Mila is 7 Months!

Dear Mila,

This month has been amazing! So much has happened! First off, you have teeth! Two of 'em! They started coming out a month ago and now they are totally out. You love to smile and show off your new pearly whites. It's so cute. Although what's not so cute is that now you like to gnaw and bite -- my fingers, my arms, my leg, my neck, my collar bone, your toys, your toes, your crib ... anything that is within reach is fair game. And man, those teeth are SHARP! You're my little shark! Since you nurse, people have asked me if you've bitten me and no, you haven't. At least not yet. When you nurse, your tongue covers your bottom teeth so I never feel your teeth, thankfully. Now when those top teeth come in... I don't know what will happen. Let's think good thoughts though!

Now that your teeth have come in, we're putting them to work -- you're now eating solids! We started off feeding you bananas, but now you also eat rice cereal and carrots. We were feeding you solids once a day for the first week, but then we noticed it was affecting your tummy, so we cut back to every 3 days and then every two days and now it's every other day. You're eating like such a big girl!

You've also learned how to sit up and now you don't need any help -- you've really mastered it! You've also started pulling yourself up to stand and almost gave Mommy a heart attack when I found you standing in your crib! You were too close to the top and Mommy was afraid you'd be able to jump out!! Daddy lowered your crib immediately! We lowered it to the middle setting, but we had to lower it to the lowest setting when you showed us that you could still reach. Now you're all the way at the bottom of the crib! It's a bit hard to reach down there when I put you in when you're asleep -- it's too low for me! So Daddy bought this stepper at Sports Authority and it's been working great. Now I won't have to drop you in those last few inches!

You've also just started crawling -- ACK, you're mobile! You were quite the mischievious one before you were on the move, now -- watch out! Now you're really getting into everything! You climb and grab everything... you love to attack Mommy and Daddy. We are your jungle gym:

But now that your crawling everywhere, Mommy is looking into getting you a baby jail baby gate to keep you safe. :)

The newest thing you started doing as of today, as a matter of fact, is you're not just pulling yourself up, you're STANDING! I can hardly believe it! You just started crawling and you're already standing??!! Slow down! You're growing too fast! You'll push off of the Snoogle pillow (my giant pregnancy pillow) that is your new toy and you'll stand. I could hardly believe it! You'll only stay standing for a a few seconds and then you plop down. I thought it was a fluke but you were doing it over and over again when Daddy got home. I am in awe Mila!

Your favorite part of the day (and my favorite too!!) is when Daddy comes home. Oh my goodness, it melts my heart! We're usually playing in the living room and the door will creak a little. You look up. And there's Daddy with a HUGE smile on his face looking at his little girl... "Hi, mi amor!" he exclaims.  Your face totalllllly lights up and you start giggling and laughing. Your arms will flail as if to tell him to come get you! You celebrate every time you see him... it's the most precious thing ever. You loooooooove your Daddy so much. And I know your Daddy loves you too! And Mommy loves you and Daddy as well. Our little family is awesome. :)

Great big hugs to my little big girl! I love you.

Your Mommy


7 Month Status Update:

17.8 lbs.
27 inches

Baby This Week: 31 Weeks Old

Your baby now actively engages in hiding games. Place one of her favorite toys on the floor and cover it with a napkin. Pull the napkin off and say, "There it is!" Cover it again and repeat.

For more fun, hide an object under something and wait for her to discover it. It's one of the easiest ways to keep your baby occupied!

Your baby can remember that the jack-in-the-box pops up at the end of the song — yet she'll still laugh every time. She's also able to recognize different tones and inflections and may burst into tears if you speak harshly.

Because she likes predictability, your baby enjoys playing the same game or reading the same book over and over. In addition to patty-cake, try adding classics such as "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "This Little Piggy" to your repertoire.

Your baby may have already started feeding herself finger foods, although this can begin as late as 10 months. Once she reaches this stage, you can introduce a sippy cup.

