SEVEN.

Here we are again with time flying out from under me,  there is something so sad about saying I have a 7 month old. I think it is because we have jumped that half a year old mark and we are just high tailing it to his first birthday. He is closer to ONE than my itty bitty newborn. our house is on a non-stop train to toddler-dom.. foam mats have been added and daddy is working on that baby gate. why is this happening and why are my days running together?! he's grown exponentially over the last 30 days and from what I can recall, I think this is the most he's changed in just one month's time- even though it makes me sad to say he is getting older I am loving it -  I can say that this month has been my favorite so far. I am absolutely loving this age.

whats new...

• big boy baths.  we've had so many 'baby's firsts' this month- one of which is baths sitting up in the tub. hopefully, next month daddy has our farmhouse sink in so we can have sink baths. 
• scooting.  all over the place.  he doesn't quite get himself in the crawling position just yet, but we are so there.  he will get nearly on all fours and then start fussing because he's not exactly sure where to go from there, I suppose.  until then, he is happy rolling himself to where he needs to be. he doesn't stay in one place long. i can set him down and walk out of the room for a second and he is on the other side. same goes with his crib, he is all over that thing at night.
• sitting.  100% unassisted and prefers it this way.  he can even go from the (modified) crawling position and back to a seated position about half the time. 
• laughing.  those big belly laughs-TO. DIE. FOR.
• blowing raspberries. he now blows raspberries on mommy and daddy. He thinks its so funny and so do we. We always blow on his belly and he loves to do it to daddy now.
• interaction + reaching.  his interaction with toys, the dogs, and other people around him has improved a lot.  he reaches for people he wants to be held by and definitely plays the 'look hard with a huge grin to get attention and then bury my head somewhere to be shy' game.  totally precious.
• he loves to facetime his glamma.  his face lights up with the sweetest grin- not to mention the wiggle and squeal that goes with it. 
• sugar.  Canaan gives the best baby love.  oh my goodness when he grabs my face and dives in for some monster sugars it is hilarious and so sweet.
• table food.  we have been eating all kinds of things!  he loves it !
• Canaan wears size three diapers + 3-6 month clothes for pants and bottoms. 6 months in the one piece outfits for the length. boyfriend is tall.

E A T

He loves to eat-anything. I haven't been too crazy with spacing out all the foods he is offered.. at least the low allergy types- roasted sweet potato, roasted butternut squash, brown rice, apples, banana, avocado, whole milk yogurt, grilled chicken(new this month and a favorite), quinoa, pancakes, waffles, teething wafers, and oatmeal.

other foods: scrambled eggs, toast, strawberries, blueberries. We are going to try peanut butter soon, well as soon as a have the time to make it. I plan on making my own peanut butter for him.  

I have also tried to teach him to suck from the organic fruit and veggie food pouches that I picked up at the grocery store (I like the Ella's Kitchen, and happy baby brand, aldi also have a nice selection of them) and we are getting the hang of it! These are perfect for when we are out. he actually really loves those.  

we are still going strong on the breastfeeding front.  most days while I am away at work he takes two bottles of breastmilk and the rest of the time he nurses.

daily feeding/solids schedule:

 7:30am: wake (nurse)

9:30: yogurt+fruit/oatmeal+fruit

11am-11:30am: nurse (bottle)

11:30am-2:30pm:nap

2:30pm:nurse (bottle)

5:00pm/5:30pm: nurse

6pm: dinner

7:30pm: bath

7:45pm/8:00pm: nurse/bed

P L A Y / D E V E L O P M E N T

play time has become much more interactive. he has started to figure out that flipping/turning handles on certain toys make a new music noise, or how to turn the pages of a book to see something new. Canaan also has started to learn what buttons to push for lights and sounds. we will sit him in the middle of  the floor with some toys and within just a few moments he's scooted and rolled himself over to the side to get the toy he wants or caught his eye.  scooting- goodness hes' a pro.  so, the smart little cookie will get what he needs without worrying too much with the technical movements to do so.  

he loves anything that makes noise.. and if it doesn't make noise, he's banging whatever he can find to force sound out of it.

