Max at 7 Months

This past month has been a big one: Max has started crawling, pulling himself up to a sitting position and, occasionally, stands himself up. But with mobility comes new responsibility. We put off baby-proofing for as long as possible because the safety devices aren’t exactly stylish, and I secretly hoped Max would just avoid all dangerous objects on his own. But now that he’s mastered crawling (or at least dragging his body around), it’s hard to keep him away from sharp corners and outlets. Of course Aaron and I are always right there to stop him, but it was time to make some changes, so we’ve covered the outlets, padded dangerous corners and lowered his crib.

It’s been so fun to see Max’s personality emerge a little bit more every day. Right now it seems like his easygoing and laid-back demeanor favors Aaron (at least according to my Mom). Max easily adapts to new faces and places and always seems to take in new things with a quiet stoicism. We love watching him encounter new things, which he always seems to study intently. It’s those moments that Aaron and I would pay anything to know what’s going on in his little brain.

Food. Max has been eating solid foods for a few months but he has only recently started enjoying them. He likes squash, avocados, rice cereal and prunes. We’ve held off giving him fruits (other than prunes for digestive issues) because we want him to acquire a taste for veggies before getting the good stuff. We also started giving him water in a sippy cup but he definitely hasn’t acquired a taste for it yet. Every time he drinks a little sip he stops and looks at us like “did you mean to give this to me?”

Teeth. Max’s two bottom teeth are coming in!

Sleep. We’ve mentioned before how difficult sleeping has been and, unfortunately, things have only gotten worse now that Max’s teeth are coming in. By the time I went back to work and Max was only waking up once per night, I thought the worst was behind us. Wrong. This past month has been the hardest one yet.

After researching the impact of sleep training on infants and consulting friends (thanks George and Becky!) we came up with a routine that we felt comfortable with.

• What we expected to happen:

  The plan was to let Max cry for 5, 10 and 20 minute stretches. At each time point one of us would go in, pat his back and give him his pacifier. If he wasn’t asleep after the last 20 minute stretch, we would pick him up and rock him to sleep. By the third night Max would be able to put himself to sleep and all 3 of us would be sleeping like babies.

• What actually happened:

  The first and second nights ended with us picking up Max. We started the third night thinking that Max would never soothe himself, but, like magic, he fell asleep on his own! I’m pretty sure Aaron and I held our breathe for the next 2 minutes to make sure it was for real, but it was and it was awesome. Sadly, that third night was a fluke because it hasn’t happened since. Sigh…

Max stats

• Weight: 19.8lbs 
• Height: 27.5” 
• Head circumference: 18.25”

Memorable moments

• Max had his first bath out of the infant tub. He loved that he got to sit up in the water and loved even more that he had the freedom to move his arms and splash.
• Max still loves his jumperoo. This past month he started doing this things where he would jump a few times then pause in a standing position with his legs straight.
• Max is fascinated by running water. It is so funny to watch him try to grab the water and it baffles him when his hands go right through the water.

Things we think Max likes

• Raffi (still!)
• Laying on the couch and bouncing the cushions around him
• Looking at his reflection in the mirror
• Avocado
• Remote controls
• He loves remote controls

Things we are pretty sure Max doesn’t like

• Sleeping at night
• Broccoli

Milestones

• Fell asleep by himself (after 3 days of sleep training)
• Crawling
• Pulling himself up to a sitting position
• First teeth (bottom)
• Sits up from a laying position
• Drank water (didn’t like it)
• Reached for me (seems like he’s starting to recognize us)