Vincent's 7 Month Update!

Height/Weight: According to our home scale and measuring tape, Vincent weighs 19.6 lbs (68%) and is 27.5 inches long (66%) with a head circumference of 46cm (90%). 

Daily: Vincent has started to settle into his own routine. In the morning we have a feeding, then he plays on his mat on the floor while I have breakfast. And I have to keep a good eye on him while he does, because he has begun to army crawl! Between noon and 1 PM, he goes down for his first nap and sleeps until around 2. When he is up, he eats a little bit of solid food, then goes back to playing. He has also been very content sitting in either his high chair or bouncy seat, wherever I'm doing work or cleaning around the house. As long as he knows I'm close, he has become pretty good at keeping himself entertained. I talk to him a LOT, and he seems to really enjoy having "conversations"; he will babble at me and I will answer him. Then I ask him questions and he will babble back or squeal in response. It's pretty entertaining! he generally goes down for his last nap at around 4 PM and I don't let him sleep any later than 6. He won't go down for the night at bedtime if he naps too late. While I make dinner, he either sits in the kitchen with me in his high chair, or with Mike if he is home. I make it a priority to have meals together at the table, which is when Vince has his second helping of solids for the day. After dinner, Vincent often spends time with Mike, while I wash dishes, pump and prepare everything for bedtime. We don't always give him a bath before bed, but I still bathe him in the sink, or Mike brings him in the tub with him to take a bath. He really likes to splash and kick in the water!

Sleep: Vincent has been getting much better sleep this past month. The 4 month sleep regression period seemed to stretch over nearly two months and it was beyond exhausting! It's so much easier to get through the day, now that we are all getting better sleep!

I still put Vince in his Zipadee-Zip at night. Although it would be nice to have him just sleep in a sleeper, this thing has been such a lifesaver. It's comfy, convenient and eliminates the need to use a blanket. It works so well and he sleeps so much better at night with it.
He wakes up anywhere between 2 and 5 times per night to nurse and generally goes right back to sleep. He has gotten to where he sleeps in his crib the best. He still occasionally naps or sleeps in his swing, but not very often. He has become a total side and tummy sleeper, just like his mommy and daddy!

Eating: Vincent doesn't nurse near as often as he did a few months back. I was very worried that solids might be replacing nursing sessions, because he would get too full and not be hungry for milk, but it seems instead that his feedings are spacing out and he is consuming a larger amount of milk in one feeding. 
We've been trying baby led weaning, which is basically allowing your baby to feed himself table food. I have a couple tupperware containers full of different types of cut up fruits and veggies in the freezer, which I let him chew on. He is particularly fond of apples! He will gnaw and suck on them until all that's left is the skin. I still give him baby food popsicles too; green beans are his favorite. And the fact that most of the food I give him is either frozen or cold seems to really help soothe his gums from teething as well.
At bedtime, I still give him an "oat-bottle". I pump about 4-5 oz and mix in 1-2 tbsps of baby oatmeal. 

Nom, nom, nom, apples!

Eating lemon for the first time!

Sizes: Vincent wears 6, 6-9 and 9 month clothing. But he wears 12 month clothing if it runs small (Gerber!!). He is still in size 3 diapers, but we will be moving up to size 4 as soon as we've used up everything we have.

Milestones and Changes:

• Vincent has learned to army-crawl! He will drag his body across the floor and try to push off with his feet. As soon as he figures out how to get up on his knees, he will be off. And I will need to go and purchase baby proofing supplies! Hehe :)

• He has begun to shake his head back and forth, as if to say no. He does this mostly when he is tired. When he is happy or has gotten my attention, he bobs his head up and down, like he is saying yes. Or headbanging. I am trying to figure out if he is trying to actually tell me something when he does it, or if he is just enjoying this new discovery!

• Vince has started to scream. A lot. LOUDLY. It is so funny - he gets super worked up and excited, starts letting out little screams and simultaneously hitting his thighs.
• Vincent got his first professional photos taken!! They turned out so adorable - I just melt every time I look at them. 

• Vincent took a ride in the shopping cart for the first time! My cousin got us this awesome cover that we take to the store every time now. He loves it! He likes looking at me and around the store and being able to play with his toys, which are attached to little loops sewn into the cover.

• Apparently, this boy thinks scary things are amusing. Mike and I took him to Target and came across this rather creepy possessed teddy bear-looking Halloween mask. Vincent thought is was the funniest thing he had ever seen. I put it on and said "Boo!" and he laughed like I had never heard him laugh before! He also likes to yell at zombies on TV when Mike and I watch The Walking Dead.
• I think he is starting to say "Mama" on purpose now. When he wakes up from a nap, I hear him say it on the monitor until I come to get him. I LOVE it when he says it!! It sounds more like "Mom-mom" :D