The Grubers: Charlie's Seventh Month

(written previously)

It’s amazing how much I find I am able to write about each month; I see so many subtle and big changes in Charlie.

As mentioned in the Gruber Christmas post, Charlie and I got really sick after Christmas. It was so sad to see his sweet eyes all droopy and red, and his poor nose all stuffy and runny. His coughing was pretty awful, too. The cold seemed to last forever...I was prepared for it to last two weeks (which is typical, I am told), but was disappointed when it lasted longer. We made sure to clear his nose before bed and slept him elevated in a swing with a humidifier nearby. It lasted for about three weeks before we saw the end. After two weeks, I was afraid he had an ear infection, but after getting checked at his six month appointment, we found out that he didn’t have an infection. Thank goodness! We just had to ride out the rest of the cold.

Sick boy bathing in Grandma Arbon's sink

Speaking of six month appointment, he received his vaccinations and flu shots. Charlie is a strong boy. He cried a little bit, but stopped within a few seconds of picking him up. That's my boy! And here are his measurements:

Weight: 16lb 4oz - 16%
Height: 26.9in - 52%
Head Circumference: 44.7cm - 66%

I was a little disappointed that his weight went down in percentile (I want a thick, chunky baby), but the doctor wasn't worried, so no need for me to worry.

Charlie had his first Christmas during this month! What a fun memory. Ever since Christmas, and the noise from all of the people and activities that went on over the weekend, I have realized that Charlie is able to sleep through quite a bit of noise. Granted, we always have a fan going in his room to help cover and offer background noise...but now I am not as paranoid at home after putting him down to bed. We are no longer constantly whispering (we would even whisper downstairs while he slept upstairs). Thanks to the Christmas experience, we are able to relax a little more at nights after he has fallen asleep.

Another first was his first hair trim. We trimmed his hair with the electric hair clippers a week before he turned seven months (January 12th). His hair was looking pretty scraggly and mangy around the ears. I helped him sit on the counter while Daddy buzzed his hair. He took it fine...nothing too dramatic, but he wasn't loving it either.

Before:

After:

So much better!

Charlie definitely has started having his moments of being chatty. We are starting to hear lots of ba ba’s when he is in the mood. So cute! He is also smiling so easily now. I love it! He is eating his rice cereal really well, over 4 Tbsp in one sitting...someone is ready for some real food!

...and so he was! Two days before turning seven months, we fed him his first real pureed food: Peas! I have decided to puree my own baby food for him when I can. It has been super easy so far. For the peas, I just cooked them, threw them in the blender with a little bit of the water that they cooked in, poured a little bit in a small tupperware and put it in the fridge, and then poured the rest of it into ice cube trays and put them in the freezer. The next day, after they froze, I transfered them into a freezer bag to keep for later meals. They are great! A perfect serving size and quick to defrost. When I fed him the peas, he wasn't quite sure what he thought about them, but he went along with it. I'm excited to see how he takes on to different kinds of foods...we will have to see. I was advised to start with vegetables, because if you start with sweet fruits, they may never come around to liking the vegetables. And who blames them, right?

Our rice cereal eater

Our pee-shooter is a pea-eater

He loves to watch Baby Einstein on the iPad. The one he especially likes is the Baby Newton one. I like it because it is 30 minutes long and I can set him in the swing, bring it up on YouTube on my iPad in front of him, and quickly leave the room and take my shower. It has been so nice having my guaranteed 30 minutes each day! Thank you Baby Einstein! (Prior to this discovery, I had to wait until Jason was home to shower...Charlie would cry if he was awake and left alone, and if he was asleep, the water sound from the shower would wake him up since the bathroom is right next to the bedrooms).

Charlie is starting to enjoy his toys. Before when I would set toys in front of him, he would maybe hold them for a minute and then become disinterested. Now he likes to hold them, explore them, move them around, and switch them from hand to hand. And of course, see what they taste like. He especially loves cell phones, remotes, and XBox controllers! He is really enjoying and doing really well in his ExerSaucer. That thing has been a lifesaver. At the beginning of the seventh month, he was taking 2-3 naps each day. Towards the end of the seventh month, he started more of a napping schedule. He typically naps twice a day now: his first nap starts between 10-11 and his second one starts between 2-3. He has been going down really easily in my arms. I don't mind it at all...I spend the time reading a book on the iPad while rocking him to sleep. Thanks to this routine, I have been able to read several books that I have been wanting to for awhile.

Some of my nicknames for him include: Bubbers, Bubs, and BubStub...not sure where they came from...but they flow so quickly and easily from my mouth. He has really taken to examining his hands lately. He has a brown mark on his right palm that he likes to look at closely. I have never seen a birthmark on the inside of a hand before. Very unique. He doesn't really suck on his hands as much any more...just likes to look at them, front and back. He also loves circling his hands and wrists, especially when sitting up or in his Bumbo. It seems to happen most often when he gets excited. I have only seen this in one other baby...his cousin Elsa Gruber.

His very own "dark mark"

I seem to be producing less breast milk. He gets really unhappy after a few minutes of nursing...and I think it is because he is not getting enough. Ever since the Ward Christmas Party, I have noticed a difference. I think it might have to do with the fact that the whole day I was busy getting stuff ready for the party and didn't get to pump or nurse the entire day. I don't know if one day can really make that big of a difference and throw things out of whack...but I really think that is the case for me. I am still nursing, but I have had to increase the number of supplemental bottle feedings. By the end of the seventh month, I was down to only three nursings a day: two in the morning and one at night before bed. Charlie would also have two feedings of rice cereal and peas, and then two 3-6 oz bottles of formula. On a better note, my hair shedding seems to be dying down. I no longer have the huge clumps of hair coming out in the shower or falling down my back...however, I have such thin hair now that it is seriously pathetic! I tell Jason that I have a nasty thin Pirate pony tail...you know what I'm talking about. If I try to braid my hair and put an elastic in at the bottom of the braid...I have to wind it around like 20 times for it to hold...and even then it is loose! That should give you an idea how disgustingly thin my hair has gotten! Thank you, childbearing! Hence the need for hair extensions...thanks Erin! I am getting more used to doing things one-handed while holding Charlie. He is getting heavier, but I can feel my arms getting stronger...or at least my left arm, the arm that most often carries Charlie.

He doesn't roll over too often anymore, which I can't help but feel anxious about. Come on, Charlie...stop being a bump on a log. But everyone tells me I should not worry and enjoy the time while I can...because before you know it, he will be moving. He may not roll over, but he can sit up unsupported for quite awhile now. He LOVES to be sitting up. With this new skill he tries to sit forward now whenever I put him in his swing or car seat. He can push himself up with his arms a little bit while he is on his stomach and can swivel around 360 degrees....just no rolling. He is pretty content to sit in his carseat for awhile when we are at church and when eating out. That has been so nice! He loves watching the action.

And that pretty much sums up Charlie's seventh month of life!

Picture time: