Vivienne at Seven Months

Dear Vivienne,

Seven months. You are officially over the “hump” of your first year.

I’m finding that each day, I’m holding you a little tighter, kissing you a little harder, and rocking you a little longer. Your babyhood is slipping through my fingers, and it is making me so sad. Don’t get me wrong—you are becoming such a wonderful little person. As you grow, we are loving the privilege of watching you develop into the person you will be. But God, I love this stage in a child’s life, and I am just not ready to see it go. You are at the age that could convince me to have 10 babies, because you’re just that cute. That fun. That happy. So I’m cherishing it, holding onto it with all of my might.

Today, I watched you on the video monitor for a solid five minutes as you put every effort you had into trying to stretch and contort your body to reach the button on the music/lights machine in your crib. You strained one way, then strained the other, then tried the first way again. You swung your arm wildly and repeatedly, just to try to push that button. You kept trying. You wouldn’t give up. (And this was when you were supposed to be napping, I’ll have you know.) I’d like to believe this is a sign of the determination you will have for the things you want in life. I can’t wait to watch you fight to achieve them.

Daddy and I joke that you are going to be our troublemaker. There’s something about you—a mischief in your eyes, in your smile—that feels wise beyond your years. You seem to already understand so much about the world around you. And it feels like some of the things you do? You’re doing them with a purpose.

The biggest development this month was probably the official introduction of food. We gave you a few tastes toward the end of last month, fed you a couple of times. But then we got kind of lazy about it, only trying to feed you solids sporadically. Next thing we knew, you were a few weeks past your six-month “birthday” and we were like, Oops. Guess we should probably really start feeding her now, huh? (Second child syndrome at its finest.)

Now, you are eating solids twice a day. We’re still too lazy to work it into our already hectic morning routine—but don’t worry, THAT isn’t new. We never fed Nora baby food in the mornings, either. :) You’ve tried a host of things already. You definitely like fruit better than vegetables or meats, but so far, you’ve tolerated all of it. You’re still learning the mechanics of eating. Most spoonfuls into your mouth end up with half of it coming back out, dribbling down your chin. It makes feeding you interesting, and takes twice as long. If I had my way, I probably would just exclusively breastfeed you until you can feed yourself, but alas… you seem to like the food, so I guess we better keep at it. :)

You blow raspberries A LOT. If someone is in your vicinity at the time, they can count on getting a shower! You are a busy bee. You like to play with all of your toys. If you don’t have something in your hands at all times, you’re looking for something to grab.

You’re starting to notice when you’re alone. If we put you down and leave the room, you fuss a lot of times. Mary tells me it’s the same at her house; apparently you get angry if she’s not within your sight at all times. I know from going through this with Nora that it is a normal developmental thing… but it makes our lives a little more challenging at the moment!

We had a quick doctor’s appointment on Friday to get your six month vaccinations (we were all sick with the stomach bug at your actual six month appointment, so we held off), and she checked your gums while we were there. She said you’re not even close to teething. I guess you will sprout teeth late, just like your big sister! Nora was 10 months old before she got her first tooth. TOTALLY fine with me, by the way. It makes our nursing relationship a lot… less painful. :)

Speaking of less pain… we’ve started cutting back on your reflux meds a bit, inching your dose down. I’ve also started cheating more with my dairy free diet. So far, so good, I think. No dramatic changes to what we’ve been seeing these last few months, so I’m hoping we’re winding down with those problems. As far as I understand, the problem usually gets a lot better once a baby can sit independently, and you’re still working on that. Getting there, though!

Sleep is pretty good these days. You do have the tendency to wake up in the middle of the night or incredibly early many (most?) nights. I haven’t kept track, but maybe 50-70% of the time? You will wake up squawking or whining, most often between 3-4 a.m. I’m not sure what wakes you up, but it happens a lot. Typically, it takes one, MAYBE two trips into your room to give you your pacifier back (I will be SO happy when your coordination improves so that you are able to do that consistently by yourself!) and turn your soother back on. Sometimes, I think it takes you a while to fall back to sleep, but you usually stay pretty quiet so Daddy and I can get some sleep, at least! So, still not consistently sleeping through the night, but we can’t complain too much since you’re not too demanding about it.

You love your big sister and your big sister loves you. Nora routinely says to you, completely on her own, “You’re my best sissy, Vivienne!” She gives you random hugs and kisses. When you do something new (or even if it’s not new), she’ll sometimes tell you, “I’m so proud of you!” which is pretty much the most adorable thing ever. But don’t worry, she also makes sure to remind you that she’s bigger than you, and that you’re too little to do certain things. She’s not perfect, you know. :) Today, I was taking some video to mark your seventh month and I turned the camera onto Nora, who was overseeing the whole thing. I said, “And there’s your sister, who can be a little bossy.” Nora chimed in, “I not bossy! I just telling her what she can’t do!” HAHAHA. I got a glimpse into your future, and well, I’m sorry. But I promise, there is so much to love about her, too. I know you already know that, though. I can’t wait to see what you two are like together as you grow up.

So, we’re seven months in. You’re as amazing as I dreamed you’d be. And life is good—better because you’re in it.

I am so thankful.

With all my love,
Mommy