Seven Months

Karston is such a little person now! I think he passed from Infant to Baby this past month, just as he passed from Newborn to Infant when he was about two weeks old. In particular, his hands look like scaled-down adult hands now, not just the thumbs. He eats real food, albeit baby food from a soft spoon. He likes cereal and sweet potatoes. He'll eat peas and prunes, and maybe applesauce if Daddy coaxes him. He's no longer interested in bottles, and he'll only nurse at night. He watches us eat with great interest, but he hasn't reached for silverware yet so we haven't reached the messy independence of self-feeding. He laughs more, and he loves his routines for bath, nap, and bed times. He's down to two naps a day. He'll stop fussing and start smiling in the evening when we start his bed time routine, and he'll even put a lot of energy and laughter into playing before the final bundle off to bed. He's getting better at gripping what he wants, building hand-eye coordination. His favorite toys light up where he pushes them, not somewhere else, and music is also good (usually calms the fussing baby). He does love to stand on the counter and stomp his feet. Stomping is the best, and standing (with just a little help) is still great. Today he just started to sit on his own, too. No new teeth, though.

He's also such a little boy. He hoots on walks especially if you're not talking enough because, well, a boy has to announce himself loudly, and he's announcing that he's king of the path. He grins wildly when he shakes his head side to side vigorously, especially on a teething ring but sometimes just to shake his head. Our cat Linus, an older tuxedo cat, is very patient and lets Karston twist his ears just to sit in on family play time. However, Linus usually runs away when Karston starts stomping, which he does when he gets really happy about play time. Our dog Emma, an active terrier mix, thinks he's wonderful for licking although we try to dodge that. They both look worried when he cries, but usually stand close to him and look like they want to help.

Karston has just cracked 16 pounds, which means that he's above the 10th percentile for weight now, and that he can start wearing size 3 diapers.

Since he's only nursing at night, I pump during the day. It's easier to schedule pumping than baby feeding, so while it's not glamorous or comfortable, it's predictable. We think the breast feeding is paying off because he hasn't been sick even though Daddy's had two colds and Mommy one. We feel lucky about that!