sleeping with her in our bed now because she somehow manages to wiggle herself completely sideways in bed (see the above paragraph on her increased mobility!) and push us both off the bed at the same time.  Clever girl ends up with almost the entire bed to herself!

David and I still aren't pushing solids.  Some days she goes completely without "real food" if we don't make anything that lends itself easily to baby.  To many "old schoolers", a baby not eating solids at six months was unthinkable, but at seven and a half months (!) you would think I was the world's most negligent parent.  Lucia doesn't seem to be lacking in the least, mama's milk is keeping her thighs chunky, so I'm not concerned.  I do think that I will be increasing solids in the upcoming weeks though, not so much for the nutrition factor, but because learning to feed one's self helps with motor skills (any finger food ideas?).

packed and ready to move!

Aside from her LOOOOVE of dogs, Lucia isn't too picky when it comes to play things.  Measuring cups, burp cloths, wooden spoons, or a whisk are just as fun as toys.  (I can just tell she's going to be a baker like her mama!)  It is fun to see her start playing with some more traditional baby toys, like stackers (although she can't stack yet) and blocks (she's quite good at knocking down what mama builds).  And she does have a special place in her heart for her dolly.  Although she loves to roll and wiggle around, she does seem to lose interest quickly and need a constant play companion.

She is so full of smiles, laughs, and happy noises.  In fact, one of her newest developments is giggling.  She's been laughing for a while, but if you kiss or tickle her just right, she'll burst into a giggling fit.  It's just so fun!  In fact, everything about this age is so fun.  She seems to get more easily upset (I think it's frustration that her physical development isn't yet caught up with her cognitive abilities, so she can't do everything she wants to do), but all her emotions are heightened so she's also much more easily amused.  When she gets tired, she gets so, so cranky, but to be honest, I think it's kind of nice.  I love that she's able to clearly communicate her needs to me by different moods, different cries or fusses, so I can better care for her.  I'm excited for when she can communicate even more in the form of words and signs - still no words although her consonant sounds are awesome and her only sign continues to be milk - but for now, I feel like we understand each other.

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