Another month down, another month older. It's so weird to think that we have a seven month old!?!? When did that happen? Needless to say you have been a busy boy this month, growing and changing so much, but this is nothing new to us.
We won't have another doctor's appointment until your 9 month check-up, so the following are a rough guess:
Height: 27.3 inches
Weight: 18 lbs. (guess with the home scale)
Diaper Size: Size 3
Clothing Size: 6 month, 6 - 9 month and 9 month clothes (and the occasional 6 - 12 month outfit)
You have been a busy boy this last month, here are a few of the things you have been up to:
This month you had your first overnight trip without mom and dad. Daddy's work allowed us to go to the St. Louis Cardinals game on a Friday night, so mommy met Grandpa Blow on Thursday night to drop you off. You spent two nights with Grandma and Grandpa Blow. You went on your first tractor ride while you were there to help Grandpa swath hay. The pictures Grandma sent us while we were gone were priceless. I'm not sure who had more fun during your visit, you or Grandpa. Needless to say I think everyone was worn out after your visit!
You also made a trip to Manhattan, KS this month for your very first K-State football game! We spent all of labor day weekend in Manhattan, attending the game on Friday night, spending Saturday and Sunday with family, and attending a wedding Sunday night. Here are a few of the highlights from that weekend:
The game was Friday night with a 7:10 pm kickoff. It was H-O-T, like middle of hell hot. You and mommy spent quite a bit of time in Bramlage before the game trying to stay cool in the A/C and then in Cat's Closet during the game. You really took the whole thing in stride, and didn't complain at all. Too bad for your first game the Cats couldn't get a win. Even for keeping you up WAY past your bedtime, you handled it really well.
On Saturday, cousin Declan came over and you guys got to go swimming in the pool together! It was the cutest thing, and we really had so much fun with Declan and Aunt Abby and Grammy Kim. Afterwards, you boys took your first (and I'm sure not your last) bath together, and it was priceless. I can already tell what kind of trouble you guys are going to get into together.
Saturday night everyone went down to Aggieville for dinner with ice cream afterwards. Again, we kept you out way past your bedtime, but as usual, you took it in stride and didn't seem to get too upset about it.
On Sunday, we met everyone for breakfast to cap off our fun family weekend. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the hotel as much as we could before the wedding that night (trying to give a chance to catch up on your sleep). Needless to say the late nights and hotel sleeping were starting to catch up to you, and we were all ready to go home Sunday night after the wedding.
We spent Monday at home, and you let mommy and daddy know how much you hate getting that far out of your routine :). Message received, buddy. We had such a good weekend with everyone though, and were glad we had a chance to have some family/cousin time!
You started attending swimming lessons once a week, doing a parent/tot swimming class with mommy. We are taking the class through our gym, and we are the only ones in the class, which means we get a lot of one on one time with the teacher. You weren't overly thrilled before we started your first class (they don't start until 9 am, so they butt up against nap time), but once we are in the water, you seem to really enjoy it! You have done front and back floats, kicking, swimming to your rings, jumping from the side of the pool and even going completely under water once. You didn't even cry! You usually manage to drink half the pool though while we're at lessons, so there have been a few spit-up instances. Overall, it has been a lot of fun so far.
You've had a chance to try more new foods this month, including some flavor combinations. You seem to have gotten bored with your cereal so we started you on some different fruits to mix with your cereal to help jazz things up. You've tried peaches, plums, apples and nectarines. We also started trying to feed you chicken this month (Mommy bought a rotisserie chicken and blended it with a little water). Needless to say, you HATE chicken. Not just, turn your head I don't like it, tears and fit throwing hate it. We had to take a break from the meat for a while because you hated it so much. I'm guessing it's a texture thing (don't worry, mommy is a texture person too). Toward the end of the month though, we tried chicken again, this time mixed with applesauce, and that seemed to make a big difference. You've also tried broccoli/apple and pumpkin/banana. Mommy continues to keep her eyes open for flavor combo ideas, I'm trying to find something to mix with spinach next for you to try.
You are eating four times a day. We have cereal with fruit for breakfast, and then what's left of your 6 oz bottle (though lately you haven't been finishing your bottle). You will eat 3 veggie cubes or 2 veggies and one chicken for lunch and around 4 oz of formula. You get an 8 oz bottle for your late afternoon snack when you are at daycare, and then will have more cereal and fruit and 2 veggie cubes for dinner.
At your 6 month appointment, the pediatrician said we should start giving you a sippy cup with a little water at meal time to help you get used to drinking from one when it comes time to wean you from you bottle. You will drink out of your sippy pretty well, but only if someone is holding it for you. You are still trying to figure out how to hold it up high enough yourself to get a drink.
