Seventh month recap...

Baby Girl turned eight months yesterday!  Here is her seventh month in review. Note: I am using a new format for my own record keeping so that when I print her blog out for her to have, her developmental milestones will be easy to see each month.  Feel free to disregard all of the info ;)

Weight: 19 lb 14 oz

Height: not sure exactly, but at least 27 inches

Napping: She continues to take a morning and an afternoon nap, ranging in length from 35 minutes to a rare two hours (her norm is around an hour).  Her third nap of the day (around 4-5ish) comes and goes.  She needs it most everyday, but she fights it a lot, so it doesn't always happen.  The routine to get to sleep remains a good one for us.  We settle her in our arms for a few minutes and then put her down awake, and then she falls asleep on her own.  Sometimes I have to go back in if she gets upset, but her norm is to chatter herself to sleep or just drift off.

Night:  We have regressed, much to my dismay!  After being sick about three weeks back, she started waking up twice each night and this has not stopped.  I haven't gotten tough again and let her cry it out, so I am partially to blame.  She wakes up anywhere in the 1:00 to 3:00 timeframe, and then like clock-work at 5:30am.  She nurses a few minutes and then I put her back down each time, but it is still frustrating to be waking through the night.  I feel like she is a few months old again.  All that being said, our nighttime routine is 7ish bedtime till 8ish wake-up with an average of 2 wakings in between.

Food: she likes peaches, prunes, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocado, carrots (only if they are cold...odd), peas, oatmeal, and barley.  She has decided that she no longer likes green beans =(

Nursing: continues on breastmilk only and nurses four times a day (and then her unecessary, but still happening, nighttime snacks)

Skills: sits unsupported for any length of time she wishes, picks up objects with either hand, transfers objects from hand to hand, knows when an object is hidden from her and will try and get it (object permanence), does baby push-ups and lifts body off ground down to her knees,  just started to pull knees up under her, independent with sippy cup use,  waves goodbye/hello, gives open mouth kisses, laughs at things on TV, pivots around in complete circles on belly, likes to lay on side, propped up on one arm and play with toys

Language: Expressive - imitates various and varied vocal patterns (e.g.,  we say 'ah, ah, ah' and she will repeat 'ah, ah, ah'), babbles include: dadada, wawawa, bu, huh, ugh, ah, mu, ba, and la, squeals and shrieks while playing independently and to display happiness socially, continues to be a very vocal baby.  Receptive - responds to name, turns to noises and voices, will look around when we say "where's the cat?", laughs in response to silly noises, smiles instantly whenever Mommy sings "Old McDonald"

Fun Facts: loves bathtime, snuggles with her muslin blankets for comforting, has begun to sleep on her belly and her side with one leg hiked up, doesn't really care for her jumparoo or excersaucer anymore, LOVES to play with books, tips over her toy bins daily, smiles anytime she sees Sophie, wears size 3 diapers, wears anywhere from 9mo to 12mo clothing, responds to family on the computer while Skyping, is very good on our laps during church each week, is a Mommy's girl, but loves to play around with Daddy, had her first fever and threw up for the first time this month, likes it when I sing to her, gets very excited when we are around other people or children (she seems to be a bit of a social butterfly!), makes a lot of silly faces as exhibited on a few of the pictures ;)