Eloise at Seven Months

CLOTHES SIZE: 0-3 Months and 3-6 months
DIAPER SIZE: Two

LIKES:
 - The sound of her own voice
 - Being outside
 - Watching and playing with other small children (kids are more fun than babies though)
 - Swings
 - Grass
 - Standing and "walking" with our help
 - Putting her hands all over our faces
 - Food! Current faves are applesauce, sweet potatoes, pears, yogurt, and of course the really good stuff like ice cream ;)
 - Teethers
 - Hammocks
 - Being tickled on her ribs
 - Water/bathtime
 - Dad's Mickey voice and singing

DISLIKES:
 - Loud and sudden noises, especially when tired
 - Most veggie purees (though she'll still eat them when mixed with something yummy, like applesauce)
 - Getting her clothes changed
 - Being too hot and sweaty

FIRSTS/MILESTONES:
 - Grabbing her feet and bringing them to her mouth (26 weeks)
 - Sitting in the shopping cart (27 weeks)
 - Grabbing faces with her hands (27 weeks)
 - Reaching for and grabbing toys while on her tummy (27 weeks)
 - Pushing onto her toes during tummy time and while rolling over (30 weeks)
 - Sitting up! (30 weeks)

RANDOM NOTES:
 - No longer nursing, Eloise is strictly bottle fed now!
 - Her hair has gotten so long that it rarely ever sticks up anymore, kinda sad... Hair is coming in well on the sides though!
 - Now sleeps on her tummy 95% of the time (no longer her side), though somehow still hasn't learned how to roll from tummy to back...
 - Met her third set of great-grandparents, the Balls
 - Will cough at us when we have something she wants, especially with a bottle/food
 - Fairly tolerant when mealtimes and naps come later than she wants if we're out and about
 - Actually gotten better at taking naps on the run or in unfamiliar places--she'll take a 15-30 minute nap on me when she is really tired

Right at the start of this month, we transitioned Eloise from her four nap schedule to a three nap schedule, and she did well! At first, she started waking up earlier from naps than she had been before (babies are weird), but after a couple weeks, she started doing awesome. This schedule is definitely better for her. The ounces of formula added to the schedule are for my own benefit, and of course are not exact for Lou day to day.

Current schedule:
7:45 am - Wake Eloise up, bottle (7 oz), play
9:30 am - Nap
11:30 am - Solids, smaller bottle (4 oz), play
1:30 pm - Nap
3:30 pm - Bottle (7 oz), play
5:30 pm - Nap
7:00 pm - Solids, smaller bottle (3 oz), play
8:30 pm - Bath (sometimes), lotion massage, smaller bottle (4 oz), song, down for the night

When we were sleep training Eloise (around 4 months), we were very strict about nap times, bed times, and trying to be home for the naps. This month, because Eloise has been doing so well, we started relaxing the schedule a little more so that Dustan and I could get out and do things we wanted to a little more. And Lou did great! As long as she has adequate entertainment and food, she does really well missing naps/napping in weird places and even having late bedtimes. We had some long day hikes and wedding festivities this last month, and she did great. One day, she only got a total of 45 minutes of sleep the whole day. Though she was slightly grumpy, she was still quick to smile and slept perfectly that night. Eloise is such a good baby! This makes us more excited to adventure with her this summer.

I thought Eloise was getting so wiggly last month, and it is nothing compared to this month! I'm sure I will keep saying this for months and years to come though ;) She obviously wants to be able to move more than she is capable of right now. She dives out of your arms as you hold her, attempts to "crawl"/roll off your lap, spins in circles during tummy time, etc.

Eloise has gotten really good at rolling from back to front this month, and does it both directions to reach for the toys she wants. Somehow, though she has done it a dozen times, Lou still hasn't learned how to roll from front to back. She can't do it whenever she wants. Once she gets on her stomach, she is stuck and often gets frustrated. Though tummy time is better than is has been!

Then, literally the day she turned seven months old, Eloise started sitting up on her own! She can do it consistently and for good lengths of time. The only reason she really falls over is when she reaches for a toy that isn't just in front of her.

She's actually a huge fan of broccoli florets

And of course, LouLou's love of the outdoors remains! If she is ever grumpy, getting her outside will make (most) everything better. She loves watching birds and other animals, any moving water, and hiking around with us. We spend hours each day outside, most often at our local park or on our front lawn. Next month, we plan on seeing how she does with camping and we'd like to get her more used to water activities.