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Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Ford 7 months





We had a friend over last weekend who said, "I thought you only posted the pictures of Ford smiling but he really does smile ALL the time". And that is the biggest blessing we've come to know with our baby boy. Ford is such an animated baby and continues to wow us with how much he knows and how much he is learning. A huge topic of conversation this month has been that he seems like he is a little boy now...playing on his own, discovering new toys and new surroundings, and starting to make preferences for what he does, eats, etc. Each month brings whole new set of challenges and this month has been the two pesky little teeth up that are right under the skin that won't pop through but have given us lots of sleepless nights. I can't believe my baby is getting teeth! I feel like his whole look will change and he'll wake up looking like a toddler. Last week I took this picture of him, looking so grown up.


Weight: 21lbs even (done on scale at home)

Chunk chunk getting too big for the bumbo...but I still stuff him in there

Height: 28 inches (measured at home)

Health/Dr.appointments: Ford has had a lingering cold for what seems like the entire month. Luckily we haven't had to go to the doctor but doing saline, nose frida, and humidifier at night. He will most likely take after his daddy and be asthmatic and we've noticed about 6pm he becomes wheezy so we do a nightly albueterol breathing treatment. Hopefully no doctor visits until his 9 month well check.

Clothing: mostly 9 month clothing but some brands are getting pretty tight. I organized all Ford's spring and summer clothes last week and we are looking forward to warmer weather! He's also moved up to size 3 shoes.

Diapers: last week we made the switch from cloth at night to disposable overnight diapers (Huggies). We were leaking out of cloth, even with double inserts, and leaking out of regular disposables. As much as I love using cloth, I was sick of having to wash jammies, sleep sacks, and crib sheets daily. 

Eating (milk): Now that Ford is eating solids regularly, he is nursing less. I nurse him on demand which is about every 4 hours during the day and he can empty my breast in 5-7 minutes. Still no bottle (but we are no longer trying) but he loves water from a sippy cup. 

Eating (solids): would it surprise you to hear that Ford LOVES solids? He eats 3 meals a day plus little snacks (mum mums, yogurt melts, cucumbers, peppers). His favorites are still avocados, pears, and sweet potatoes with cinnamon. We added mango, apple, zucchini, and carrot this month and I've been experimenting with different fruit/veggie combos and he had his first finger food dinner last night. I cut up avocado and banana for him and he was getting very frustrated that the pieces kept sliding in his hands and he kept opening his mouth for me to feed him. I am going to try out some other, less slippery foods so he can build the confidence to feed himself. I can't wait for finger foods!

Teething: Ford's top 2 teeth are coming in! I read that the bottom teeth come in first so I never really looked up top but we were laying on the floor and I saw a flash of white. This picture was a few weeks ago and the teeth are bigger now! Nights have been rough, he is in pain and nothing seems to comfort him. We do Advil before bed and he seems to be improving on the teething pain. He loves frozen fruit in the mesh feeder and gnawing on Sophie and his new wooden blocks.


Sleeping (naps): Ford is transitioning from 3 naps a day down to 2. On a good day, he naps 1-1.5hr about 9:30a, then another 1-1.5hr around 1p and 45 minute snooze around 4-5p. I've started trying to plan my days around his naps because he can sleep great in the car but once I get him out (even if he is in the carseat and covered), he wakes up. 

Sleeping (night): Ford was a great sleeper and then I feel like things went downhill at 4 months. He still has really great nights but this month has been very trying in the sleep department. He goes down great at 7:15p but has been waking between 11p-1a and just screaming and crying and plain pissed off. We practice cry it out and Jon takes that shift when he is not traveling. It would be incredibly easy for me to go in there and nurse him back to sleep but we know he is fully capable of sleeping longer stretches. I was SO ready to cut that nighttime feeding before this separation anxiety/crying in the night started so I now am hoping to get through that before we use CIO to cut the early morning feeding. Ford usually nurses about 5am (5 is always my goal and we will let him CIO until then and sometimes it is 6am), and goes back to sleep until 7:45a. Some days he has slept til 9a! We've had a crazy month with travel, teething, etc so we are looking forward to getting back on track. 

Social: Ford is a ham and this month is VERY interested in other people. He studies new people and is quick to smile. He also has fun "playing" with his baby friends and gets a kick out of Ernie. Just this morning Ernie came over and licked Ford while was playing and Ford couldn't stop giggling.



