Seven is my lucky number and I'm so excited to share Harper's 7 month updates. Where to start? Harper now sits perfectly and is starting to pull up on a lot of things and wants to stand with support all the time. She has shown some interest in crawling but she's still working on it---she can go from sitting to her hands and knees (or many times just one knee and her other leg straight in front of her). She sometimes gets onto her hands and knees and then just plops down onto her belly again, it just depends what mood she's in. She can scoot around a bit too. Everyone keeps telling me to treasure the non-mobile stage because things start to get pretty crazy once babies can move.
I'm dreading childproofing our home and to be honest, though I absolutely love our house, I do wish we had a more traditional layout now that we have a baby. I will not buy another home that is this open-concept again because I'd like to have some separate areas that can a) stay clean and have no baby stuff in them and b) be blocked off so they are a "safer space." The thing about an open concept space is that there's absolutely no division between the rooms�so you can see everything from everywhere which makes it hard to keep your home looking clean and organized even when you've spent the time picking up and putting things away�anyway, I'm getting off on a tangent here, but if you have an open concept home and have any childproofing tips or product recommendations, I'm all ears! I think we are eventually going to get one of those baby playpen gate things that I see in everyone's homes.
Just a few days ago we celebrated our first Christmas with Harper and we couldn't feel more blessed to have the best gift of all in our lives. I sometimes think back to when she was born and I am still in awe that we created this tiny human who is just so sweet and growing and learning everyday. It amazes me to look back at one of her first ultrasound photos where she looked like a little "engagement ring" and think about how that little tiny engagement ring developed into the little girl that graces our lives with her love everyday.
In other news, we have two teeth! Two front bottom teeth, to be exact! Harper literally got her two front teeth for Christmas. They had been breaking through the gums for a few weeks and they finally poked through to where you can see them, but they're not fully emerged yet. I was pleasantly surprised with how well she did with teething. We had a few fussier days and nights, but overall she didn't seem to be majorly impacted.
I've been really, really exhausted lately. I mean like can barely-keep-my-eyes-open exhausted. I think it all finally caught up to me and I'm burned out. Being a working mom is tough because I'm tired when I get home but I want to be energetic and engaged so that I'm spending the best quality time I can with Harper. I sometimes wish I only worked part time so I could enjoy more time with her and get a little break from balancing my day so much. I used to be really "go go go" on weekends doing stuff around the house during Harper's naps, but for the last couple of weekends I've been trying to get some extra rest by taking naps with her (because that laundry and cleaning can wait, sometimes).
I never get to sleep in because of pumping so I've cut myself some slack and listened to my body. Though I've adjusted really well to being at work, I have constant mommy guilt. I still cry when traffic is really bad, in total and utter frustration that it just means more time away from her. The only thing that keeps me sane is when I walk into Harper's class to pick her up and she just has such a joyous look on her face when she sees me. Also, I continually thank God that I have a job I actually enjoy and work with people I like. I realize that is not the case for many working moms and reminding myself of that brings me some peace with my decision.
Since I'm waking up 30 minutes earlier to pump and staying up extra late to pump before bed, my goal is to drop down to 4 pumping sessions a day from 5. I don't want my supply to go down and right now, I make more than she eats�so I am thinking in the next few months I will try to drop a session permanently and see how that goes. I feel blessed that my body is able to nourish her, but I won't lie, it is tough to be attached to a pump for over 2 hours everyday and running your entire life around pumping. I cannot wait for the day where I can wake up and not have to pump and go to sleep without pumping.
I hope these words are not discouraging to other moms who are pumping or plan to pump---there are so many good feelings attached to it too---like the fact that I know I am giving my baby the best nutrition for her and that I am sticking with a goal that was really important to me. Reflecting back, I have never fully stuck with a health-related goal consistently (eating well, working out, etc). I always go through phases with things like that, it ebbs and flows. Some of those phases last a long time (like for over a year when I was seeing a personal trainer and when my husband and I were doing five days a week of bootcamp), but I usually drop off the wagon eventually.
If I meet my pumping goal, it will be one of the only health-related goals I have ever fully met. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself by saying I never meet my health goals---because before I got pregnant I really was in the best shape of my life, but I do find it difficult to stay completely consistent, especially now that I have other priorities. So meeting this goal would be especially meaningful to me because I will know that my daughter can motivate me to do absolutely anything. Some days, it's the only thing that gets me through another pumping session. Here are Harper's 7 month updates:
Weight: The last time she was weighed she was 18 lbs. She is still in the slightly above average category for weight and slightly below average percentiles for height and head circumference.
Health: We took Harper to the pediatrician this month because she was pulling on her ear a lot and her daycare teacher mentioned she wasn't herself one day and extra fussy. Plus her stuffy/snotty nose wasn't going away. We thought for sure she would have an ear infection since my husband had tubes as a kid and it can often be hereditary. Fortunately she just had a little cold and was teething which was making her pull at her ears.
