Happy 7 Month Birthday Clara

Dear Clara Beara,

Oh boy how you've changed over the last month. I might venture to say that these past few weeks you've really made the most changes yet! You're now sitting up on your own, although you were doing this last month, you don't tip over at all anymore. Sometimes you face plant forward in attempt to reach a toy or move, but you just start playing on your belly when this happens. You still go and do with us non-stop and are such a content baby. When you start to get tired, or hungry, if it's not an ideal moment it's really easy to distract you and make you laugh by playing with you. I'm so glad we get to take you wherever we go since we hate EVERY moment without you near us. This is all thanks to your good nature.

Your Stats: (done at home since you don't go back to the dr until 9 mo)
17.5 lbs
28 in. long
Hair 4.25 in

New 1sts:
-You get really upset when your toys are taken from you, or rather, when anything is taken from you. You throw a mini tantrum, I didn't think this was going to happen until about 2 years, I'm not sure why you've jumped the gun on this one. This is not a learned behavior. For example, I was getting your food and I grabbed a spoon out of the drawer, you want it of course, so I give it to you to play with while I get everything else and when I take it back to feed you, you lose it. Melt down. I'm in debate on how to handle it. I could easily get another spoon for you to play with but I don't want you to learn that you act that way and get what you want. I know you're little still, but I think you understand quite a bit already and don't want to create any  bad habits. So I sat and let you melt down until you calmed enough for me to feed you, about 2 minutes, which is a long time when you're that upset. I hate to see you that sad, especially when you don't understand why I took it away, I don't like that you know how to do this already! I can't even fool you with another object. I used to be able to give you something else and you'd be content, not anymore, you know what you want and are more irritated that I even try to undermine you and trade you with something less interesting. How dare I? ;) I love that you are determined, know what you want, and fight for it, ALREADY! This is going to bite mommy and daddy in the ass a lot now but in the long run those are very important qualities.
-You notice that when you push buttons on your toys they make a noise, so you've learned a new cause and effect relationship, so you now push them with intention.
-We have been taking you in the pool for a few weeks now. Daddy and I always put a swimmy diaper on you. Once, when our AC was broken recently we took a quick skinny dip to cool off before bed and didn't put a diaper on you. I noticed the look on your face and hollered at Daddy. He ran and got the scooper and got it right out. Thankfully our reaction startled you enough to stop pooping.
-You are spitting up much less so we stopped giving you your medicine. You still spit up, but it's much less. With you sitting up so much I think you're able to digest your food better. But you're so crazy and always moving so sometimes your food just doesn't get the change to settle.
-You're putting more and more sounds together. Your talking has changed. It's more "advanced" if you will. You almost make small words. "Gagaga" is a common one, we're working on "mamama or dadadada"
-You're very concerned/confused when daddy dances. I understand this, it's kinda confusing/weird. Just kidding! Your daddy is very silly and likes to dance for you like he does for me, just being goofy around the house. You don't laugh like I thought you might. You just look at him very serious and confused, which is the same look you give when we're in the grocery store and strangers are close to us in the aisles and you're not sure why they're so close. You used to smile every time a stranger would talk to you. Now you're confused by it. In Sam's Club you started crying when the cashier talked to you, granted you were tired.
-You now notice when I sneak things away from you so you don't have a melt-down. For instance, at the grocery store I let you play with one of your baby food items in a little squeeze pack, when we got up to check out the cashier took your attention away and when you were done giving her the, "Why are you talking to me?" look you looked back where your "toy" was and noticed it wasn't there, you looked around the cart then at me, and I gave you the toy I brought in for you to play with that you wanted nothing to do with. You settled for that in the end.
-You know when someone calls your name that it's you their talking to!! This has happened much in the past but I wasn't positive if it was coincidence or not. I'm now positive you know Clara is your name. I hope you like it! Sometimes you ignore us, I can tell it's on purpose because when we stop calling your name you look at us like, "Why aren't you giving me attention anymore? I'm listening now." Then we start to talk to you and you look back at what you were doing and ignore us once again. I think we're going to have our hands full with you little girl!
-Daddy and I are starting sign language with you. We are starting with milk, eat, and more. Hopefully this allows you to communicate with us soon and cut down on frustration for us both, not that there's much of that anyway yet. It'll just be so neat to "talk" with you. When we show you the signs before we feed you or give you more we can see your brain learning it, you're so attentive and curious. We don't think it will be long at all before you're telling us what you want!
-You bonk yourself with your toys with your failing arms/hands and a few times you've hit yourself hard enough to bring a brief cry, I'm not sure if I should just keep letting you? I'm not sure how else you'll learn. Last weekend you hit yourself with a toy against your right eye and it got all red, if you're as smart as you seem to be I'm pretty sure you'll pick up on this one soon!
-Your hair is so long it knots. When I bathe you I need to put in leave in conditioner to get the tangles out.

Your likes:
-You still love whenever we sing the "Bubble Guppy" theme song, you love "Ma-ma-ma and Da-da-da", a new one you love is when we say, "Yo-yo baby." This started when I was giving you Yo Baby yogurt for the first time and you weren't so sure about it, so I started saying, "Yo-yo baby!" while I moved my head around silly and you'd smile and I'd sneak in your next bite. You now LOVE your yogurt. Another new song you like is "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and you especially love when the rain comes down, you smile big at that part. You also like when I say, "Yay!!!" and clap after, then I make your hands clap and you giggle.
-You love to sit up. You play on your little mat for the longest time by yourself. You love the toys that stack or go in the box. The mirror is still your favorite toy.
-Your exersaucer. You love all of the toys it has to offer and you LOVE to bounce it in, it sounds like you're going to break it but that hasn't happened yet. We need a better doorway jumper for this!
-You love to swim. Daddy puts you on your back, you usually don't mind. You love to be in the water, you and I went in when it was 81 the other day...brrrr!
-You love to be played with. You last a long while alone but when you've had enough alone time you love it when daddy or I play with you with your toys or just talk to you.
-You love to watch your educational videos while daddy gets ready for work, they capture your attention everytime even though you watch them over and over.
-You like to fall asleep with a "nunu" which is the little mini blanket/stuffed animal and your bubble guppy which plays soft music while it glows, and your paci too of course.

Your dislikes:
-#1 being laid on your changing table to be changed/dressed - instant fit - so I've been dressing and changing you on your play mat which helps a lot.
-your bumbo - you don't last sitting in that chair long, you arch your back and can almost get yourself tipped over which I believe is your goal
-being dunked in the pool, daddy needs to have you learn to hold your breath, you don't cry long after, but you do not like it.
-laying back - sitting or standing please!
-sleeping/napping - although you've been fighting it less as of late, you still don't want to miss out on anything.
-being in some one's arms - you prefer to sit on your own, you're very independent and always have been. Now that you're sitting up you really don't like to be on some one's lap or in arms, you squirm to get down as if you can walk or crawl if someone would put you down. You'll sometimes sit with mommy or daddy, but not for long, you are a mover & shaker still, you're not interested in sitting still at all
-when anyone sneezes, coughs, sniffles, blows their nose, or clears their throat. This annoys you. You act startled and if aren't face the direction of the person, you whip yourself around and give a look that says, "Why is that necessary you animal!?" However, when you sneeze you laugh. You're something!

Notice your dislikes are getting longer now. You're so aware of your surroundings and what you want and you're not afraid to say it. This is nothing new. I remember when you were first born and any nurse would touch you, you'd scream bloody murder. You've always know what you will tolerate and what you won't. I'm so curious to see how this transfers into your child and adulthood.

