7 Months

Dax is 7 months old! This has been a month of firsts for the little man. While he hasn't had a lot of big changes in development, it has been an exciting few weeks (bear with me in this long post, or skip it if you'd prefer - it has been harder to keep the blog updated as I return to work)...

Close up

Our sweet boy is a champion eater. He LOVES his fruits and veggies. However, we have had one bad experience - carrots. The first day Dax ate carrots was one of the funniest moments I have had with him. He would open wide expecting a tasty meal and immediately cringed and gagged once the carrots were in his mouth. Then, he would open for another bite right away. I almost felt guilty continuing to give him something so yucky, but it was hilarious and we don't want him to be a picky eater. Each subsequent meal with carrots was much better. Ironically, the one food he did not like was also the only food he has eaten from a jar thus far.

He had another first in the food department - eating table food. That's a bit misleading; I should really say he has played with table food! A couple of times we have cut up a banana into little pieces and put them onto his high chair tray. He hasn't quite figured out how to get it to his mouth, but enjoys playing and likes it when he does get a taste.

We have not tried any other table foods yet because Dax is not able to chew. For one thing he has not yet figured it out (even with tiny pieces of mushy banana he gagged a bit), and for another thing, we are still holding out for teeth. I feel like a broken record saying he has to be teething, but, seriously, when will that tooth pop through?! In addition to the constant drooling and chewing on toys (or shoulders, blankets, anything within his surprisingly long reach), he has started to make a teething face. His tongue makes it way to the edge of his mouth and must provide a little relief for his gums. It is very sweet. 

Family photo at Centennial Lakes - notice the teething face

Though he seems to be uncomfortable at times, teething has not stopped him from talking. He chatters away all day long. It is still mostly babble, but we are fairly confident he says, "hi", our daycare provider is convinced he said, "milk", and right before returning to work my little man started saying "mama". Nothing is very consistent yet, but it is fun to hear that progress and, even though I don't know what he's saying, I love having conversations with him as we drive home from daycare.

Dax had two BIG firsts this month. One was his first overnight away from Mommy. I was out of town for my friends Trish and Blair's wedding rehearsal. While I was thrilled to be a part of their wedding festivities, I was dreading an overnight away from Dax. In this case I know it was harder for me than him, but we both survived. Jake and Dax met me on Saturday for the wedding and then my parents met us and brought Dax home so we could enjoy the reception. Overall it was a great weekend and Dax enjoyed his second wedding, but it was a big step for us (and one I'm not likely to repeat any time soon)!

My handsome boys at the ceremony

Posing with my college girlfriends after performing our version of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air to tell the bride and groom's love story at the reception

His other big first was a trip to the playground near our house. While 7 months is probably a little early to get the most out of it, Dax still loves to be outside and I thought he might enjoy swinging. He was pretty indifferent about that, but was thrilled to be outside and was completely intrigued by the sand.

Ok, this is kind of fun

Enjoying the tunnel

Notice the teething face again

Sand is so fun!!

Dax's seventh month has proven to be the fastest yet and it is amazing to see how much he changes every day.

This was his first time standing independently (leaning on the couch of course!) and it didn't last long, but was pretty exciting

Practice makes perfect

Dax practiced daycare again yesterday. I practiced daycare again yesterday. It was much easier after Dax did such a good job and had fun the first time. I also think it helped that it wasn't full time (yet) and I knew I could get some work done at school, which would make it easier to pick him up earlier next week. Dax loved it! He was so happy when I arrived to pick him up; he was talking a lot and watching all of his new friends so intently.

They also completely adored him. Another family arrived while I was dropping him off and it was the first time they were meeting Dax. The older boy introduced himself and immediately started asking about Dax. He turned to Denise and asked, "Can this little cutie come downstairs to play with us?" How sweet! When I picked him up, the same little boy was telling me about what they did that day and kept kissing Dax's toes. Then, another mom arrived and explained that her almost 2 year old talked about "baby Dax" all night the first time he was there. Is there anything better than knowing your baby will be loved? While I would still prefer to be the one loving him up all the time, I feel much better about our reality of daycare after seeing how well cared for he will be as well as how much joy he brings to the other little ones there.

How could you not love this sweet little boy?

Cruisin'

Dax is on the move! Nope, still not rolling. And not yet crawling, though he will occasionally scoot a bit. Instead, he is walking! Well, sort of. We got him a walker and he LOVES the freedom it has provided him. We also love that we can get some stuff done while he entertains himself.

We have to watch him closely, though. The first time we put him in it, he immediately scooted over to the outlets on the wall. After we redirected him (and added outlet plugs to the Target list!) he walked over to the garbage and recycling to check them out - not exactly what we want him playing with. Both have continued to be some of his favorite stops, along with checking out what's going on outside and pulling on the curtains.

Check our little cruiser out:

Grown Up

"You look so grown up!" is what Dr. Oie said upon entering the exam room at Dax's 6 month well-check today. It confirmed that he truly is growing and changing quickly. Our long and lean little boy officially weighs 16 pounds 3 ounces (25th percentile), is 27 inches long (75th percentile) and has a head circumference of 17 3/4 inches (80th percentile). She was impressed with his stability when he was sitting up and laughed at his continuously growing hair - which I am still not ready to trim, much to Jake's dismay.

We didn't get a photo at the Dr., but this shows off his impressive sitting skills :)

He also got some more immunizations. Of course it was painful for him, but he calmed much more quickly than the previous two appointments. By the time I was done nursing him and we were ready to leave, Dax was playing with the bandaids and trying to take them off. I don't think it will ever be easy to see the little guy in pain at these appointments, but it is nice that each time is a bit easier than the last.

"You want a picture of my bandaids? But I want to play with my feet!"

Tweety bird doesn't help much when you're only 6 months old

In addition to getting Dax's 6 month stats, he did another grown-up thing this week - he went to daycare! I'll be back at school in a few weeks and that will be a big transition for our little man. Not only will he be spending a lot more time away from Mama, but he will also have a lot more noise and activity around him during the day! Thus, we wanted to give him a little taste and ensure that he was familiar with our provider, Denise, before he started going full-time. He spent about half the day there and it went well - much harder on me than him I think! The other little ones there LOVED "their baby", which was really sweet. Denise also texted me partway through with a photo of him doing some tummy time and he was even scooting a bit! It will be so good for him to spend time with older kids and I am confident that he will be loved and well taken care of while we are at work.

The photo she texted me - it definitely helped me stay away longer :)

Daycare wore him out so I got some snuggle time, which is more rare these days!

A Toy's Perspective

Dax's ABCs

Click here to view this photo book larger

Awhile back I got the idea from Pinterest to make an ABC book for Dax. Well, we had a coupon for a free photo book from Shutterfly so I decided to give it a try! We know some of the words and all of the photos will be outdated when he is actually learning about letters, but we think he will still enjoy seeing himself little and hope that the personalization will make it that much more exciting for our little man! Enjoy taking a peek at this fun creation.