Shep 7 Months

Baby Shep 7 Months

So I'm majorly behind on your 7th month but I still wanted to document it! I miss spending time at the computer where I'm not working on school work. I would really like to blog more because I love looking back on our life.

What our life is like:
I am wishing things would slow down. We are always on the go and always busy busy. You've been on a weird nap schedule and we've actually ended up having afternoons together when the twins are asleep. We play and laugh! You are just the happiest happiest baby! Always smiling! As far a milk goes, I had a rough month due to a hospital stay and surgery because of a kidney stone. I had to pump and dump for a week. I was already not pumping enough and now our frozen supply is almost gone. I wanted to get you through to a year just on breastmilk but it looks like we'll be supplementing with formula. I know its not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but I'm a little bummed that we're not going to make it to a year. I'm in the process of research the best formulas. I'm still planning to breastfeed/pump and hopefully 75% of your milk will come from me :) 

We started solids this month and you are in love. You are an eating machine. I'm not as great at diversifying your meals as I was with the twins but we're doing the best we can. You've had apples, plums, bananas, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, cheerios, goldfish, and oyster crackers. Applesauce is your favorite but you will put down a 4oz pouch and not think twice about it. I am getting ready to make a bunch of baby foods this weekend! I took a different approach and bought tons of organic pouches for you to try new foods and then I plan on making the stuff you really like. You are great with your pincher grip and almost immediately were able to eat cheerios off your tray. You also took to baby food so well! You can do the pouch without a spoon! You can chew well and I don't even really mash your bananas anymore. It's so much more fun the second time around. I'm more comfortable feeding you and you love the independence of eating big kid food. 

When we are able to be home for you, you're awesome at being on  schedule. Recently, we've had lots of dr appointments for mommy and we've sort of messed up all your nap times. On a normal day we wake you up between 7-7:30 and you have a 6oz bottle. You play and hang out until 9:30 and head to sleep until 10:30. You take another bottle between 10:30-11. You play until 12 then go down for a nap until 1:30-2. You wake up, drink another 6oz and play until 3:30. You nap from 3:30-5 and then you are up until your last bottle at 7pm. We finally cut the cord with your 5am feedings. It took a solid week of crying it out for almost two hours (I would wake up and stare at your monitor for hours until you went back to sleep- so painful for me!) but you got it and now are sleeping soundly for 12 hours and seem to love it!

You are hitting milestones like crazy! You started crawling and then about two weeks later you were pulling up. You pull up on everything! Right at your 7 month birthday you started cruising and now you're moving around furniture like a pro. You are also great at getting back down after you stand up. You still don't like to sit. You can for a few minutes but you always transition to crawling and are off!! You have had a few falls from a standing position but you cry for a second and then want to try again. You are a very determined baby. You laugh out loud and it is the best sound. You have an amazing smile and are always go generous with it. You seriously are so happy and soooo cute. You've gained some weight and have the sweetest little thigh rolls and the biggest chipmunk cheeks. Sometimes I check for cheerios in them because I just don't think they can be that big on their own!

Emma Cate takes you in very small doses. You love to smile at her and she'll smile back but that is about the extend of your relationship. Holden just adores you and you adore him. He stands by your carseat when I get it out of the car and always asks about you. Today I found him playing peek a boo with you in your crib. You were laughing like I've never heard you laugh before! The bond between you too is so adorable. Both Emma Cate and Holden love to sing to you when you're crying. Their favorite is ABCD.

Shepherd:
Nicknames: Pherd (as in she-pherd... everyone makes fun of me when I call you that!) Shep, Sheppie, Shep Shep, Sheppie Beppie, keeks, (like that progression there....!) 
Weight: ?
Height: ?
Hair:  dark blonde. It's grown in a little! Probably the most even of all your siblings
Eyes: very dark blue
Clothes: all 6 months and you've grown out of a lot of those! Mostly 9-12 months now
Diapers: We are in bum genius 4.0 all the time. You are on the tiniest rise in the BGs and we leave three columns of snaps showing. We switched to pampers at night because you were soaking through everything.
Eating: A 5-6oz bottle every 4 hours 
Likes: Smiling (you are such a happy baby!), crawling, standing up, climbing in the book baskets, cruising around the coffee table, getting into everything, pulling mommy's hair, starting to have separation anxiety when mommy leaves the room,sophie toy, climbing on the fireplace, exersaucer, sleeping on your belly with your tush in the air, playing with your brother, following his siblings around the house (we leave you in a room and you power crawl after us, pulling the dog's fur,
Dislikes: nothing really!
Development: You're way ahead with your gross motor.You can crawl with the best of them, sit pretty well (we have to put you in sitting position), can go from sitting to crawling, you are start to pull up on things (ahhh!), you are becoming babbly and I can't wait for your first words!
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet but man has that drooling increased!