Try giving her a cup with a spout and two handles. If your baby's getting frustrated that she can't get more liquid out of the sippy cup, remove the valve in the top of the cup. If your baby's having trouble figuring out how to suck through the spout, take the lid off the sippy cup and let her first drink straight from the cup (show her how to tip it back so the drink flows into her mouth).

Switching your baby to a cup sooner rather than later might make it easier for her to give up the bottle. If you're breastfeeding, you can even bypass the bottle altogether and go straight to a cup.

-BabyCenter.com

Milestone: We Have A Crawler!

Mila's been scooting around for the last few days, but she's been pulling herself up and crawling a little bit. I didn't really consider it crawling unless she was able to go more than just one step, but today she was doing it more and more and even made her way to daddy! She's also starting to pull herself up! Ack! She'll be running before we know it!

Pimp My Stroller

So I realized that my post about Mila's high chair inadvertently showed a picture of Mila's stroller in the background. I'm guilty! Maybe I've gotten a little out of control with the attachments to Mila's stroller....

I know, I know -- what is all this stuff? Well, there's the stroller that holds the carseat and the carseat has a few toys attached to it. Hanging off the back is her Sleep Sheep that makes rain noise to help her nap. And then there's the hooks to carry Mommy's diaper bag and a Mommy Hook to carry her toys to playgroup. And with all this heat I HAVE to bring her fan! Then I also carry the Ergo with me everywhere I go. And of course I keep her hat and my hat in the back pocket of the stroller, as well as an umbrella in the bottom basket, just in case... Eeekk, I know I must look like a crazy lady with all this stuff, but I really do use it! The price I pay to keep my baby happy! Style is just another casualty of motherhood, LOL!

Mila, your stroller has officially been "pimped"!

But believe me, Mila... this is nothing! It could be worse:

High Chair

We finally decided on a high chair! We'd been feeding her in the Bumbo, but she seems to be getting too big for it and it'd be great to be a bit more comfortable when we feed her. I usually reference my "Baby Bargains" book for their recommendations, but I wasn't crazy about them, so after doing some research, we decided on the Graco Duo Diner. We really like that the chair comes off and it turns into a booster seat when she gets older. We haven't used it yet, but as soon as I have something to report, I'll let you know what Mila and I think. :)

In the meantime, how cute does she look in her new high chair?! Such a big girl!

Surprise Visit at Daddy's Job

Today we surprised Jorge at the office! Mila missed her Daddy, so I promised her we would go visit him at work. We picked up a muffin on the way and stopped by!

What a nice afternoon!

Playdate with Saeryn & Music Class

Mila and I went to a Mommy & Me music class yesterday and met up with our friends Lisa and her daughter, Saeryn. We had lots of fun making musical instruments! It's a little shaker made of a paper plate folded in half and filled with uncooked pasta shells. Mila wanted to make it for Daddy so we decorated the outside with pretty colors and I helped Mila write "I love my Daddy" on the outside. Unfortunately, Mommy wasn't paying attention and we weren't supposed to put a crease in the paper plate (that way it would make the noise) and so the teacher had to fold it the long way and our lovely design of "I love my Daddy" went from one side to the other, instead of it being all on one side. Oh well! Mila thought it would be a good idea to add some drool to it too, you know, just to personalize it a bit more, haha! I think the smears added a nice touch, don't you?

Daddy loved his gift! Mila's first school project! :)

Yay!!

New Food: Carrots

This weekend we introduced carrots... and if we thought the bananas were bad, the carrots were terrible! It was the first food I actually cooked for her. I just got some frozen carrots and boiled them, then mashed them up and threw in some breast milk to help make them mushier, and to maybe help her transition to it more... no dice. She hated it. Towards the end, I even separated the carrots from the milk and just fed her the milk (which had turned orange) and she grimaced even more. She seemed to say, "Yucky breast milk carrot juice!"

Here are some pictures of her first carrots.

"Oh no, not this game again!"

"What are you people feeding me?"

