Hey there, fellow mamas and curious readers! Can you believe it? My little bundle of joy, Theodore, is now seven months old! Time has this sneaky way of zooming by, and before you know it, those adorable newborn days are a distant memory. So, grab a cup of coffee and join me as I take a moment to reflect on the whirlwind of events, milestones, and our favorite baby products from the past month.
When I think back to last summer, wow have we come a long ways since then. I was halfway through my pregnancy and we were getting ready to announce the gender of our baby to the world.
Truthfully, at that time last year I wasn’t sure how I felt about having a boy. When we first found out our baby was a boy I experienced extreme gender disappointment (story for another blog post on another day), but as the weeks went on I found myself caring about the gender less and less, and just hoping for a healthy baby to be ours in December. Funny how prospective changes, right?
Now, let’s dive into the events and activities that have filled out days the last month along with sharing some milestones we’ve reached, and some of our most used and loved products in our home these days.
Events and Activities
Can you say EXHAUSTED!? Ever since having Theodore I feel like we are constantly on the move (quite literally this month) with something going on. Last month we moved into a new rental home, and let me tell ya, moving with an infant is quite a whirlwind. From having to move additional beds, dresser, clothes, and toys to being on his nap schedule of when we can pack and move. Lets just say I am glad we won’t be moving again for at least another 365 days, hopefully a little longer.
This month we also took a step towards our yearly goal of purchasing more local food by taking adventures to pick up meat and eggs from local farmers. There’s just something about purchasing local that takes me back to small town Iowa feels and warms my heart with so much joy. Theodore and I pack up for road trips at least once a week to go pick up food and I’m excited to share this experience with him, especially as he gets older and teaching him the importance of the quality of the food you eat and where it comes from matters.
And how could I forget, the 4th of July. Another first holiday for Theodore. Personally, I am not a huge fan of this holiday and fireworks don’t do much for me. But, watching Theodore’s wide-eyed wonder as he experience them for the first time was pure magic. A few streets over was a fireworks show on the night of the 4th, so our house sounded like literal bombs going off which of course woke him up. Cue me being the angry mom when people are shooting off fireworks after my child went to bed. Instead of being frustrated that he was awake though, we took it as an opportunity for another first and put his headphones on, and took him outside to watch his first fireworks. The awe in his eyes sure made it worth it.
As we head into this next month, life is slowing down a bit (halleujah!). I’m ecstatic to have a less jam-packed calendar and simply bask in the joy of spending quality time together as a family.
Milestones Oh The Milestones
Now let’s talk milestones! First off, I hate the rush to reach milestones and personally just love to watch him learn new things on his own. I am in no rush to force him to the next thing.
This last month was all about movement, movement, and more movement. Theodore has learned how to move and I have a strong feeling next month’s update will include having a full-fledged crawler on our hands. This means we have set up the playpen in the living room to contain him in a large space as he starts to explore. He loves to be on all fours and rock back and forth. So much so, that the first thing he does when he wakes up from his naps is pop up to all fours. He loves to go find his giraffe lovie in his crib right when he wakes up, and if it’s behind him he knows how to circle around and go get it – quite honestly the cutest thing to watch from the baby monitor. He also got stronger at sitting up by himself and absolutely loves sitting and playing with all his toys.
New tastes and textures were also on the menu this month. Theodore has been pretty much exclusively breastfed up until this month, taking only a few bottles here and there because it has been what works best for us. This month we introduced him to the world of solid foods (well, purees,to be exact), and his reactions have been priceless. Avocadoes and cauliflower have become instant favorites, while sweet potatoes and carrots are hit-or-miss, depending on his mood. Witnessing his excitement to eat and try new foods fills me with joy. As a mama who loves to cook, having Theodore join us for meals is a new level of joy.
Now, let’s chat about sleep – or rather the lack thereof these days. Theodore is still rocking his 3 schedule most days, and honestly, we follow his lead when it comes to sleep. With the flexibility of working from home, I haven’t felt the need to sleep train or enforce a rigid schedule yet. Going with his flow allows me to be a patient and understanding mama, as I don’t feel overwhelmed if everything doesn’t go to schedule. We still are up a couple times a night, and as much as I would love a full 8 hours of consecutive sleep I know this stage is SO temporary and eventually he won’t need me to rock and nurse him to sleep. I know when that day comes I will miss the night time wake ups so I try to cherish them every chance I get.
Oh, and here’s a fun fact – whenever we decide to make reservations to go out, Theodore magically decides that is the perfect time to take an epic nap. But when we have a to-do list as long as Santa’s, he decides it’s time to wake up within 30 minutes. Gotta love that baby timing, right? It sure keeps us on our toes!
Our Favorite Products
Now, let’s move on to the fun stuff – the products we absolutely adore this month. Our home has transformed into a paradise of toys everywhere, all things needed for baby food, and even a crib!
When it comes to toys, there are so many I could list, but we still have a lot of love for our Lovevery Play Mat (play mat in the picture), especially the different color and texture tags around the sides this month. Theodore is completely obsessed with tags, in fact most toys that is all he looks for these days. And with Theodore starting to move around and cover more ground, we officially set up our SASRL Extra Large Playpen (pictured here). I love how this keeps him confined but not in a boundary. He has plenty of room to roam and explore while in a safe environment, I mean it does take up over half of our living room.
Lets talk about food. As we venture into the world of solids (or purees, for now), there are a few products that have become our kitchen superheroes. First up, the Inglesina Travel High Chair – a definite must-have. We haven’t caved into buying a real high chair yet because we knew we would be moving, but we absolutely love having this because it is compact and easy to take with us wherever we go. It allows Theodore to join us at our table for meals, and when we go out we don’t have to worry about if the restaurant will have one available. And let’s not forget about the Beaba Baby Food Processor, our trusty sicedkick in the realm of food preparation. With just a touch of a button I can stem and puree to my heart’s content and prep all meals for the week. And when it comes to storing and feeding Theodore’s purees, the Wee Sprouts Glass Storage Jars and Spoons have won our hearts. The safety and durability of glass are top priorities for us, ensuring that every bit is filled with goodness and no chemicals.
And how could I forget some of our newest addition to the sleep routine. Since moving we have transitioned Theodore into his own crib, mind you it is still in our room (different blog post for a different day). We love our DaVinci Union Crib as it not only is convertible and will grow with him, but it is made from low-tox materials so I can be at ease knowing he is sleeping safer in this crib.
There are so many products that we just love having for Theodore, but I am going to try and keep the list manageable and relevant to each month.
Let’s Wrap This Shit Up
I can’t wrap this post up without a heartfelt reflection on this last month. Transitioning from a six-month old to a seven-month old has been a bittersweet for this mama. He’s now officially closer to 1 than he is being a newborn and while I am so excited for him to start crawling and exploring more, my mama heart breaks knowing he is less and less of an infant with each day that passes. As mamas, we experience a rollercoaster of emotions—excitement for their new milestones, intertwined with a hint of sadness as we bid farewell to the sweet baby days.
Next month, get ready for more tales from our solid food journey and the incredible new skills Theodore has learned. Oh, and of course, there will be a fresh batch of must-have products to share with you all. Until then, keep cherishing all the moments, big and small, with you little ones.
With love,
