Madelyn - 7 months

Oh seven months. Seven beautiful months with this smiley girl. Where do I start? Maddie is such a joy in our lives. She absolutely lights up whenever she sees any of us (mama, daddy, Levi or Kayden). She laughs and smiles and shrieks with joy. She also growls, which I'm pretty sure actually started last month and not this month, but I think it's the cutest thing. She will growl when she's upset (think frustrated growl) and also when she's happy (think "I just told a lame joke and I know it" growl). It's not happening as much lately but it had been a regular noise from her for a couple months. She's also babbling a bit but nothing sounding like words yet. Mostly "oooh's" and "urrr's" and "aaah's". That sort of thing. She does this noise on the inhale when she's really happy. This girl really is happy a lot. She wakes up happy, she is awake happy and she (almost) goes to sleep happy. Almost. She puts herself to sleep but there is usually at least a little protest. Usually inder 2 minutes though.

Speaking of sleep, Maddie is a decent sleeper for her age. No, she's no sleeping through the night. She will surprise me every couple months but usually she is up for a feed twice a night. She is still swaddled. I tried to ditch the swaddle this month but it resulted in more night wakings and half hour naps so I brought it back and the first night swaddled again was one where she slept through. So...I'm thinking she just wasn't ready. Or I wasn't. She naps twice a day, at around 10 and 2:30 and sleeps for 90 minutes each time. She has started resting her head on my shoulder as I pat her back before putting her in her crib. I'm not sure if she knows it, but this little thing sure earns her a few extra minutes of snuggles before bed every time! It is so sweet! She still nurses every two hours during the day, unless she naps long. I've added a solid food night snack in the evening which she usually gobbles up pretty well. She also loves to eat any food that we're eating so I'll often give her little bites off my plate. She has a cheerio snack at the table with us while we eat supper. She's become quite good at getting the Cheerios into her mouth this month!

Madelyn's favourite things (the things that make her jump and grin and shriek) are mommy, daddy, Levi, Kayden, and MIRRORS! She used to just look into mirrors and watch herself or others but now she will almost jump out of my arms when I hold her in front of the mirror (or even just walk by one...it surprises me because I don't even realize that there's a mirror and suddenly she's jumping in my arms and so excited! She also really enjoys her exersaucer, dogs, cats, the Tylenol bottle with the squishy rubber top, anything with tags, and anything she can get into her mouth.
 

Object permanence seems to have kicked in big time this month. She notices when I leave the room or take away a toy. And then there are tears. She is definitely a mama's girl. Kayden and Levi still love to go in and "help" her when she wakes from a nap. "Help" consists of running into her room and talking to her through the rails of her crib until I get there. It's super cute and she doesn't usually seem to mind. She loves her big brother and sister! And I never get tired of seeing that sibling connection grow and deepen. It's my prayer that they will enjoy each other's company forever. 

Maddie has been sitting for a while but this month she learned that she can pivot and scoot a bit. She has started catching herself with one arm when she starts falling so I've found her leaning on one hand and whining to be rescued a couple times! She's also learned that if she grabs onto something that slides on the floor, she can push it away from herself and then pull herself to it and move along the floor like that. It's fun to watch! She sometimes seems like she's trying to pull herself up but isn't there yet. She is grabby, grabby, grabby and her grip is strong! If she gets a handful of skin or even just a little skin between her fingers, yeow! It actually really hurts! I've considered swaddling her while I nurse because she pinches any skin she can touch, grabs my hair (the tiny little hairs on the back of my neck are her favourite) and tries to rip off my nose. Ouch. 

Maddie was weighed this month when she was in for her 6 month immunizations and was 15lbs 14oz and 25.5". She's small for her age but short and chunky (surprise, surprise!). She's wearing 6-12 month clothes (the other day we happened to see Kayden wearing the same clothes in pictures from last Christmas!). Her eyes are definitely turning brown, though they have a bit of dark grey around the outside most days. Her hair is medium brown and what little bald spot she had is filled in nicely. She doesn't have much hair but when it's freshly washed, it's so nice and soft/fuzzy. There's nothing quite like baby hair :)

In some ways, it feels like not much has changed in the last month but at the same time you can tell that she's growing and changing. The first year of a baby's life is so full of fun stages and I would say we are definitely in a sweet spot right now. She's happy, easily pacified, easily entertained, sleeps pretty well, and doesn't move much. She's so much fun. We love you, Maddie! We're looking forward to the coming month to see how you grow up and learn new things!

And of course, a shot of what happens while I take pictures :)