7 months old!

Dear Scarlett,

You are 7 months old today!  And you certainly aren't our little infant anymore.  You have grown so much, and really developed your own personality.

 

You probably weigh around 13 pounds now, but we don't have a doctor's appointment for another month-and-a-half, so we'll get a better update then.  Speaking of doctors, you started seeing a new pediatrician this month (after the hospital stay due to your weight that we thought was totally unnecessary) and she is not worried about your size!  She told us you're probably just always going to be small, but that you're perfectly healthy.  We were so happy to hear that, because we've known all along that you're perfectly healthy.  We are finding that our mommy and daddy instincts are often pretty accurate.

You have learned to do so many new things this month!  as you can see in the pictures, you are now sitting on your own for just about as long as you want.  You love sitting on the floor and playing with your toys and books!  You also are talking and babbling so much.  You get into talkative moods in the evening, usually, and just crack us up with the stories you seem to be telling!  You say "mama" the most, but have recently started to say your b, d, n, ng, w, and y sounds. 

 

You also had a lot of new experiences this month, like eating solid food for the first time!  You've been eating one small bit of food (avocodos or bananas) once a day for about a month now.  You love it!  You also love trying to sip a bit of water out of your sippy cup.  If it were up to you, I think you'd abandon your bottle completely and transition right to your sippy cup and solid food.  The doctor told us you'd need to be weaned off of the bottle at about a year, and I just know that will be no problem.  The pacifier, though?  That is another story altogether.  You are not going to want to give that up!  But we will cross that bridge when we come to it when you're a little older.

Another huge milestone this month is that you started sleeping in your own bedroom in your crib full-time!  The transition was actually easy, and most nights you sleep just fine from about 9:00-7:00 or 8:00.  There have been a few nights, though, where you woke up every half hour!  Those were rough nights, but Mommy and Daddy are learning that you can get through with very little sleep if you have to! 

Last month your bottom two teeth started poking through.  And this month, they are big enough to be seen when you smile, and they are adorable!

 

You recently started reaching for things. You like to reach for people, but then when they try to grab your hand, you pull it away.  I joke and tell you that that's not very friendly!  But it's pretty cute!

Your favorite toys this month are your vintage telephone and clock toys from Fisher Price, your toy barn and farm animals, a little light-up book that sings to you, your favorite lift-a-flap book, and your cousin Hadley's exersaucer that we are borrowing. 

When we decided to name you Scarlett, we loved it because it is a feminine name, but still strong sounding.  Let me tell you -- you are living up to your name!  You are so sweet, but definitely very feisty too at times!  You're silly and goofy and you know what you want!  And sometimes you let us know if you didn't get what you wanted!  Ha!  Last weekend we were at a Super Bowl party, and you were playing with a little toy wrench.  You would not let that thing go!  When Daddy took it away, you got so upset!  You just screamed and screamed, and real tears were rolling down your cheeks.  I must say, that is the first real bit of attitude we've seen from you, and it cracked me up and terrified me, all at the same time!  I hate to tell you, but soon you will learn that you won't always get what you want.  Unfortunately, that will be a lesson you'll be learning for the rest of your life.  But for now, you should enjoy being an only child and not having to share your toys too often.

 

This month was kind of a break in the craziness after the holidays.  Mommy went back to school for spring semester, so you've been spending 3 days a week with either Nana or Grandma.  We have had the worst winter!  It has been extra cold and we've had a bunch of  snow storms!  So this month we mostly stayed home, snuggled, and played and read books.  It has been nice to just relax a lot.  Next month might be similar, except that you have your first Valentines Day coming up at the end of this week!  I know you're too young to really enjoy the holiday, but we bought you a little Valentines Day stuffed animal anyway.  Holidays are so much more fun with you here!

 

Here is what you looked like this month:

We love how smart and independent you are becoming!  But please, stop growing so fast!!  

We love you so much,

Mommy and Daddy