7 months old

At 7 months, Nora is really becoming so fun.  Now, don't get me wrong.  We've loved her from day one (even before that actually).  And I've enjoyed each month/stage.  But she's finally at an age where she is just fun.  Her personality is developing, and she's interacting more.  She definitely recognizes us when we pick her up from school and is just delighted to see us at the end of the day.  [It is actually hilarious.  She grins and starts to shriek and then gets very upset if I don't pick her up immediately.  She doesn't like to wait for me to gather her things.  She wants attention NOW.]  She's also gotten much easier to take places, which is nice.

This month's photo shoot was a disaster.  It was rushed and neither the subject nor the camera would cooperate!

The "boring" stuff:  She is sleeping in the crib for naps and at night, which is great.  We had her down to one wake-up at night (usually around 3), but then she regressed.  She kept moving that wake-up time earlier and earlier until she was waking up at 11 or 12 and then again at 3 or 4.  So, we had to cry-it-out again.  CIO is really hard, especially with her because you can't go in there to even comfort her.  We tried that - the patting, shushing, etc. - and it just incensed her.  If you aren't going to pick her up, do not show your face in her room.  She takes it as a personal affront.  Better that you cower in your room, agonizing over her screams, and feeling like poo.  We actually tried to CIO to get her to sleep through the entire night, but that was a complete disaster.  She was a mess the following day (we tried it several times hoping it would get better, each time with the same result.  Isn't that the definition of insanity?).  So, we settled on one nighttime wake-up/feeding and have been able to manage with that so far.  She usually will take one long nap (1.5 hours) and one short nap (30 minutes or so) at home, but you can't predict if the long nap will be in the morning or afternoon.  Lady's choice.  Her naps at school are terrible.  They range anywhere from none or 10 minutes to a little over an hour.  Let's just say on those 10 minute days, she is just a delight.  She loves to eat, and has three "meals" a day plus her bottles.  She eats oatmeal for breakfast, a fruit for lunch, and a veggie for dinner.  She usually takes a bottle/nurses every 3 hours or so, and they are still 4 oz bottles.  She loves most food, except for certain greens, but the fruits are her favorites.  She is rolling over like crazy and can move herself around by rolling.  We are working on sitting up, but she is not a fan.  At all.  She can do it for a few seconds, then she pushes backward so that she is lying down.  She really has no interest in sitting up, which is driving me insane.  She is pretty verbal, saying her ba's and da's.  She loves school (or at least she loves her teachers and classmates).  And her teachers are so sweet to her.  It makes leaving her much easier to know that she is in such good hands.  She loves her three regular teachers:  Miss Mary, Miss Hope, and Miss Ora.  But there is a special place in her heart for one of her substitute teachers:  Miss Vicki.  And I think Miss Vicki loves on Nora too.  One day when I went to pick her up, Miss Vicki was the last teacher there.  There was only one other child still there and she was giving him a bottle.  Nora was in a bouncer nearby, having a fine time.  When I came in, Nora started to fuss (see above) while I gathered her "stuff."  I told her to hang on, that she was fine, and that I would get her in just a minute.  I look over and Miss Vicki has moved to sit on the floor (still giving the other baby a bottle) next to Nora's bouncer and is talking to her.  Sweet thing.  We love those teachers.   

Now for our milestones:  We left her overnight for the first time this month.  My mom and Bill came to keep her on a Saturday/Sunday so that Marc and I could go to Atlanta for a getaway.  We had a great time - shopping, including a trip to IKEA, eating (with good friends who live in Atlanta), and relaxing.  It was definitely hard to leave her, but I knew that she would be fine (I was actually more concerned about mom and Bill surviving, especially that middle-of-the-night feeding).  Turns out they all survived and enjoyed it so much that they are going to keep her for a weekend in March when Marc and I go to Louisiana for a wedding. 

We love you sweet girl!