Eating:
You drink a bottle of about 4oz or so in the morning, that could be anywhere from 3am-7am. If it's 3am then your next meal will also be a bottle. If you're a good girl, you'll sleep until 6-7 have a bottle then and your next meal is cereal with fruit mixed in. Your next meal usually consists of 2-4 oz milk cereal and a veggie. I found these great organic little "drinks" that have the greatest combination of veggies, fruits, beans, etc. I mix those with cereal to thicken them up and that's a meal. You usually also have a yogurt and a "meat" which is an organic container of turkey and sweet potatoes or corn and chicken. You like it all. You're a very good eater. Then you drink about 6 oz of milk before bed. You eat in your bumbo, high chair, and swing. If daddy and I are on the go, I feed you in your car seat in the back seat. You make a mess. You do not hold your head still, it's never facing forward, there is a SPLIT second I have to get your food in that small hole so you usually are quite messy by the time we're done. You also like to put your hands in your mouth when you eat, or put them in your mouth then rub your eyes, that's the best one. You don't make much easy on mommy or daddy when it comes to eating. You do not want to lay to eat your bottle unless it's in bed on your own pillow, again Miss Independent. You'll sometimes lean between my legs against my stomach and drink milk but you still always try and sit up. However, you can't sit up and drink from your bottle so you get annoyed. You don't cave easy, you're a determined little girl. When I feed you in bed before you go to sleep you play with your little blanky (nunu) in your hands, moving your fingers all about the soft blanket. Sometimes you hold my fingers. I'm hoping since you won't lay on my lap and eat anymore that you start to hold your own bottle soon. Don't get me wrong, laying next to you watching you is one of my many favorite moments in the day, especially when you play with my fingers, but it's so hard to get back out of bed after feeding you, I'm ready for bed too and it's usually 7:30.

Sleeping?
You've yet to truly sleep through the night. It's got to be coming, or so I tell myself. I'm sure it's my fault too for not being more strict and forcing you to self soothe throughout the night. Me getting your pacifier when you need it probably isn't the "right" thing to do. But, if I'm going to lay awake listening to you cry, I prefer to just fix it since it's such a simple fix. It's rare that you're up to play, it's happened once I can remember during this past month. You're usually just a quick fix of your pacifier and back to sleep we all go. We as in you and I. Daddy usually sleeps in the other room so he can get a full nights sleep. I do that once every two weeks, and sometimes I get him around 4-5 when you toss and turn too much and I get two good hours of sleep in the morning. I think he sleeps better through you moving so I should let him sleep with you more, he is always willing, I just like being with you. You take 3 solids naps a day. One morning, one afternoon and one evening nap. Last week you slept 3.5 hours for daddy, that's rare. Your morning naps are usually an hour, in the afternoon it can be an hour to two and in the evening it depends on your earlier naps in the day, but usually around 5-6 you sleep for 40 minutes or so. You're ready for bed between 7:30 and 8ish. You like to nap in your swing but will sleep anyway you're put. You will sometimes whine or even cry for a minute when you're put down but it doesn't last even a minute then you'll play with your nunu until you're out. You're always holding onto your little nunu blanket when you sleep. If you get overtired, oh boy! Watch out. You try and crawl out of your skin. Daddy and I made the mistake of playing with you too late one night, you were giggle city. You were laughing so hard for no reason even. Then it all went downhill fast. It seemed like your head was spinning in circles, your arms and legs were all over, a lot of arching your back...overtired! It took about an hour to get you to sleep, I had to gently shake your body to sleep, you just needed to keep moving. You never do hold still, but this was exceptionally bad. We won't make that mistake again, we felt so bad for you. You're usually all over in bed at night, the first hour or two you're asleep is the most sound it gets and it gets less and less sound throughout the night. Daddy needs to help me drop your crib down, you can almost pull yourself into a sitting position from laying and I don't want you to sit up, hang onto the side and get any ideas. Also, you can reach your mobile from the laying position, without a pillow even. You're too strong, you'll snap that thing too easy! So, I have 3 weeks more of school, if not sooner, we'll get you into your crib. I miss you sleeping on my chest, I'll miss sleeping next to you, step by step, I'll get there...it's not you, it's me! I get one "go around" with you, I'm taking in each moment I can and hanging onto it all so tight.