"Mommy, you gotta take some cooking lessons. This is no good."

Baby This Week: 29 Weeks Old

Your baby can now support some of her weight on her legs, and she loves to bounce — something that can strengthen her muscles for walking later on. Hold her under her arms and help her stand up on the floor or on your lap.

You may need to help her start moving by lifting her off the ground (or your lap) but once she starts, just watch her go! Be ready for lots of giggles.

Your baby's fine motor skills are coming along. By now she can probably scoop things up with one hand and transfer an object from one hand to the other fairly easily. Fine motor skills involve small, precise thumb, finger, hand, and wrist movements and are used for actions like picking up things between the thumb and finger.

Gross motor skills are required for activities like crawling, which use large muscles such as those in the arm, leg, or feet or the entire body. To encourage your baby's development of these skills, place a toy just out of your baby's reach and watch her try to get it. If she cries because she can't quite reach it, give her encouragement — but not the toy. She's just venting frustration and will become more physically confident more quickly if you don't make everything easy for her.

After a few tries, she'll be able to lean forward to grab the toy and then straighten herself again. Before long, she'll be rocking back and forth on her hands and knees or maybe creeping (pushing herself around on her belly) or even repeatedly rolling over to move about the room. Help her move around easily by dressing her in loose, comfortable clothes.

Your baby's also showing an interest in small parts and the details of the objects around her. Her ways of exploring are growing beyond banging and gumming, although those are still part of every toy interaction. As she explores, be sure to keep buttons, coins, safety pins, balloons, rocks, and other choking hazards out of reach.

At this age, babies tend to gravitate toward stuffed animals, big and small. One might even become your baby's favorite security object. If so, it'll soon be covered in drool and accompanying you everywhere. Don't worry: A "transitional object" like this can be a sign of emerging independence as your little one learns to separate herself from you and depend on herself — slowly but surely.

When adding new members to your plush family, look for soft, well-stitched toys. Other good playthings include balls, nesting cylinders, pop-up toys, and large dolls.

One way to tell if your baby has a favorite plaything or two is by trying to remove it from her. You may now find her protesting loudly when you take something away.

If your baby insists on sleeping with a favorite friend, make sure it's small — your baby could use a larger one as a stepping stool to climb out of her crib or it could impair her breathing if it's too close to her face.

- BabyCenter.com

Playdate with Saeryn & B!

It's been a few weeks since Lisa and Spencer and I have gotten together, but we got together this week and  all three girls have gotten so big! They're all sitting up! The last time I posted pictures, they were 2 and 3 months old and were so itty bitty! Now they're big girls!

 This last one looks like Mila is having a conversation with Saeryn, haha!

Baby This Week: 28 Weeks Old

Your baby can now roll over from her tummy to her back and vice versa. This may even occur when she's sleeping. Although back sleeping is still the optimal position, and the one you should start her out in when you lay her down, don't worry too much if she flips over -- there's no need to reposition her as she sleeps. Your baby's risk of SIDS is decreasing at this age.

Your baby uses all of her senses to explore and learn about her world. Make sure she has lots of safe things around to touch, mouth, and manipulate. She'll love squishing a soft rubber ball, patting a piece of fake fur, gnawing a chilled teething ring, and hearing a bell jingle inside a stuffed animal.

An interesting thing to do: Gather different fabrics and place them next to each other on the floor. Watch your baby's expression as he moves over the varying textures.

Looking at books together will improve your baby's language skills and prime her for a lifelong love of reading. It doesn't matter what type of book you choose. Board books are colorful and sturdy, and books that have pop-up pictures or textured illustrations are also very popular.

Your baby won't have the dexterity to open a book or even flip pages until she's between about 9 and 12 months, and she might not yet have the patience to sit still while you read her a story, but don't give up. No matter what your child's age, reading provides a great opportunity for cuddling and socializing.

- BabyCenter.com

Teeth!

Mila's teeth have really come in! You can totally see them here!