7 Months

I can't believe Blip is seven months old.  The time is flying by....the days are passing so quickly I don't feel like it's even fair.  He is such a joy....and adds so much to our little family.  From the second he was born, I knew I couldn't survive without him, but I had no idea how much he would truly change my life.

Blip is our Rockstar.  He learns and grows and does new things every single day.  His smile is infectious....and he does it the most for his daddy.  I get random videos of Blip laughing while I'm at work...and Blip and Daddy are home together in the mornings.  Those videos get me through the days I wish I was at home...working on projects with my son, getting the laundry done, making lunch, putting Blip down for his nap, and running crazy with him and Mike.

Blip is sitting up on his own, but is still a teensy but wobbly. We still usually use the Boppy pillow around/behind him for a little extra support and padding.

His taste palate is expanding each week.  He is still eating purees, but a much bigger variety.  He will eat just about anything...even those green beans he refused a while ago.  With everything new, he makes a funny, scrunched up face, but continues to eat whatever it is I am feeding him. 

In the last month Blip has tried carrots, mashed potatoes, pumpkin, yogurt, brown rice, barley (not alone, gross), pears, blueberries, prunes, plums (LOVES them), raspberries (Oops, Daddy...but no bad reactions, so no harm, no foul.  Now he eats raspberries), and apricots.  He still eats green beans, peas, avocado, sweet potatoes (his fave), squash, bananas, apples, peaches, and oatmeal.  Oh...and a taste of ice cream.  He, of course, loved that little treat.

I also have been giving him the Gerber Puff thingys....he loves them and he now eats them on his own.  It's funny to watch!  He can pick up the pieces, but he is still learning how, so it takes his whole hand.  Then the food is stuck in his hand in a way he can't put it in his mouth....but he sure does try.  He moves the puff from one to the other until he can get some part of it in his mouth...he tries hard and is (almost) always successful.  If he drops it, the whole process starts over.  I have a blast watching him learn and try new things.

Blip is nosey....very nosey.  At least that's what we call it.  He has always been this way....looking around at everything and everyone....not wanting to miss a thing.

He has really taken to Henry over the last couple of weeks.  He wrestles with Henry in bed, tries to chew on Henry's toes, and likes to have him around.  He doesn't quite "need" anything yet, but he should be entering that stage soon.

Shopping is much better for both Blip and me now that he can sit in the cart by himself.  He seems to really enjoy being strapped into a shopping cart.  He is up high enough to look around at everything and everyone.  Perfect for my little nosey bear.  He is also really loving his doorway jumper now that he is stronger.

In one month Blip learned how to rescue himself at his ISR classes.  We all feel a teensy bit less stressed with one more barrier in place between Blip and the pool. It is definitely not a 100%, but if there was ever an accident, Blip can turn himself over and float until help arrives.  I pray we never need Blip to use this skill, but I am so thankful he has the ability.

We experienced our first diaper rash.  It was awful too.  Poor baby!  It lasted a few days and looked like blisters on his bottom.  I know he will get a rash or two (or ten) in his life, but ouch!  It was awful.

It seems most of the last month was consumed with ISR lessons.  They were all consuming those four weeks.  Worth it, but it was hard!  I can imagine with my next kiddo it will be even harder, but we'll make it work.  

Speaking of which.......we are trying to figure out when the right time is to start "trying" again.  I wasn't planning on doing anything until next Summer, but I'm not sure we'll wait that long.  We wanted 2-3 years in between, but we aren't as young as we once were.  That helps push us toward "being ready".  Are you ever really "ready"?  I doubt it.  We may try it on our own for a few months (if we can emotionally handle the negatives every month...not sure I can...don't know about Mike) before we decide to transfer one or both of our embryos.  (Two embryos sounds like a lot more now that we already have a baby....zero to two sounds a lot more manageable than one to three. Yikes!)  It's hard to know when to "try" or what our exact plan should be, but maybe before our next yearly storage fee is due would be a good target date. Maybe.