I'm not even sure how Ben is seven months old. The summer has flown by and his seven month birthday surprised me.
Stats:
Weight: around 20 lbs.
Height: around 27 inches (I noticed I had 27 inches from last month as well--I don't have a future in baby measuring)
Teeth: 2 on the bottom
Things Ben Loves at 7 months:
Toys! Ben enjoys all of his toys and has decided that anything can be a toy. He started being incredibly interested in tags so I bought him a taggie blanket which he really loves. He touches the tags with his fingers, grabs them with his toes and puts them in his mouth. Every tag he sees is intriguing and he will scootch around the house to grab them. Paper is another item of interest as he crinkles it and tries to put it into his mouth. He loves books and enjoys both being read to and trying to put them in his mouth. He especially loves listening to his grandmom read him books.
Over the past couple of months Ben's interest in the dogs has grown and it reached a new level this month. Not only does he try to "crawl" to the dogs to grab their fur, he laughs hysterically at them and holds out his hands or them to lick while he is eating. Mealtime for Ben has become snacktime for the dogs as they wait patiently for a good lick here and there.
Movement: Ben does not yet sit up on his own without support. We think he could do it if he stayed still long enough but the second you sit him up he lunges forward to try to crawl. His crawl has evolved from supermans to pushing his feet on the ground, to moving his arms forward and ended the month in a frog leap. He pushes his feet back until his legs are straight, brings them both forward and then moves his hands. He is becoming incredibly efficient at this maneuver. He has mastered getting on all fours with his belly off of the ground and rocks back and forth.
Eating: Ben has continued to try solids although his interest in them is day to day. He enjoys blowing raspberries with his food when he doesn't really want to eat. We introduce a new food every four or five days. So far he has tried bananas, squash, sweet potatoes, blueberries, avocado, peaches, apricots, and rice cereal. Right now he loves avocados and they seem to digest well. He would much rather try to feed himself and loves holding and playing with his spoon. He can drink out of a sippy cup. His favorite food is still breastmilk and he nurses about every three/three and a half hours.
Sleeping: Ben is finally getting on a good nap schedule. He naps in the morning from 9:30-10:45 and then in the afternoon from around 1:30-4:00. He typically wakes up around 7:00 in the morning and is in bed by 7:30 at night. Granted, depending on the day all of this schedule can be adjusted give or take a half hour. Some nights he gives us wonderfully long stretches of sleep and others he is up every couple of hours. We are trying to stay put in Fredonia for a while to give him some consistency of routine. His bedtime routine involves a bath, a few books, a song or two and one last meal. I have started to leave a small stuffed giraffe in his crib and he wakes up an plays happily with it in the mornings.
6 Months Week One: During Ben's first week as a six month old baby he was given the honor of encouraging his dad who was taking the New York State Bar Exam. His encouragement through dirty diapers, drooling and face swallowing smiles were just what his daddy needed to get through two long days of testing. He enjoyed having Mary Smith hang out with him while I took the dogs for a walk and continued to charm his grandparents with his rugged good looks.
6 Months Week Two: Ben took a trip to the Adirondacks to visit two of the best places in the world: Deerfoot and Camp of the Woods (COTW). We spent the week with Andrew's parents, Hilary, Dan, and Joanna on beautiful Lake Pleasant enjoying a lot of family time. Ben visited Deerfoot where we tried to pre-register him as a camper for 2020, but were not allowed. He saw his dad participate in a Lone Eagle ceremony for one of his dad's former campers. He met all of the Deerfoot family and became extremely excited about one day being a camper. A COTW Ben spent a lot of time in his baby carrier. He decided that the Adirondacks was the perfect place to cut his first tooth which meant a lot of snuggle time. His first tooth came in and we felt like he read the check-list for signs of teething before it arrived: drool rash, slight fever, stuffy nose, comfort nursing, sleepless nights--Ben embraced every symptom until eventually that mean little tooth poked through his gum.
Snuggling for Teething Comfort
Once the tooth arrived, we enjoyed a lot of time hanging out with the family. His grandparents very neutrally decided that Ben was the cutest six month old baby there and I think the rest of his fan club agreed. We ate delicious food prepared by Chef Lance Nitahara, who was recently on Chopped. Hilary and I ran a lot together, we hung out by the beach, ate ice cream and of course had daily battles on the mini-golf green. 
Ben and I perfecting the chin hold. My score was divided by two.
Ben hanging out in our room at COTW
Six Months Week Three: Ben and I enjoyed a week of Andrew/dad time. He took one more week of work off before beginning his career for the rest of his life. We enjoyed working in our jungle of a yard, making yummy food and watching Ben try to crawl. We also noticed that it might be time to put the bouncy seat away as his legs kick out the bottom and he tries to turn over in it. I think he will miss it tremendously as he finally figured out how to get it to make music.
"Let me out of here mom!"
In addition to a lot of daddy time, Ben also got his second tooth during the week. It arrived without all of the fanfare of the first tooth and had I not put my finger in his mouth I wouldn't have realized that it was there. We hope that the rest of his teeth will arrive so uneventfully.
6 Months Week Four: Ben and I enjoyed a lot of time outside. We worked on pulling weeds in the backyard, went for walks to the hardware store, visited his dad at his new job, and visited other friends in Fredonia. He also had his first skype date with Auntie Jo, who moved to Nashville.
Hanging out on a beautiful day!
Ben also enjoyed a play date every morning with a friend from church while her grandmother was helping at vacation Bible school. He was very intrigued by his little friend and gave her a lot of smiles as well as friendly grabs. At one time I caught him trying to put her little leg in his mouth. One morning they both fell asleep in the crib.
Ben and his buddy sound asleep
Every month with Ben is our new favorite and it is so much fun to see him grow. He is a joy to have and we are continually overcome with love or our little man.
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