Likes: chewing on Bubba keg straws, mesh feeder with frozen fruit, his jumper, balloons, his new toolbench, walking backward in his walker, taking medicine, being tickled, remotes, iPhones, bathtime, peekaboo

Dislikes: getting his nose sucked, being hungry, getting something taking away from him

New this month:
  • Crawling backward! He gets up on all fours and starts rocking then scoots backward
  • Sitting up very solidly. I can go grab something in the other room and not worry about him falling.
  • Standing up (not on his own, we place him) and holding onto toys/couch pretty steady
  • Sitting in a shopping cart and loving it! I actually enjoy bringing him to the store now and he gets oogled at by lots of passerby.
  • A few sink baths and loving them! He plays so well for 15-20 minutes which gives me time to fold clothes, organize, etc in our room. We give him frozen fruit in the mesh feeder while he's in there and it keeps him very busy. As of last night he started climbing out of his baby bath so we are going to move to the bath ring. 
  • Actually playing with toys and interacting with baby friends
  • Loves his walker and zooms backward
  • Opening his mouth for kisses when you say "Ford can I have a kiss"
  • Learning to angry grunt/fuss when he is bored or wants our attention.... aye yi yi
Fun things we did:
  • First Valentine's Day! Ford got lots of Valentine's from friends and family and passed out treats to his friends.
  • We started the Baby Signing time videos and surprisingly he is entertained for about 10 minutes before getting antsy. We sign "food" and "more" and "all done" while we feed him and he laughs.
  • First boat ride on Lake Austin
  • Spent a few days in Liberty, MO with Ford's gramma and grampa great
  • A short trip to Dallas to hang with cousin Embry
  • Started going to childcare at MOPS and the workers love him! We also signed up for childcare at the gym and he did great yesterday and plan on making it a part of our week. Mama break!



Mama: being a mama can be hard, but there is nothing else I would rather be doing! Ford is an absolute joy and I love being his mommy. We stay very busy and are blessed with lots of mommy/baby friends in our neighborhood and in our city. I am definitely not one of those stay at home moms who "miss" the adult interaction because I get more of it now that I don't work! We walk to the park with friends almost everyday and have playdates and lunches throughout the week. We signed up for childcare at the gym and I am excited to make that a part of my week and get some me time. I am also a crazy lady and have started planning his first birthday party and actually have bought a few items (eeek!)

Daddy: I think I would mentally go insane without the support of my awesome hubby! He helps in the middle of the night, lets me sleep in in the morning, and tells me to go run errands so I can have alone time. He is the one who keeps us grounded and I am so grateful for him. 

Looking forward to:
  • Warmer weather and playing outside
  • Going to the Hope Spoken conference at the end of the month
  • Traveling to Chicago in early April
  • We have got to get Ford a haircut this month! His hair is growing over his ears and getting very long up top
Videos:




Loving his Baby Signing Time DVDs


18 comments:

Reading_with_Lace said...

So funny! I started planning maysons first bday too! Even if it is 5 months away :)

Keags said...

I'm not sure what you've tried, but the only way Piper makes it through the night is with hemp inserts in her diaper. Microfiber doesn't cut it, but doubling with hemp is awesome.

Allena said...

I could squeeze him! He is so cute. He weighs about 2.5 pounds more than my daughter who is 14 months, haha.

Bri said...

Oh my goodness! I just want to squeeze those legs! His smile is so contagious...sweet boy :)

Bridget said...

He is so adorable!!! His smile is so precious!!!

Carolyn said...

EEK! Our little guys are growing up so fast!!!!! You're going to need to give me tips on food! I'm so excited to start, but I'm also so overwhelmed!

Angie said...

He is for sure a cutie!!! He has the sweetest smile ever :)

Becky Borgman said...

You should check out baby led weaning if you're ready for Ford to move on to finger foods/feeding himself. My daughter has been feeding herself since she was 6 months old. I just wrote a blog post about it. On another note...he's SO handsome!

Amanda said...

Oh I just love him! I miss that little man!!!

Kait @ The Jones Journal said...

Such a big guy!! I can't believe how fast time flies! W was leaking through his cloth too, and we now use a flour sack towel tri folded on top of a hemp insert. Works great! He can last 12-13 hours in it. You can find the flour sack towels at Target (5 for like $4). He's such a stud!!!

Sarah said...

FIrst birthday!? Weren't you just pregnant with him?? They grow too fast! Noelle's first two teeth came in on the bottom and she is all about the wooden toys now, too!

Maria Eshman said...

Our oldest (who is now 8! boo hoo...)used to watch Signing Time and LOVED it! It was my saving grace when my hubby was deployed. It gave me 27 uninterrupted minutes to do the dishes, clean up, etc. :)
Thanks for bringing back such happy memories for me. :)
Maria

Anonymous said...

Awww. Happy 7, little man!

Sarah said...

GOSH. i really wish we could get our animated babes together! that would just send my ovaries into explosion.

Christelle said...

Ruthie, Ford is so cute! I love that picture of him in his hat..such a dapper little man! I can't believe he's 7 mos already...time really flies!

Unknown said...

What a doll!! He is so handsome. I forgot how close him and Jed are in age. I love all the little milestones :)

Anonymous said...

Awwww, he is adorable and getting so big!!! I'm also planning on using the daycare at the gym to give me some mommy break. Glad it worked well for you! Hope our girl will like it, too.

Katie said...

he is so cute!! and addilyn was a good sleeper until around 4 months too. finally around 6 months we let her cio as she wouldn't even go to bed without SO much work and wake up five plus times a night. after a few days she was down to 2 feedings and now just one. Except this last week she is back to fighting bedtime and crying. it is so frustrating! we try the cut off of 4 as she consistantly has been going at least that long. if he wakes at say 4 do you let him cry until 5 and then fed him? I always struggle with what to do!

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