Temperament:
You're still the sweet happy girl you've always been. So happy to see mommy and daddy when we come to get you or come home. You get the biggest smile on your face and get so excited and start moving all about. When we come and get you when you wake, you smile so big, so happy to see us. You love to play together and be left alone. You're entertained by the little ones you're with throughout the week, I'm really glad you're around other kids. You're pretty easy still I'd say. You are learning what you want and telling us all about it. I'm glad you know, hopefully in a few years we'll be able to reason with you and teach you to tell us what you want politely. That's a long while away though, until then I'll try and deal with your tantrums effectively.

I love that you are independent but want to snuggle you so much and it's not necessary. I love that you're able to stop yourself from smiling when you eat so I can't feed you more, you just smirk instead. I love that you still play with my hands when I feed you a bottle, since you won't let me hold you. I love that you let anyone hold you and act like you've known them since birth, people love to interact with you. I love that even though you're crazy sometimes you're able to concentrate on your favorite Spanish video and tune everything out around you. I love that you scrape your nails on any surface to make a noise. I love that you decide what you want, when you want it, even if it makes my life harder. You're so independent and sure of yourself, and VERY strong willed. I love that you get so excited when you see Dada and I after work. I love how sill you are, you fake laugh all the time and are constantly smiling. I love that you already love the water and tolerate almost anything dada and I teach you except for changing. I love when you're up from a nap/sleep that the back of your hair gets all fuzzy. I love that you're so very active, I don't know what we'll do when you're mobile. I could go on and on, you're our everything. Thank you for bringing daddy and I so much joy. We love you. Happy 7 months!

This was by far the hardest photo shoot. She was OUT of control AND I even had Kylie's help. It took me 10 minutes to get this little clip I usually use in her hair. She does not hold still...ever. So, needless to say in two seconds and 10 head spins she had half of it out. This was with the new, good camera, you may not be able to tell since I'm not sure how to "use" it to its ability yet. Tiffany said she'll give me some lessons.

She is such a mover and a shaker, even the good camera can't stop the blur. I'm sure it could, if I knew how. I put it on "sport" where movement is expect and this is what I got. Yikes. I'm sure I had it focused wrong or something. Hopefully in the next year I learn some tricks with practice.

Still enough.

Yes! This was my mama's face when she heard me say "MAMA!" for the first time!!!!!! Kylie heard it too! My jaw dropped to the FLOOR! It's happened a few times since. Of course she has no clue what's she's saying, but that's fine by me for now! Tuesday, May 20th. First word: Mama. Melt my heart.

It's really hard to get her to just sit and smile like we used to. She needs toys. She'll start grabbing at the blanket and ANYTHING around her or just get annoyed if she doesn't have anything in her hands. I thought about it after and realized that I should have put in her Spanish DVD but then she'll just have a blank stare and a zoned look on her face, but she'd be still.

Hair out of clip.

Should have had her sticker higher...not the best of my photo shoots.

Lots of drool, this baby is teething!! No doubt.

Stinkin hair, I need to get bigger clips, the baby ones don't hold all the hair she's got.

 Silly girl.

Even with Kylie's help it was a challenge. I don't know how I'm going to continue on my own without her at 8 mo. and on. Thanks for your help Kylie.

Kylie and I agree that although it's so hard to photograph her since she's funny/crazy/spazy it's so fun and funny. She is quite entertaining.

Chewing her hands since I took everything else away. Everything is now in her mouth since she's been teething.

 hehe

She wants to move so bad.

Jumbo Bear for scale. She now knows just how cool JB is. Last time she looked at him like, "Wow!" He's big. This time she had a blast. You can see Shal joined in a few minutes go. Since we moved our living room furniture I don't have the back of the couch which was always high enough to have a "back drop". I'll need to figure out a better scenario next time. She was so excited about Jumbo bear I couldn't get her to face forward. I tried to work with it, but didn't do that well.

"I love Jumbo Bear! Thanks Aunt Brandi!"

Can you hear the screech coming out of her?

This is Clara playing with Jumbo Bear the next day. She loves him. It was so fun watching her interact with him the day before I had to capture it for Brandi so she would know it was worth bringing him all the way to FL.