7 Months

We finally got out the high chair.  It was necessary.  He'd gotten out of the Bumbo twice (while it was on the floor, fortunately).  I thought we had more time with it, but that phase is over.

 He started sitting up on his own the end of March.  He'll sit for 10 minutes at a time if he's occupied, but he still tips over.  His falls aren't always so graceful yet but he's getting there.

 There were a couple warm-ish days earlier this month where we played outside.  This was Colin's first ride in the stroller without the carseat.

 This shot makes me laugh.  These kids are always asking to hold Colin.  He's usually pretty good at putting up with it, like a good-natured cat with a toddler.  This face of his just proves it.  

Or you could also interpret it to mean that it's hard to coax a smile out of this kid, which couldn't be more accurate.  This is the most serious baby we've had yet.  His smile is a straight line which pushes his cheeks out and up a little.  Check out this same shirt he wore in his 2-months photos.  He's pretty much stayed the same size the last few months.  I'm not complaining.  I haven't had to buy any clothes because the 6 to 9 months clothes are all summer things.  I think he'll be able to try some of those in the next few days (fingers crossed!).

Well, the other option is an open-mouth grin...

Colin started scooting the beginning of April and he rolls pretty fast now too.  He gets to the wood floor and then can only scoot backwards.  He often finds himself stuck under a chair or barstool.  But when he's up against the wall like this, he's actually quite comfortable.

He's been getting up on his hands and knees and rocking a little bit, but he doesn't seem to have the arm strength to crawl yet.  He does downward dog a lot, so we figure he'll be crawling any day now.

We've spoiled this kid when it comes to falling asleep.  We had no other choice with the first two but to let them cry it out.  Colin takes a pacifier though, so we often swaddle and rock him to sleep.  And I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I still nurse him to sleep as well.

In the 11 days between his cardiology and pediatric appointments he gained more than a pound.  He's eating solids two or three times a day now, but he's still pretty small - 16 1/2 lbs. if that means anything to anyone.  I'm guessing that's 10 to 15%.  He's still waking up in the night, and I still feed him because he just seems so ravishingly hungry!  Maybe he is, or maybe it's just a habit.  I try to give him the pacifier but that makes him scream louder.

We did let him cry it out the other night after nursing didn't work.  He also cried himself to sleep for a nap the other day.  We're making baby steps toward independence.  It just seems to be going much more slowly than ever before.