7 Months Old

Every month…Zach and I encounter more and more changes in our little girl….more and more evidence that my baby is getting closer and closer to becoming a toddler and is acting less and less like a baby. Reality is setting in. But I would not go back because I love who my Baby Girl is turning into. Zoe Jane is so great….I may be biased….but she is. So let’s see what has been going on this past month.

• Zoe is about 15 pounds and in size 2 diapers, almost size 3, and in 3-6 or 6 months clothes.
• Zoe has 5-6 ounces every 4 hours and eats 3 meals in between.
• Zoe eats pears, mangoes, yogurt, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, apples, applesauce, blueberries, cantaloupe, bananas, breads, carrots, oatmeal, cauliflower, broccoli and loved them all. She hated…and I mean hated….peas.
• Zoe has blonde hair but it definitely has a reddish tint to it.
• Zoe goes to sleep between 6:30 and 7:00 at night. She wakes up to eat between 5:30 and 6:00, goes back to sleep. And is up for good by 7:30….just in time for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!
• Zoe can sit up all by herself, but doesn’t like to sit still anymore.
• Zoe has loved being in the pool. She splashes like crazy and doesn’t mind water in her face at all.
• Zoe goes from sitting to laying down or to her tummy very gracefully.
• Zoe has mastered drinking from her sippy cup. She just can’t hold it by herself yet.
• Zoe moves all over the place in her crib. She is never in the same position as we laid her down in. Due to this…her bumpers will be staying.
• Zoe shows very obvious signs when she is ready to sleep. She tugs at her ear. She rubs her eyes. She scratches. And she sucks her thumb.
• Zoe naps for an hour to an hour and a half and is awake about 2 hours in between naps.
• Zoe talks A LOT! She makes the da, ba, na, ti, ma, pa and di sounds. She squeals and screams.
• Zoe loves to blow air through her lips and spits everywhere.
• Zoe loves to curl her lips in.
• Zoe loves when you blow air in her face or her air.
• Zoe hates sleeping with us. All she wants to do is play when she is with us. So all sleeping is in her crib.
• Zoe grunts….lots.
• Zoe loves to watch her hands. She waves them back and forth and is just mesmerized.
• Zoe smiles at everyone. I love taking her in public and everyone just says how adorable she is and they can’t believe how much she smiles.
• Zoe hates wearing hats.
• Zoe sits up in a high chair at a restaurant and in the shopping cart.
• Zoe raises her arms when you put your hands out to pick her up.
• Zoe loves to play peek-a-boo and loves when you clap for her.
• Zoe loves puffs!
• Zoe loves being outside…for any reason. She loves to go for walks and swing.
• Zoe and I sat outside during a storm and she loved the rain and hearing the thunder. She wasn’t scared at all.
• Zoe is so close to having her first tooth….I can feel the bump. We will see when it decides to make its debut.
• Zoe screams when she sees me getting her food ready….she has grown to LOVE food and gets so excited!
• Zoe sucks her thumb….all the time. And I hate to say it…but it is so cute.
• Zoe traveled to New York City and North Carolina this month.
• Zoe can turn herself around while sitting.
• Zoe's legs have gotten really strong and she likes to stand up.
• Zoe can hold her bottle by herself.
• Zoe loves remotes.
• Zoe entertains herself and it is so funny to just watch her. She loves a sound book that Grandma and Grandaddy gave her. She opens and closes it constantly!
• Zoe naps so great….when we are at home. Not so good in public.
• Zoe hears you laugh and she starts to laugh too.
• Zoe loves it when you sing to her.
• Zoe is just turning into such a personality and I love it!

Things that have helped me survive this month:

• To be really honest, this month has been really easy. I am paying more and more attention to what Zoe is trying to communicate through her actions. Can you imagine not being able to get your point across? And I have found that I have really gotten to know her and it has totally paid off. By paying such close attention to her....it is hard not to....we are together all day long....but by paying attention to her, every thing that I had struggled with in past months is so easy now. Zoe goes to sleep with ease, she sleeps through the night, we are on an awesome schedule that helps me so much to plan our days! She is predictable now....and that may just be something that happens naturally. Zoe is eats amazing! And I think this really helps with her sleeping. Zoe is just happy! Which makes this Mommy really happy.
• Traveling long distances with a baby can be really difficult. At times, it was with Zoe, but you have to do what you have to do. We were in the car for about 13 1/2 hours straight at one point....and lets just be honest....there was no way I was going to make Zoe sit in her carseat the whole trip. As a Mommy, you try to do what is best for your baby....and I definitely did not like taking Zoe out of her carseat while driving....but I also didn't like hearing her cry because she was so uncomfortable. Advice: Do what is best for you and your baby. Don't worry about others judgement!
• I am big on surrounding myself with positivity. I know it can be really easy to be negative, to gossip, to find things wrong with other people, to feed into your own insecurities....especially when you surround yourself with others who are negative too who do the same....it just rubs off. But, I am set on making a point to surround myself with people who are positive....because that rubs off too. There are too many other bad things going on in this world that you can't change or you don't have any control over.....I do have control over who is in my life and I do have control over my own attitude and I want it to be a good, healthy, fun, loving attitude! And for good reason....I want loving people to also be in Zoe's life!