Elliott: 7 Months Old

The highlight for this month is that Elliott now has two bottom teeth poking out in the front of her mouth. She isn't very drooly, but she does chew on everything and has been very difficult to get to sleep because of it. It could be way worse though and hopefully the worst of it is behind us.

The other big news is that she eats a purée about once a day. She does okay with them but gets over it pretty quickly. Otherwise she still nurses every 3-4 hours. She still has some reflux but it's improved. No bottles still and we've tried 3 brands of sippy cups with no luck. She does hold and chew on them but is not interesting in sucking/drinking. My life will be so much easier once she can eat without me!

She gets time away from me almost every day now thanks to cheerleading. I've only had practices 1.5-2 hours so it hasn't been too tricky just as long as I time feedings right. Games and competitions will add another layer to that. I did cover at the hospital for a week and a half and that was difficult. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off to finish as quickly as possible, so I was mostly done around noon. Elliott was with a sitter for two days and those were by far the best days. I'm sure she was fussy but I didn't feel as bad not working at the speed of light to rush back to her. She was with my mom for a day and Andy stayed home for a day. His mom had her another day but that was short lived thanks to Elliott's crankiness. She's definitely getting more comfortable with others but obviously the girl needs to be able to eat (please God take a sippy!). I should note that on her 7 month birthday, Andy and I went on our first legitimate date since Elliott was born. She stayed with Saxtons and did okay even though she skipped a meal. We are making some progress, at least! 

Elliott prefers to sit up almost always and doesn't seem to have much interest in moving just yet (I'm totally okay with this). Tummy time is still at the top of her hate list. She has a select few toys and teethers and her favorite seems to be the stackable cups. Even though she doesn't crawl, she has great reach to grab things.  We've officially put away all things baby now that we haven't been using them in months.  

Another big milestone is that Elliott babbles a lot and has said her first word. Appropriately, it was mama. I know she doesn't really understand what she's doing, but she says it often and with enough clarity that I'm confident in declaring it her first word. Bath time will forever be a fave, I think. She loves the ABC song and it's a great diversion if she's fighting sleep. She also loves to stand and bounce in her jumper. 

I'm really enjoying this phase! If only we could get through this teething thing and be cool when mom is away..