Oh. My. Goodness. Nugget is seven months old, which means he’s officially closer to one year than to brand new, and that blows my mind, man. (He’s not that close to one year, yet, but you know.) I feel like I’m just starting to come out of that newborn fog, just a little bit, and still getting used to being an actual family of FOUR now. Nugget makes every day such an adventure. He’s the sweetest, cuddliest little pal, and I’m constantly in awe of how much joy and fun he brings to our lives.
What to say about this month? It’s been full of running around and doing all that fall stuff. Having two kids in daycare makes the days feel extra full. Peanut and Nugget’s daycare has a real “school” feeling – classrooms, teachers, back-to-school night – and I love it, but I am also getting a taste of what it will be like when they’re really in school. So many forms to fill out, snacks to plan! It’s a different experience having one in the baby rooms, too. Peanut was always home, either with me or with a family member, until she was two, so when she started school it was in a really structured classroom setting. With Nugget, I have extra juggling to do – remembering to pick his bottles up for washing at the end of the day, constantly checking the classroom freezer to make sure he’s not running out of pureed pears (because I like to make life extra difficult on myself, so I’m providing his fruits and veggie purees in addition to pumped milk) and running up to feed him during my lunch hours (which is special for both of us).
I’m really cherishing those lunchtime visits. They make it easier to send him off in the morning, because I know I’ll be seeing him in just a couple of hours. We usually try to snap a selfie to send to Dad, as well. Going up to the school to feed Nugget is such a privilege. It’s sometimes hard to cram everything I need to do into my day, but it’s so worth it. I’m going to really miss those stolen lunchtime hours when they’re over – but I don’t need to think about that just yet.
Oh, I love that snuggly bug.
Nugget had a fun month with some exciting visitors, too! He got to meet his Aunt Rebecca for the first time (we’ll be seeing her again, for his christening, in just a few short weeks!). She had so much fun cuddling her little nephew guy, but she did say she felt a little weird about giving him kisses since he’s such a miniature Steve – haha!
And we also got to meet baby Hudson! Hudson is our friends Zan and Paul’s little nephew and he came to town for a visit with his mama Elissa and daddy. It was so much fun to meet them after hearing so much about their family from Zan! We all got together for a trip to the farmers’ market followed by lunch, and it was such a lovely day. Nugget had fun bouncing on some different laps, giving Ms. Elissa a taste of some snuggles with an older baby, and topping up Ms. Zan’s cuddle stash. He just loves her!
Of course, at the end of the day, he always comes back to Mom’s arms.
Nugget at 7 Months:
Weight: 15 pounds, 7 ounces.
Height: 27 inches cooperative. (I measured him myself this month, so take this with a grain of salt.)
Clothing Size: Moving on up to nine months! I’m still squeezing him into six month onesies and sleepers, but the nine months’ wardrobe is washed and ready and I’m about to switch it over, because some of those six month clothes are looking suspiciously short. It’s hard to let go, though – I love his six month outfits so much.
Sleep: Last month I said I hoped I’d have progress to report, and I do – not as much as I’d wanted, but some, and that’s good enough. We finally started sleep training right around the time Nugget turned six months old, and it’s going. Some nights it goes well, other nights it just… goes. We do the same routine each night: final feeding, cozy bath, rubdown with lotion, story (Time for Bed, by Mem Fox), lullaby (“Peace Like a River”), prayer (“Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep”) and lights out. The sleep “experts” promise that most kids will get with the program and stop crying after about three nights… HAHA! It’s been a month and Nugget is still voicing his displeasure loudly and vehemently. (That’s my boy. He’s nothing if not tenacious.) The pediatrician advised that we put Nugget down awake and check on him periodically when he cries, but not pat or touch him – just tell him that we love him and it’s bedtime. Well, we’re not exactly capable of not giving him kisses, so we do that, and some pats too, but otherwise we are careful not to take him out of the crib. Lately, he’s been protest-crying for about fifteen to twenty minutes and then he’s good to go for awhile. Still waking up to eat once a night or so (last night was twice, and I was feeling it the next day, but most of the time he’s good on one feeding) but this has opened up stretches of time for us in the evenings, which is really nice, and Steve and I are getting to bed earlier and with less bickering. I’m not quite caught up on rest just yet, but I’m getting there. As hard as it is, I know that sleep training Nugget was the right thing to do. We’re all happier – including Nugget – when Nugget is well-rested.
Likes: Cuddles with Mom, laughing at his sister, jumping in the jumperoo at school (the other day I dropped him off and they put him in the jumperoo and I seriously thought he was going to break it, he was going so wild), checking out the trees on our family hikes, looking at the other babies at daycare.
Dislikes: There’s one particular kid in his classroom that Nugget just! can’t! stand! when she cries. There have been multiple times that I’ve picked Nugget up to find his little face screwed up with dismay and the teacher murmuring, “Yes, M is loud, I know you don’t like it when M is loud.” I’m told that he’s getting a little better about not getting too upset when the other babies cry (I guess it was really tough the first couple of weeks, poor guy) but something about this one other baby’s crying really gets him going. I feel terrible for everyone in this situation.
Favorite Toys: We have a couple this month! Nugget has developed a deep and loving attachment to this perforated goldfish-shaped cup that came with his bathtub. (We recently got him a new one – he’d been using Peanut’s old tub and it was just becoming clear that the thing had reached the end of its life – and it came with this little cup.) He’s totally obsessed and will hold the goldfish cup all day if he’s allowed to. He’s also getting into books, which I love! Although it’s harder to read to him when he’s grabbing for any book I have in my hands. Peanut went through this stage, too, and at about the same age (I think) so let’s hope it’s a sign that Nugget will love reading as much as his big sister does.
Milestones: So many this month! After a few months of what seemed like not that many developmental milestones, Nugget made HUGE strides from six to seven months. He can now sit unassisted for longer and longer periods of time (he still needs a spotter, but he’s getting really steady). He’s also getting better and better at his fine motor skills; just the other day he leaned over and picked up a block from the floor! This is exciting stuff, people! He’s gotten really good at holding toys for long stretches of time without dropping them, and he’s even starting to pass them back and forth between hands. And – the best! – he’s starting to babble. Steve and I were both trying to steer him toward our particular consonant (Steve was encouraging “dada” and I was gunning for “mama”) and Steve won the consonant war – Nugget loves to say “Dada! Da! Da! Da da da!” But I can’t even be mad because it’s soooooooo cute. (And, for the record, he doesn’t know what he’s saying. He’s just latched onto the sound. But it doesn’t stop us from pretending that he’s really saying “Dada” because he means it.)
Quirks: I guess it was only a matter of time, but Nugget is SUCH a little brother, already trying to annoy his sister! Peanut has gotten her hair pulled more times than I can count this month. (I’ve explained to her that he can’t help himself – he waves his little arms around and if hair gets caught in his grip, he just has to grab and pull it; I’ve gotten my hair pulled quite a lot too.) But I have to say, it kind of makes me laugh to watch Nugget with Peanut. It’s obvious he worships the ground she walks on, but… all the same… he just can’t stop himself from pulling her hair. Little brothers, man!
Happy seven months, darlingest buddy! We all love you!
covered in flour 