Our little slice of heaven in month SEVEN

{Sweet} Bryleigh Bear,

Phew. This month has been WORK!  You are going through some sort of phase that is making this momma T.I.R.E.D.  I think it's a combination of things, but it definitely includes separation anxiety (you cry when we put you in bed and you've never done that...and you cry when I leave the room...Momma HAS to go to the bathroom sometimes!), a growth spurt, and probably some teething!  You've still got your 2 precious teeth from last month and they have come through even more, but I wouldn't be surprised to see more show up anytime now!!  (I will admit I've so enjoyed all of the extra snuggles and cuddles during this time though! There have been lots of naps in momma's arms!)

Prior to that phase was some weird phase where you fought us on your bottle Every. Single. Time.  You could NOT sit still, you were interested in everything going on around you, and your feedings took FOREVER.  It got to the point where you'd end up on the floor with us holding the bottle for you (did I mention we've regressed on the whole you holding your own bottle thing??) - I was drenched in sweat and ready for a NAP!  Thankfully you've grown out of that one for the most part.

And while we are on the topic of things you don't like this month, lets add getting your face wiped to that list. The dislike was pretty sporadic at first, but nowadays, it's a struggle after every bottle and every time you eat.  I have to sing "Jesus Loves Me" to keep you from throwing a tiny tantrum.  We've realized that you LOVE that song, so it gets sung a LOT these days.  At the beginning of the month it was the easiest way to get you to smile (and you smiled EVERY TIME I sang it), but now we use it to calm you down when you are upset.  (And by we, I mean me...it doesn't really work when Daddy does it.)

You're crawling.  Seriously, you are doing all of this stuff WAY too fast, but one day (July 30 at 27 weeks to be exact) you decided to put one little knee in front of the other and you scooted just a bit...and you haven't slowed down since!  It's so fun to watch you move around the living room to grab whatever has most recently caught your eye, but my most favorite thing is when you see me and you crawl as fast as you can and stop at my feet so that I'll pick you up.  You truly are SO MUCH FUN!  (And I know that it just gets better and better!)

A few other fun things from this month - You will cry at the foot of your toys that you can sit in until I pick you up and put you in them.  You also say "Mama," although you've slowed down on that one in the past week or so...and it wasn't so much saying it as it was YELLING it!  You'd be frustrated about any and everything and "MAAAA-MA" would come out.  (I think it's a little bit more of it SOUNDS like Mama than the fact that you've actually SAID Mama...so we're still waiting on the whole "First Word" celebration!)

Seven Month Stats

Wearing:  Miss B is in a little bit of everything.  Quite a few of those 3 month pieces still fit, she's definitely showing all kinds of love to her 6 months clothes, and we even added a 9 month outfit to the mix (her cute dress and bloomers she wore on our anniversary outing).  We've had to weed out some of her 6 months pajamas, but those seem to be the first thing she grows out of each time.

Eating: The eating schedule hasn't changed a bit.  We are still doing 5 bottles a day at 6 ounces a piece, which are mostly every 3 hours (sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more - all depending on her NAPS!)  Like months before, I had big intentions of going through all the next introductions, but we hit another snag.  Avocados were a hit, but bananas...not so much.  It wasn't that she didn't like them, it was that her tummy did not!  Both times she had bananas, she threw them up :( So on the list we've got avocados, squash, and sweet potatoes!  We're adding apples, pears, and green beans next.

Bryleigh Girl LOVES to eat!!

Firsts: Avocado, Banana, Eating in a Restaurant!

Eating in the living room...because we can!

We also added WATER to our list this month! And Bryleigh LOVES it!!

Sleeping: Our sleeping schedule has taken a tiny detour for the not-so-great!  Bryleigh is waking up a little on the early side these days, between 6 and 7 as opposed to closer to 9.  This makes that first nap of the day come a lot sooner as well, so the whole schedule for the day is quite a bit different than it had been.  Some days she takes 1 good nap, other days there are 2 or 3 naps.  But all that matters is that there is PLENTY of play time and some good snuggle time!

Teeth:  Those two pearly white are shining brighter than ever and have definitely come through quite a bit more than last month.  We're also thinking that a tooth or two is getting ready to pop through!

Unofficial Measurements:  We get to skip those doctors appointments for a few months, so these are at-home-wrangle-the-bear measurements.  She weighs 20 pounds and 3 ounces and is still 25.5 inches long. Her sweet pumpkin head is still measuring 47 centimeters!

Seven Month Highlights

Playing. Lots and lots of playing this month!  In things she can sit on, all over the floors, with Emmitt, without Emiitt, and definitely with mommy and daddy!

Bryleigh loves to GO! Anywhere and Everywhere.  She doesn't mind loading up in the car seat or stroller and heading out, whether its a walk around the block in the cool summer weather or for a ride in the car with mommy and daddy, she's up for anything!

This month was special because we got to go to Sulphur Springs and celebrate Grandmother's 90th birthday!  She is Mimi's mommy, and we have been planning the party and looking forward to it for TWO years! Lots of Grandmothers friends and family were there to celebrate her and it was such a wonderful day.  Some of those guests included Uncle Alan, Aunt Candice, and cousins Tate and Olivia, so we got some extra time with them...including dinner at AJ's!

Bryleigh, mommy, and Mimi went up to Grandmother's for a visit on her actual birthday, and Bryleigh took Grandmother lots of pictures of her over the past 6 months.  We were able to put them in a photo album and Grandmother can take a peek at them any time she wants.

This past month has been unusually cool for a Texas summer in July and August, so we took full advantage of a beautiful evening and took our little Miss for a dip in her pool.  She wasn't overly thrilled about it, but she definitely wasn't complaining!  She was definitely concerned about where her puppy was and what he was doing at all times.  (And I'll add...she sure did look cute in her little swimming suit!!)

This month, Mommy and Daddy celebrated a very special anniversary - they were married FIVE years ago.  Since that was the day our family started and we had prayed so long for Bryleigh, we wanted her to be a part of the celebration.  The three of us went out for lunch and then to the aquarium in Grapevine for a fun afternoon!

Mommy and Daddy got some alone time at the movies the next morning while Bryleigh got to hang out with DeDe, Poppa B, and Aunt Erin!  Bryleigh also got to meet Aunt Erin's new boyfriend, Luke this month!  We are always thankful for our fun times with the Hammons crew!!

We wrapped up the month with a quick visit from Mimi and Pappy (where once again, mommy took no pictures) full of baby food making and FINALLLLLLY finishing up the nursery...and of course, lots of snuggles and cuddles from B-girl.  Bryleigh also got to have her very first bites of apple...she definitely approves.  The jury is still out on whether her tummy does or not, but we'll know soon enough!  And we can't forget the BIG-GIRL bath!  Bryleigh took her first bath in the real tub.  She's not too convinced about those yet, but she'll come around quickly!!