Owen is 7 Months Old!

My precious babe is 7 months old today! He has done a lot of growing up this month - he's changed soooo much.


* 7 month stats:
Weight: Just shy of 17 pounds, as best as I can tell... It's hard to get an accurate measurement on an antique scale when your subject is super wiggly. ;)
Height: ???
Clothes: 6-9 month and 9 month
Shoes: 6-12 month or size 2
Diaper: Size 2 during the day and Size 3 at night

* Owen continues to be such a happy baby! The sweet people that work in the nursery on Sundays always make such a fuss over him and how happy he is. I had to include his little report card from Sunday because I thought that their words were so kind. :) I'm so thankful that my baby is in good hands while Wade and I are in Sunday School and service.
* Owen is a "hip baby" now. He was getting to that awkward stage where he was a bit cumbersome to hold cradled in my arms, but wasn't quite comfortable to sit on my hip. Then all of the sudden, on November 11, 2011 it just felt right. I read recently in Parents magazine the editor's column about "Mini Milestones" - little things that don't necessarily make the baby book, but are important rites of passage in a Mama's heart. Becoming a "hip baby" was one of those types of things for me with all of my babies.

* Owen has changed so much physically this month! He has put on almost 2 pounds (which I am soooo happy about!), so his face has filled out and he has gotten some rolls. I can hardly contain myself when I see those chubby thighs - they just beg to be squeezed! Now that he has gained some weight, he looks more like Drew did as a baby. His eyelashes have also filled in and gotten darker, which makes him look like Clayton did as a baby. I'm starting to see many more similarities. I need to do another baby picture post. :)

* Oh, when he cuts those eyes... too cute for words!
* O is at that age where we kind of have a baby circuit going on. We just rotate from one piece of baby equipment to the next during his awake time. The exersaucer is still his favorite, but he love his swing, johnny jump up, bouncy, and boppy, too.


* Another mini-milestone this month... Owen is no longer sleeping in his swaddle! Insert gushing ugly cry here. :( I love a swaddled baby, and he was so happy to be wrapped up. But... it was time. We rode the swaddle train as long as we could. For the last month or so, I have been wrapping him in his Miracle Blanket with a Swaddle Me over that. When he started busting out of my double swaddle, I knew the ride was over. I just stopped cold turkey yesterday. With Clayton and Drew it was rough for 3 days and then they were fine. I'm hoping Owen follows suite. In 2 days we should be swaddle free and back to his normal sleeping pattern. Fingers crossed! I did have to get some pictures of him in his swaddle blankets one last time...

After his first unswaddled nap this morning...

* Owen has been gnawing on his fingers nonstop. People keep asking me if he is teething. I don't think that is the case... Clayton and Drew were both 8.5 months old when their first tooth popped through. I'm hoping that I have another 6 weeks to enjoy that bare bottom gum...
* Owen is definitely not on a true schedule like my other babies were. I truly believe that a schedule is important for babies, but I am learning that it just doesn't happen when you have older kids and many more commitments. In general, he nurses 5 times a day and takes 3 naps a day (2-2 hour naps and a cat nap in the evening). I'm hoping that we can get into a better groove this month. It sure would make life easier if he was more predictable.

* This month Owen went from eating a tablespoon of rice cereal at night to eating baby food once a day and oatmeal at night. We gave him rice cereal once a day for a week gradually increasing the amount from 1 tablespoon to 4 tablespoons. Once we knew that he was tolerating that well, we let him try oatmeal. After a week of oatmeal, we started on vegetables. Owen tried peas first and loved those. After 5 straight days of peas, we moved on to green beans. When he tolerated those well for 5 days, we moved on to squash. I know that everyone has different methods of introducing solids, but we followed this same plan with Drew and it worked well. We're hoping Owen will be a good eater as well. :)

* Owen hit a major milestone this month as well - he is now an independent sitter. I hadn't really made a conscious effort to practice his sitting skills with him like I did with Clayton and Drew. I remember helping C & D do the whole tripod sitting thing, but that just didn't register on my radar with Owen. Finally, the day before Thanksgiving, I sat him up and he sat all by himself for several seconds. He acted like an old pro! He had a few weeble-wobble days, but he sure doesn't fall over much any more. He sits with his back so straight... I'd be sad to see him upright, if he weren't so stinkin' cute in that position.

* Before I lay Owen down for naps or for bedtime, we always rock for a few minutes and I sing "You are My Sunshine." I don't rock him to sleep, but we rock long enough to get some good snuggle time in. :) As soon as I sing the first note, he does this cute little chuckle/laugh, almost like a nervous laugh. I can't even explain it, but I have to document it. I'm hoping reading those words will jog the memory in my heart. It's such a precious time that we share together...

My Darling Owen,

What a big month this was! You had a major growth spurt and gained 2 pounds this month. I am so thankful that you are healthy and growing. :)

I am stuck in the age-old bittersweet battle that all mother's fight in their hearts. I want so badly for you to stay my tiny baby, but I know that if you did remain 7 months old, I would miss out on so much. I love that right now, I can meet all of your needs. But, I also want for you to learn to rely on the Lord to meet all of your needs. I love that you are so happy all of the time, but I know that you will have to experience trials to realize how truly strong you are.

I love that you are my baby, but I know that there is so much more fun to be had. If Drew had stayed a baby, I would never have know how funny and tender hearted he would be at 3 years old. If Clayton had stayed a baby, I would never have known what a brilliant mind he would have at 6 or how I would see him learning to be more of a servant every day. I'm excited to see what you will be like at 3 and 6 and so on. I am making a conscious decision each day to enjoy your babyhood without grieving the loss of your infancy. I'm excited to see how our family will evolve and change over time.

I can't imagine life getting better than it is at this very moment, but I know that it will.

You are such a gift, Baby Boy. I love you more than you will ever be able to fathom!

I love you to the moon and back,
Mommy