::Henley:: Seventh Month of Heaven

Weight

We are growing more and more every month! Henley had another visit to the Dr. (more on that below) so we know her weight again this month. She is 18lbs and going strong, she is in the 75th percentile for weight.


Health

This month has been rough for our household on the health scale. If you remember in Henley's six month post she was just getting over a cold. When I had taken her to the pediatrician that week, he mentioned that I probably would also get sick. One week later I had a sore throat and a cough (like he predicted). I didn't really think anything of it and figured it would run it's course.

The following week it was way worse and when I got to work on Monday I went to the clinic--I had bronchitis. The next day Teddy got a stomach bug and was laid up in bed also, we were a sad house. Thankfully my mom came by and took Henley to daycare to allow us to rest. The following few days were July 4th and I already had PTO so I ended up being out that whole week.

Last week we were all at full strength (yay!). However this week has been another trying week. On Sunday morning Henley woke up with a weird rash on her diaper area and thighs. I assumed it was a diaper rash so I put some cream on it and waited to see what happened. Monday morning she woke up and it was spreading so we took her to the Dr. He said it was a rash caused by a virus and it just has to run it's course. He prepared us saying she may get a fever and it would probably get worse before it got better---he was right! Tuesday the bumps were everywhere and raised. She also had a fever a few times and refused to sleep! This week was rough in terms of sleep!

Now the rash is almost gone and everyone seems to be back to full strength!


Sleep

Overall Henley's sleep patterns have been two naps a day, ranging anywhere from 1-2 hours. On the weekends when we are home, her first nap is around 8:30 and her second nap is around 1:30. Her night time sleeping has been changing and really been all over the map. For the most part she is still going down around 7 but she's been waking anywhere from 9-2 and then typically once more during the night.

When she was sick she had nights where she was up from 2:30-5! Talk about exhausting. We have come up with the hypothesis that Baby Tylenol makes her hyper. At one point, she was super sleepy and falling in and out of sleep but had a fever. We gave her the Tylenol and she was wide awake for 4 hours. I'm talking jumping, crawling, chatting, squealing, and so on----wide awake!


Clothing

She's slowly growing out of her 6 month clothes---the two piece outfits last a little longer. She's fully into her 9 month clothing now. I think the 9 month PJ's are good for a month or so but I quickly see her growing out of those, especially since we use huge diapers for night time.


Diet

We are fully into foods and loving it, for the most part anyways. We've had apples (love!), pears (yummy), sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, green beans (hated), bananas (not a fan), avocados, and peas (so-so). It's so fun exploring the new foods with her. We are planning to try pureeing our own meats soon.

She's still nursing like a champ, still every 2-3 hours during the day and a couple times at night.


Baby Gear Love

We got this Lil' Shopper Play Set for our shower and she absolutely loves it. It has lettuce, an orange, a banana, an apple, and milk. She loves the milk and carries it around the room when she crawls. It's so adorable to see her play with it.

She's also stable enough to sit on her own in high chairs and grocery carts so we have been using the Taggies Cart Cover quite a bit. She loves it, it has the little tags all over, and it's great to give a little more cushion in case she topples over.

Another must have for a crawling baby is leg warmers. She was getting all red on her knees from scooting around the carpet and we have been using these a ton!

I'm not sure if I have mentioned this in a previous month but the Jenny Jump Up is a favorite of hers. Those legs go a mile a minute and this is the perfect outlet for her.

New funny faces

I got this little pool for the balcony last month and we are starting to use it more. It's a great way to expend some of her energy on the weekend. I also read some review on amazon where people used it as a ball pit so I ordered some from Amazon this week.

The last thing that she is totally in love with is her giraffe. She gets so excited when she sees it, I think it has something to do with this...

Crying

This little lady is beginning to cry more often when she isn't happy. Some things that have recently caused some tears are getting into the car seat (she hates it) and this week she has started crying at the changing table. This is a major bummer since the changing table has typically been one of her favorite places ever since she was itty bitty!


Social

We celebrated the 4th of July!

Went to the beach

Went for a drive

Hung out at the pool with Grandma 

Played at daycare with Evalyn

Hung out with big cousin Aiden

Postpartum

I've been feeling great overall but I really am ready for a work out norm. I ran once this week but I am hoping all of the sickness stays away and I can get back to it. We have a half marathon scheduled for November and I'd like to start training asap since I am practically starting from scratch.


Milestones

Busy month for milestones over here. We are full blown crawling on all fours and have recently started pulling up on toys and furniture. It's so crazy that she is getting so big so fast!

Here are some other great pictures from the month:

This is a new face that I love!!!

Kisses from Fitzy!

I know I say this every month but it's crazy!! Hopefully this time next month we will be almost in our new home!!!

Mere :-)

::Henley:: 30 Things I Want to Teach Her

Here we are in July and Henley is almost seven months old. In the months leading up to her birth I would have thoughts here and there about what having a girl would mean. If I saw a news story about a girl falling victim to bullying I would immediately put myself in that mother’s shoes. I have pondered what her personality would be like---would she be girly or a tomgirl, ballet or soccer? In all of this wondering, I have thought about things I want to teach Henley, my daughter.

So here it is---a list of 30 things I want to teach Henley, some sooner some later. (in no particular order)

1. How to swim

2. To braid her hair, pluck her eyebrows, and paint her nails

3. How to tie her shoe laces

4. How to bake the perfect chocolate cake

5. How to make croissants

6. That it’s ok to fall in love at 15…or at 30

7. That travel is the most eye opening experience ever

8. To accept everyone no matter how different or unpopular they are

9. That she is beautiful and enough and perfect just the way she is

10. How to sew

11. How to drive (like mama of course!)

12. How important it is to have an opinion (preferably one of her own)

13. To have a passion for life

14. To try most foods, at least once

15. How to budget and save money

16. The importance of working hard for something she wants

17. How to give people the benefit of the doubt while not being too naïve

18. That it’s ok to cry to express any emotion whether it be happy, mad, or sad

19. How to perfectly wrap a present

20. How to climb trees

21. That sometimes the best comfort foods are milk and cookies

22. Go with your gut!

23. Don’t take life too seriously

24. The importance of wearing sunscreen

25. That a bath, a good book, and a big glass of wine can fix almost any problem

26. Never forget to laugh

27. To have something she does that is just for her

28. That having a few best friends is better than a lot of mediocre friends

29. What true love looks and feels like

30. That I always will have her back

Life is tough and there are so many things I am unable to control for her but one thing I can do for her is give her the tools to make the right decisions in her life. I prayed for this little girl to get here in my arms safe and healthy and I still pray for her every.single.day.

Mere :-)