Berend: 7 Months

We’re heading into the Christmas season new year with a 7 month old! Yup, posting late again… oops!

Age: 7 months on 15 December 2018
Weight: about 19.5 lbs
Height: about 28″
Teeth: 1
Clothing Size: 9-12 months and 12 months
Diaper Size: size 3 in disposable and one size in cloth
Milestones: saying “mama,” up and down motion with arms (shaking toys, slapping the water in the tub or hitting the table), reaching out to be picked up, scooting backwards on his belly, smacking his lips, using raking grasp

Likes: being carried, standing with assistance (but he tries hard to only use one hand), walking with assistance, baths, tickles, food, bouncing, babywearing, putting everything in his mouth, sucking on his bottom lip and his tongue

Dislikes: being held while sitting, Mama walking away, going to sleep, reading ( 😦 ), car rides, getting stuck on his belly

Sleep: No real changes with sleep this month. We’ve had a few slightly better nights (sleeping a stretch of 3 hours) scattered among our bad nights, but Berend still sleeps only 1-2 hours at a time for the most part. He often wants to nurse when he wakes, especially if it’s been closer to 2 hours since he last ate, but sometimes he just wants to cuddle. I really don’t think he’s that hungry when he wakes, but nursing probably give him comfort, especially now that he’s teething.

Berend is pretty solidly on 3 naps a day, although he has had a few days where he only had time for 2 naps. He still takes short (30-45 minute) naps the majority of the time, but he also takes some awesome naps that are 1-2 hours long. I’m hoping we get more of those soon, because I’d much rather work around 2 naps than 3. I’d love to get out of the house more. I never thought I’d want to cut naps out, but it definitely allows more freedom in the day!

Berend is pretty much on the same schedule he was on at 6 months: to bed between 7 & 8 depending on when his last nap ends, up many times a night, comes to bed with me anywhere between 2am and 5am, nurses quite a bit (more at the beginning of the night than in the early morning), and is up for the day between 6:30 & 7:30. He averages about 12.25 hours of sleep a day total.

Eating: Ugh, I suck at remembering to offer food to Berend! He continues to do fairly well with solids. He seems to be getting better at moving solids to the back of his mouth to swallow, but he still occasionally gags and throws up a bit. I’m not sure he likes banana, but most other things he seems to enjoy. Berend really enjoys meat just like his big brother!

Berend continues to nurse around the clock. He is still easily distracted during the day and takes full feedings only before naps. He typically nurses every 2-3 hours during the day though. At night he nurses as often as every hour and sometimes stretches it to 3 hours. I guess this explains his wonderfully chunky arms & legs!

Mommy Update: Guys, I am so tired! I seriously fantasize about sleeping. I think the lack of sleep has made me a little Grinchy this holiday season. I’m trying to enjoy it all, but I’m stressed out and feeling spread too thin a lot of the time. Look at my tired eyes:

This photo was taken after Gerrit’s first Christmas program. Berend loved all the people and singing, although sitting still was a challenge haha!

I think I’m feeling especially stressed right now with Christmas. Like it or not, most of the “holiday cheer” comes from me as the mom. I’m in charge of 95% of the holiday stuff, and that on top of caring for 2 young kids and being sleep-deprived has me spread very thin. I’m trying to just enjoy the ages that my boys are at and see the magic of the season, but it’s tough sometimes.

Memorable Events: Berend celebrated his first Thanksgiving this month! We combined efforts with our neighbors across the street, and it was great to be with another family for the holiday. They have a 2-year-old son, so Gerrit had fun playing with him. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to get a picture of all of us! So here’s the photo I had Andrew take before I got Berend ready for bed that night:

About a week after Thanksgiving, Berend’s first tooth popped through! It really caught me by surprise, because Gerrit didn’t get his first tooth until he was 8 months old. I just assumed they would be pretty close to the same age for that since they’ve been so similar for most other things.

This month we upgraded from our family car to an SUV for some extra space: more seating and more room when traveling. I was hoping we could get a new vehicle before we traveled for Christmas, so Andrew decided to just go ahead and do it the first weekend in December. It seemed like a good time to switch car seats too: Gerrit went from rear facing to forward facing, and Berend went from his infant seat to a convertible one.

The rest of Berend’s 7th month was spent getting ready for Christmas! He got to see us decorate around the house and set up our Christmas tree. After 2 Christmases with just a 4-foot tree, we were excited to get out all the ornaments for a full 7-foot tree.

 

And here is Berend’s December photo:

Berend, it’s so fun watching you experience new seasons and holidays with us. It’s probably a little overwhelming on your end, but we love having you involved in our traditions. We love your smiles, your giggles, and your dedication to becoming mobile! We can’t wait to see what next month and the new year hold in store for you, baby bear!