A Letter to Scout

Dear Scout

I am writing to thank you for all your support over the past few months. You may be shorter than my 7 month old baby and are green with a tail but people should not judge you on this. You came into our life as a Christmas gift and as soon as Baby E set eyes on you I knew it was the start of something special. You know my baby’s name and speak directly to him and have numerous games and songs for him. You soothe him and capture his attention when he is a little unsettled and never fail to raise a smile. You ask him to snuggle up and help settle him to sleep, whether that takes five or fifteen minutes of bedtime music. For me you give me a sense of perspective on how long little Baby E takes to drift of to sleep and even have a couple of enjoyable tunes on your playlist! We are like a little napping tag team and as I sneak out of Baby E’s nursery I know by that look on your little green face that you are silently saying ‘don’t worry… I’ve got this’.

So thank you Scout,

Love from Mrs W x

7 Month Summary

Yesterday Baby E turned 7 months. Before having him I only ever uttered the phrase ‘time flies when you are having fun’ in a sarcastic manner, but no more. Time really does seem to tumble away as you watch the tiny little person you created grow and develop and I don’t think I have ever laughed and smiled so much in my life as I have done the past 7 months. So here is a glimpse into what 7 month old Baby E is like.

Milestones

Baby E has been rolling from his back to his belly smoothly and unassisted for some time now, however the roll back seems to elude him most of the time at the moment. This results in a sight not unlike a stranded turtle on his shell, except this little turtle is on his belly with his head craned high searching for some help. He is also doing something that faintly resembles an early crawl, although his version involves some good strong leg action (thank you jumperoo) coupled with a smoosh of his face along the ground, those hands and arms need to get in on the action. We are currently working up to being able to sit up completely unaided and Baby E can manage a few wobbly seconds alone before making that all important decision of ‘baby left or baby right’. Overall his movement is more considered and deliberate and he is making good progress with a little support. Two pearly whites have also broken through at the front of his lower gums and he has become a very chatty little man. Noises range from low grunts and growls, to high pitched squeals and a sweet sing-song voice, ‘boobooboo’ also seems to be a favourite means of communication.

Sleep

The topic even strangers ask me about. Baby E is, dare I say it…a pretty good sleeper now. He usually goes down for his night time sleep just after 7pm and now usually sleeps through until around 6 am most days. This can vary though and he can wake anywhere between 5.30am and 7.30am. If its on the early side then we try to encourage and comfort him back to sleep, which is not guaranteed but can work. As for day time naps I feel it is important for Baby E to try and get a good nap in the morning as I feel it really makes a difference for the rest of the day and he will normally nap for an hour and a half to two hours. In the afternoon Baby E tends to favour two shorter naps lasting 20-30 minutes a time.

Eating

Weaning is well underway and Baby E is doing a mixture of purees and finger foods. He is loving sweet potato, banana, plums and seems to be favouring fruit now after preferring vegetables at the start of the process. He also loves a yoghurt and really enjoys eating pieces of fruit in his Munchkin fresh food holder. Textured purees are definitely not a hit with him at the moment and he is not shy about letting you know, he can also sniff out a carrot in any guise and has so far refused to even entertain the thought of consuming even a morsel. I am finding that the homemade purees I am making based on Annabel Karmels Quick and Easy Weaning book have a much stronger flavour to them than the pouches and jars and at the moment, particularly with meat and veg, Baby E is mildly more enthusiastic about the blander tasting options.

Favourite Things

Since getting his jumperoo from Santa, Baby E has been loving it. He interacts with all the attached jungle toys and the poor parrot that hangs above him came a cropper recently when he finally managed to reach up and get a good hold of him. He knows exactly what is happening when you lower him into the gaping frog mouth seat and Baby E’s little legs start going like a dogs held above water. Another firm favourite is a Jelly Cat giraffe called James (pronounced Ha-mez, named after a Columbian footballer – can you tell my husband made me endure most of the football World Cup during the later stages of my pregnancy). Baby E is also getting more into story time and will sit peacefully and listen and follow my fingers pointing out the pictures and words as I read. Granted, he does need a ‘distraction book’ (a small, hard cardboard one) to hold and chew on otherwise the main story would quickly turn into a mass of saliva covered pulp before I reach the end of the story.  Baby E is also a massive fan of tickles and an even bigger fan of the anticipation of a good tickle. He can read the ‘about to tickle you’ signs well and giggles endlessly while thrashing about. He also loves getting carried by his dad while I chase them around the house, much to the amusement of my neighbours I am sure.

So that’s an insight into Baby E as a 7 month old. Right, I am away to look at all his newborn photos and repeatedly exclaim ‘aww look how tiny he was there’ and ‘remember when he…’ and I’ll enjoy every minute.

7 Month Routine

I said it, the R word. It will now be jinxed and I can expect all kinds of hell to break loose tomorrow. Ah well, at least I will have this post as a memento. We have always approached routines with Baby E as a meeting in the middle kind of affair. A bit of what we want and need but also being led by him. At 7 months this is what his typical daily routine looks like.

Baby E tends to wake around 6am, this is a prime example of him taking the lead rather than what we ideally want. Usually he is quite happy to thrash around playing with his cot toys and Mr W and myself get a much appreciated 20 minutes to accept we are getting out of bed to start our day. Baby E is quite happy to have a cuddle and a nosey out the window to assess the day before getting his ‘big milk’ (7oz) and flavoured porridge just after 7am. He then gets a quick top & tail and dressed before playing, reading and some jumperoo time.

Baby E starts showing the signs he is ready for his first nap somewhere around 9.30am. This consists of a crazy head shake, long, slow blinking and a good dose of eye rubbing. If he feels we are not taking the hint he may throw in a good grunt and growl for good measure. The morning nap normally is the big one and lasts for one and a half to two hours. When he wakes its time for his ‘snack milk’ (about 5oz). Then some play mat time, a walk or heading into town depending on the day.

Lunch time is around 12.30-1.00pm where Baby E will either accept or decline a puree and will almost always accept an Ella’s Kitchen yoghurt, rusk, or  piece of fruit and water. If we are out and about Baby E’s will be in his pushchair playing with his pram toys, zip or whatever his little hands can grab all while taking in the world around him. If we are home this will be more playtime together, punctuated with a few good tickling sessions. Afternoon napping is usually 2 shorter naps of around half an hour but he has recently started dropping the later afternoon nap which, fingers crossed seems to be giving him a better nights sleep. He will also take another ‘snack milk’ between 3-4pm.

Dinner is around 5pm where again he will be offered a puree and will take either a yoghurt, rusk or piece of fruit depending on what he had for lunch and some water. At around 6pm we start our bedtime wind down – bath, jammies and cuddles followed by getting into his sleeping bag and a ‘big milk’ in his nursery with the nightlight on. Baby E tends to fall asleep just after 7pm and is now settled for the rest of the night, most of the time (hurrah!).

Then we get up and do it again…well I hope so after jinxing it with the R word.