Right before your 7 month birthday, we started letting you try to eat cereal puffs. At first, you didn't seem to care for them very much, but now you love them. You are getting really good at picking them up yourself and putting them in your mouth. We've had to learn though not to have any on your tray while trying to feed you though, because you concentrate so much on the puffs that you ignore what we're trying to feed you.
This feels like a broken record, but you are still such good sleeper. You go down for bed between 7 and 7:30 pm, usually waking up between 6:30 and 7 am. There was a two week stretch though during the month where you would wake up at 4 am and babble to yourself for about 20 minutes, and then go back to sleep. You never got upset, but with the monitor on, you made sure mommy and sometimes daddy, were awake with you. Luckily, we never had to go into your room to help you get back to sleep.
You are taking two naps a day, with a shorter nap (usually an hour to an hour and a half) in the morning, and a longer nap in the afternoon (around two to two and a half hours).
The two new biggest developments this month are that you are now sitting up unassisted and you are crawling! Oh boy, are we in trouble now! We thought you were an independent baby before, but now that you are mobile, you are Mr. Independent. You love your new found ability to get around on your own and are now crawling all over the place. We still haven't baby proofed anything, but that has to happen soon, as you also think the stairs are pretty neat. I really don't want to hear you tumble down them :(. Here are a couple of videos displaying your new found talents:
Gage crawling
Gage crawling and sitting
Boy we thought you were hard to change before, it's only gotten harder now that you can crawl. Half of the time anymore you start fussing while we try to hold you down to change your diaper or your clothes because you just want to get up and move. Like wrangling a monkey.
No new teeth yet, but you are really close to breaking through your top two teeth. We can feel them about ready to break through, and we think that's why you probably waking up in the middle of the night for a while. You really haven't been too fussy through this whole process (knock on wood), so for that we've been grateful. Lately I have been putting ice cubes in your mesh feeder bag for you to chew on and you LOVE that. You will suck through 3 or 4 pieces of ice in the evening sitting in your high chair, it must feel pretty good on you gums. You've also started liking the Raz-berry teether paci I bought you a while back (I think because you can finally fit it in your mouth).
We started your new daycare this month!! Mommy really didn't understand how much the old daycare was stressing her out until we switched you and spent just two weeks at the new daycare. I no longer pick you up to a report of being a fussy baby. You have transitioned to the new daycare seamlessly, and really seem to like Kelly a lot. Mommy likes her too, overall this feel like the right choice for all of us.
Now that you are crawling, you don't care to spend much time in either you jumperoo or your exersaucer. If you had it your way, you'd rather just be on the floor, crawling and climbing around.
I have a feeling in the next month you are going to start pulling up on things, which means that standing and walking can't be too far behind. Seriously, mommy is not ready for all these changes!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last month:
Love those blue eyes
"Don't worry Grandpa, I've got this"
Child labor, already working on the tractor!
A/C break with Grandpa at my first K-State football game!
Watching intently
Meeting Kris
Trying to stay cool, even after the sun went down
Family pic at the game! Please ignore my hot sweaty mess-self
Hanging out with cousin Declan, making faces at Aunt Abby
Swimming!
Cousin Declan and Aunt Abby swimming
Pool time with Grammy
"Okay, I can share my links"
Love these guys!
Edited to protect future girlfriends
Trying to relax in the hotel room
Grandpa has the magic touch
Uncle Travis with his boys (Gage going Hugh Hefner style in his PJs)
Go Chiefs!
Sweet potato orange nose
"Here mom, I'll hold this for you"
"And chew on it, just a little"
"Now I want your camera strap, because I can"
Sitting like a big boy!
Telling Grandpa all about it
Grandma giving me a quick bath
After a long day at a baby shower, everyone needs a beer
Mr. Independent, trying to feed himself
Tell me how you really feel about swimming lessons Gage
Always a ham
Below are a few of the outtakes from you 7 month photo shoot. If I would have thought ahead about this, I probably would not have started taking your pictures on the couch, because now you just want to crawl leap off the couch, which makes picture taking a little difficult. I even had to get dad in on the action this time!
The only position you would sit relatively still in...
Trying to bribe you with toys
And when toys didn't work, Dad had to help
A little monkey wrangling
Lunging forward, almost off the couch
Giving up on the couch, to the floor we go!
It is amazing to your dad and I how much you change each day, and those changes just seem to get bigger and bigger. Lord help us when you start walking and talking, then we'll really be in trouble! We love you boog, so very much!