Canaan loves to play, but wants someone close by. he will play in the exersaucer for 30 solid minutes if the dogs are hanging around entertaining him.  he has gotten so much better at entertaining himself. He will sit and play contently for quite a while all on his own before he wants someone to play with him.

he loves to sit in the front of the cart and would be far too angry if we left him in the car seat to walk about the grocery store- even for a quick trip.  he's too cute though, so I don't mind.

S L E E P

this little boy is an amazing sleeper. finally at 6 months it clicked. it happened in one night too. he sleeps a solid 12 hours. every. night. I forgot what it was like to get that much uninterrupted sleep( I'm obviously not getting 12 hour) 

but golly gee,

motherhood isn't for wimps.

it is for this reason alone that motherhood isn't for wimps. Oh sweet sleep is GOLDEN.  

Canaan wont just nap anywhere- he wants to be in his crib, and I don't blame him- its comfortable.  but we have made a real habit of always letting him sleep in the same place around the same time.. so naps in the car our just randomly falling asleep wherever isn't the norm. I will say the one exception to this rule is if he is in the ergo carrier.  he loves it and will snuggle close and pass out almost immediately if we're wearing him.  

he struggles when he is away from home to nap, but I think he is starting to get more comfortable. He almost always gives us a good solid 3 hour nap when we are at home on his normal schedule and most of the time we try and stay around the house so we can let him get in at least one good nap during the day.

typical sleep routine

wake: 7:30am (nurse)

nap #1: 11:30am-2:30pm

nap #2: 4:30-5:30pm (sometimes, this is normal if the earlier nap gets cut short)

bedtime: 8:00pm

 I do still nurse him at night before putting him down.  this is my most favorite time. quiet time with this boy, just she and I, is the most precious time of my entire day.  I snapped this picture last night, because I didn't want to miss or forget moments like this one. 
i.love.him. more and more everyday!

C A N A A N

sweetest canaan.

you are every bit of the little boy I imagined you would be when I dreamed about you while you were in the womb.  you are most definitely a mama's boy, but you love your daddy something fierce.  I cant even express to you the joy I feel inside when you reach for me, but even when you are reaching out for someone else- it reminds me of how very sweet you are. your heart is solid gold.  that smile of yours is ever so contagious and I cannot get over what a little gem you are, both inside and out.  we giggle and are silly together all day and I am reminded of how very blessed I am.

you are very talkative and in between chatter and babbles, you’ll let out a yell that seems like it came from the bottom of your belly.  It definitely reaches everyone’s attention- and will often put my heart in my throat if we are in the car.  just a little reminder to everyone not paying attention- "I'm here!!" Daddy and I often respond "We know your here Jude."

We seem to be calling you Jude more often than Canaan lately, you answer to both, especially 'Moody Judee'

your baby hairs have been fully replaced by baby soft hair, with wild untamable curls- especially after bath.  this mama hates to comb them down sometimes and when you cry out for me to come and get you from your crib I find you with the most hilarious morning mohawk.  you are using your fingers and hands like a pro- grasping your toys and food and even the smallest little speck on the ground.  you are very intent with your thoughts and full examine the situation before taking part.  its really amazing to watch you observe the dogs and all of your surroundings, you are amazed by life and I'm catching myself learning to be more amazed at the world we live in. 

Canaan Jude you are everywhere!!  not crawling, but you make your way aroundrolling and scooting to get what you need.  

Every day comes with a new learning curve for us, sweet boy, but we overcome them together and we grow together and learn from each other. watching you experience life everyday is what it is all about.  I am so excited and blessed to be your mama.

seven month photo dump.

He was giving me major tude' with this photo, it was the best I could get.