Sleep: I thank the Lord everyday that Harper has been sleeping so well. Seriously, hallelujah. Harper is usually asleep by 7 p.m. We have a nighttime routine and I've been requested to post that routine so I will do that very soon! She basically sleeps through the night most nights. Most nights, she does randomly wake up at around 10 or 10:30 p.m. sometimes all she needs is her paci (sometimes she puts it back in on her own, sometimes we do) or she just needs to be rocked for a few minutes and put back in her crib. We haven't been doing any "cry it out," because we find that providing whatever comfort she needs yields a better outcome instead of letting her get all worked up and having to start all over again. She usually wakes up at 5ish, and we bring her into our bed so she can get another hour of sleep before we all start our day. Once in awhile she will actually sleep until 6 a.m.
Social: Harper gets a lot of socialization at daycare since she's there three days a week and we take her everywhere we go with us on weekends. We are also planning more playdates!Diet: I am still exclusively pumping for Harper (read more about my pumping story here) and I still produce just a little more than she needs. I have a freezer stash that is quite large, so I wanted to donate it to the donor milk program at the hospital where I work, but unfortunately, my milk did not qualify because I was taking fenugreek supplements to build my supply. I am no longer taking those supplements, so I may be able to donate newly pumped (frozen) milk sometime in the future. Or, I may quite pumping a month earlier than intended and use the freezer stash for her last month of Harper's feedings. We shall see. Harper drinks 30 oz of breast milk per day, 6 oz in each bottle, in addition to the solids that she eats twice a day (breakfast and dinner).
Harper is really liking solids so far. She has had baby oatmeal, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, peas, banana and carrots. I am using the book "Baby Love" as a guide to make all of her food. The first time she tries a new food, whether she likes it or not, she makes the funniest face. Her favorite so far is apples, which doesn't surprise me. She probably has a sweet tooth like her mamma. I was going to delay introducing fruits until I had given her most of the vegetables that are recommended, but I read some studies that indicated that babies are born with a preference for sweets (breast milk is sweet!) and that introducing fruits does not mean that your baby will not like vegetables. I also like to mix foods--- apples and pears, peas and apples, carrots and apples, etc.
Speaking of making her food, I absolutely love it. It's fun and I get to make use of my blender. I think there's a perception that making baby food is time-consuming, but I make big batches and freeze them and then I just pop out a couple of cubes, warm them, and they're ready to go. None of the recipes require more than 10 minutes of boiling and then you just puree in a blender and pour into ice cube trays (make sure to use BPA-free ones!) The prep work (peeling, etc) doesn't take long either. I even keep the skin on the apples because it has extra nutrients.
Likes: Sitting, her toys, learning to assume the crawling position, being picked up, napping on us, Lulu, eating, looking at herself in the mirror, stroller rides, baths, rubber ducky, books (and eating her books), pulling up, standing with support.
Postpartum: I am now a couple of pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight and I attribute my weight loss to pumping. I am ravenous and thirsty constantly. Pumping burns a lot of calories so I'm eating and drinking more since hydration is key for production, as is getting adequate calories and fat. I figure I might as well enjoy it now, while I can!
It took me a good six months to really feel back to my normal self, or as normal as it gets after giving birth. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my body as it is now. Even though I weigh a tad bit less than before, I don't have any muscle mass anymore so my body doesn't have the definition it used to. But that's okay! Soon enough I'll be running after an active baby as she becomes mobile. The one change I most notice in my body is that when I eat a lot or get bloated, my stomach protrudes a bit more than it did pre-pregnancy. I also think my hips are a little wider, but I'm wearing all of the same clothes/sizes as before, so this may just be in my head or the difference is slight.
I'm going to share a couple of 7 month postpartum photos. I know there are mixed feelings about these kinds of photos, but I'm just sharing my story and my progress. I remember when I was pregnant I enjoyed seeing progress photos from other bloggers (like Andee from the Honeybee!) because it gave me a better idea of what to expect. These are unedited photos with no filter added. I feel like I have to say that beause I have been accused of "photoshopping" my photos. Not only do I not have Photoshop, if I did, I wouldn't know how to use it in such a sophisticated manner.
Clothes: Harper is wearing 6-12 and 9 month and 12 month clothing. Some of her sleepers are actually too small and I am having to move up to 12 month sizes. She is only in the 46th percentile for height so I have no idea how she is getting too tall for some of this stuff. Baby Gear Love: There are so many things to list and I am SO far behind on my monthly gear love posts�ugh. I will try to get on those soon. I also want to share my feeding solids favorites!
Crying: A couple of weeks ago, Harper had been fussier than usual, we think probably due to her teeth breaking through. She's been a little clingier than usual as well, but again, we think it's just because she's been a little uncomfortable and I never mind extra snuggles! Overall she tends to cry when hungry, overly tired, bored, frustrated�just like any baby. But she doesn't cry a ton. Thank goodness for pacifiers, sometimes she just wants her pacifier for a few minutes if she's a little fussy.
Milestones: The biggest one is that Harper said "dada." She just started to say it one day! We realize that she doesn't really know what it means but she says is clearly and it was pretty cool to hear it among her other baby babble which is also expanding. She sits confidently on her own and can pull up and stand with support (either using my hands for support or an object). She is also on her way to crawling, though not quite there yet.On Harper:
Baby Gap onesie and tutu
Thanks for reading and hope you had a great weekend!