Extra:

Baby Shep 6 Months

Well I didn't get your 5 month post up but am determined to do your 6th month. I've been praying for things to slow down but each day moves faster and faster and I can't believe you have been in our family for 6 whole months! Just the other day I was sort of shocked to realize that you need to start eating baby food! Ahhh you're growing up way to fast!

What our life is like:
Things have been pretty crazy. You lost 2 pounds between your 4th and 5th month and we had to stop nursing and switch to pumping and bottle feeding. I'm sad our nursing days are pretty much over but still thankful I can provide for you. I'm currently not producing enough to meet your daily needs but luckily we've got lots in the freezer from the first two months. 

We changed up the schedule a bit and had to add in some extra feedings to get your weight back up. We wake you up between 7-7:30 and you have a 6oz bottle. You play and hang out until 9:30 and head to sleep until 10:30. You take another bottle between 10:30-11. You play until 12 then go down for a nap until 1:30-2. You wake up, drink another 6oz and play until 3:30. You nap from 3:30-5 and then you are up until your last bottle at 8pm. You have been a little better at sleeping through the night but are still waking around 5am for another bottle. Mommy and Daddy are TIRED! I think we've only slept through the night 3 or 4 times since you arrive 6 months ago! Thank GOODNESS you are a wonderful baby during the day!

You are so go with the flow and independent. You are a champ at holding your bottle and prefer to hold it instead of me giving it to you. I still try to cuddle you when you take it so that I still feel like you're my tiny little baby.

You've had a big two months. Some highlights include: attending cheerleading camp, baby boehm's shower, nursery during church, ditching your swaddle, first trip to Baden lake, aunt allie's wedding, learning to scoot backwards, surgery on your hydrocele, learning to sit up (still working on it!),a visit to Gran's house, crawling (seriously at 5 months!), bidding Bo farewell as she moved to London, going apple picking, festival in the park, family reunion, swung on your new swing set, road the light rail uptown, walked in the Race for the Cure, went to family day at Daddy's job, attend the fall picnic in our neighborhood, and ate your first bite of applesauce!

Recently, you have loved to be on your own and independent. You crawl all over the family room and come find us whenever we are out of sight. We got a new kitchen table and your high char is at the head and you love sitting with everyone while we eat (which prompted your first taste of baby food). You still love your exersaucer. We are working on sitting up but its hard because you like to be on the go! You can transition from a seated to crawling position. Your favorite toy is your curiosity cube. You are a great napper!

Holden has really taken to you this month. I find you both on your bellies playing trains and airplanes. So sweet to watch you and your brother. He loves you so much and showers you with kisses. Emma Cate is mommy's helper and puts your paci in when you're crying and tries to feed you your bottle but gets frustrated when you prefer to hold it yourself. She's also great at wiping your face and putting your dirty bottles in the sink.


Shepherd:
Nicknames: Pherd (as in she-pherd... everyone makes fun of me when I call you that!) Shep, Sheppie, Shep Shep, Sheppie Beppie, Mon-kiki, kiki, keeks, (like that progression there....!) Emma Cate calls you sheppie sheppie sheppie sheppie
Weight: 15lbs 1oz
Height: 26 inches
Hair:  dark blonde. It's grown in a little! Probably the most even of all your siblings
Eyes: very dark blue
Clothes: all 6 months and you've grown out of a lot of those! Mostly 9-12 months now
Diapers: We are in bum genius 4.0 all the time. You are on the tiniest rise in the BGs and we leave three columns of snaps showing. We switched to pampers at night because you were soaking through everything.
Eating: A 5-6oz bottle every 4 hours and normally one night time feeding (which our doctor has told us that we need to drop!)
Likes: Smiling (you are such a happy baby!), crawling, getting into everything, pulling mommy's hair, starting to have separation anxiety when mommy leaves the room, toy football, climbing on the fireplace, exersaucer, sleeping on your belly, playing airplanes with his brother, following his siblings around the house, pulling the dog's fur, your curiosity cube. 
Dislikes: crying it out, sleeping through the night
Development: You're way ahead with your gross motor.You can crawl with the best of them, sit pretty well (we have to put you in sitting position), can go from sitting to crawling, you are start to pull up on things (ahhh!), you are becoming babbly and I can't wait for your first words!
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet but man has that drooling increased!

Extra: