MN Girl in Eire: 7 Months!

Every month it is getting harder to get a picture with the lion! Gemma celebrated her 7 month birthday today! On Tuesday we had a developmental check with the public health nurse, and Gemma weighs 21 pounds, 6 ounces and is 29 inches long. Both of those are above the 95th percentile. In the last week I cleaned out her dresser and closet and put most of the 9 month clothes away, as she is wearing mostly 12-18 month clothes now, especially pants! The rest of the check with the nurse, including a hearing test, went very well, and Gemma passed everything with flying colors!

At 7 months, we can tell Gemma wants to be on the move more than she's able to, and she can get frustrated with this. On her tummy she can move herself in a circle and also backward a small bit. She has also attempted to bend a leg up to push herself forward, but no up on hands and knees yet. She can sit with her hands propped in front of her for support for awhile, and she now loves to throw herself backward when sitting on laps to hang upside down! She also likes to stand when we're holding her, and she can support herself quite well when we hold her at her waist.

We've started to introduce finger foods and continue to work on the sippy cup. Gemma loves her breakfast of a mashed up half of a weetabix (a cereal kind of like shredded wheat) mixed with formula, a small bit of prune juice, and some pears. Sweet potatoes and cottage pie are other favorites.

Gemma is starting to show a little independent streak and is showing and 'telling' us what she doesn't like. She likes to use her cup and sometimes her bottle herself and will let you know if she doesn't want help! She's had a bit of a stuffy nose the past week also, and when I try to put saline drops in or wipe her nose, she pushes me away a lot more than she did the last time she had a cold.

Her naps are becoming longer and a bit more predictable. She usually has her first nap between 9 and 9:30 and sleeps around an hour. Her second nap is usually between 12 and 12:30 and can last 45 minutes to an hour and a half- that one is a bit more variable. She has a catnap of 30-40 minutes between 3:30 and 4:30, then goes to bed between 6 and 7pm. She then sleeps until between 7 and 7:30am! Our hard work with the sleeping is definitely paying off!

As Gemma has been more rested, she's gotten happier and happier. She is such a fun, smiley little girl. I think the stranger anxiety that she was having a bit of last month was more due to being tired during the day, as we've been out and about seeing more people this past month, and Gemma has been great. The first thing she does in the morning is give a big smile, and it makes my day!

Here are some photos from the past month!