7 months / 30 weeks

Lila is 7 months old today!

This is the closest thing to a smile I could get this morning.


Sorry about the crappy lighting. It was early and Lila was less than thrilled about having her picture taken this morning so we kind of sped through the process.

Every day we see more and more of Lila's personality shining through, and it's getting easier to see what she'll be like as a little girl.

Our girl is TEETHING with a vengeance. She spiked at 103 fever on Saturday and was out of sorts all weekend. She was better yesterday and today but is still not her happy-go-lucky self. She's gnawing like crazy on anything and everything. I know that "they" say now that fevers and teething are unrelated, but many parents I've talked to swear that unexplained fevers are followed shortly by new teeth. We've given Lila baby Advil and also slathered on the Hyland's teething gel, and the combo of the two seems to be providing some relief. On top of the teething discomfort, it has been so hot here the past several days and Lila has developed some heat rash around her neck, hair line, and on her back. We're doing our best to keep her cool and comfortable, but she has had a rough couple of days.

This week Lila enjoyed more sweet potatoes and she tried watermelon for the first time. I'm not sure if it's because she already wasn't feeling the greatest, but she didn't seem to enjoy the watermelon very much. She gagged on it and proceeded to bring it all back up on her highchair try. We had company and I'm sure they were thoroughly grossed out. It seems that she's game for solids about once or twice a week, and anything more than that seems to upset her tummy a bit. She sure does love feeling the new textures with her hands and her tongue, though!

We've started giving her a sippy cup with a little bit of water since she is really interested whenever someone has a beverage anywhere near her. She likes the sippy cup but really prefers to drink out of an actual glass. At first we though she just liked the feel of the cool glass against her gums, but now she knows to tip the glass back and drink from it. Much of the water ends up dribbling down her shirt, but if we can tip the glass slowly enough she does swallow the water and will continue to tip the glass back for more.

I'm very happy to report that Lila and Daddy did very well while I was in California last week for work. We were so nervous that Lila wouldn't take a bottle well at bedtime and in the middle of the night, but she did wonderfully and slept great both nights. I kind of wonder if she knew that I wasn't there, so she knew that it wasn't an option to cry until I came to the rescue. Two nights after I got back she woke up and Ed tried to soothe her, but she wouldn't stop crying until I came in. That leads me to believe that she knows when I'm home and when I'm not. It also tells me that she can do just fine with her dad while I'm away, and that she may even be okay with a babysitter at bedtime should we want to attempt to go out in the evening at some point. I was so relieved to hear the first night of my trip that she had gone to bed without crying. It really lifted a weight off of my shoulders and allowed me to relax and enjoy my time away without feeling guilty or sad.

We've got a few more weeks of summer left before Ed starts school again, and before I start my new job. We've got plans with friends and also plans to relax together as a family before the pace picks up. There are plans for lots of walks and leisurely mornings on the porch. Soon the evenings will be cool and we can introduce Lila to cozy time in front of the fire in the back yard!