Sawyer is Seven Months Old!

Seven months!  Already I can't remember what it was like to hold him as a newborn!  Sometimes when I hang out with my friends who have older kids (like 2 years old), I suddenly realize that Sawyer will be there so soon, and it will be hard for me to remember my chubby, cuddly baby boy.  Sawyer is an especially sweet and especially fat baby.  So, whenever I get annoyed because he's needy or would rather sleep in my arms than in his crib, I tell myself to savor these times because soon the little boy will be too busy running around and destroying things to cuddle with me.

Sawyer is fully integrated into the family now, which means that my constant anxiety about his care and well-being is beginning to wane.  Having him around feels normal.  It's like he's always been here.  He's on a schedule and it's mostly predictable!  It's obvious that he loves us,  and we are sure he knows that we love him.  We've become quite the happy little family...except when we are tired and cranky.  Unfortunately, crankiness when tired is a family trait for the Barden-Stradling's. And these days we are tired a lot.

Sawyer is quite changed in the last few months, let me tell you about it:

• The biggest change is that Sawyer is eating real food and he loves it!  He loves eating so much that he's taken the chunky baby shtick to a whole new level.  His favorite foods are prunes, sweet potatoes, hummus, greek yogurt, apples...In fact, now that I think about it, the only food he has ever protested are string beans.  And I have even gotten him to eat those, when I mixed them with sun-dried tomatoes.   Thanks to Clara who gave me a baby food maker (the BabyBullet), I make all of Sawyer's food at home.  I love making his food.  Everyday I experiment with mixing all kinds of weird things together to see if he will eat it.  One of his favorite combos is corn, squash, and sun-dried tomato.   Here's a video of him eating prunes:

 Yes, I know.  I can't get enough of my baby laughing.  Only Aunt Katie can make him laugh like this.

• Sawyer is also becoming mobile.  He has mastered the art of sitting, well, almost mastered.  Occasionally he will face plant if he reaches too far for a toy.  He's also begun to do quite a bit of scooting, it looks exhausting to see him drag and kick his obese baby body across the carpet, but hey, it's all in the name of development.  Just today he learned a new skill: The Consecutive Roll.  Today he discovered that if a toy is across the room, it is more efficient to roll over to it.  It looks pretty funny, especially when he rolls and ends up facing the wrong direction.  But at least he's finally trying to move.  For a while he would just whine and grunt until we handed him what he wanted.  

• Sawyer has developed a chronic rash that we are afraid is excema.  It started on his 6 month birthday and has stuck around ever since.  Right now he has a rash on his face, chest, and back.  There is no indication that it's uncomfortable for him, and I've taken him to the doctor about it several times and she has always said not to worry.  So, I suppose he'll just grow out of it eventually.  For now, I cover him in Lubriderm morning and night.

•  Sawyer's smile has recently evolved to be half-crazed clown meets Tyrannosaurus Rex.  He squints his eyes and wrinkles his nose and bares his teeth.  It's very cute, but it also reminds me of the murderous doll, Chuckie.
• Sawyer currently has seven teeth.  The seventh has just broken through.
• Sawyer weighs around 23+ pounds and is 30+ inches long.  It's hard for me to carry him around for more than a couple of minutes these days. He currently wears size 12 months, and is growing at an exponential rate.  At our last check up Sawyer was off the chart (above the 99th percentile) for height and weight (and cuteness).
• Sawyer sleeps!  After several grueling months of unrest, Sawyer has found his sleep groove.  He goes to bed at around 6pm and wakes up for the day between 5:30 and 7:30 every morning. He only gets up once a night for a little snack (although the pediatrician forbade me to feed him in the night.  He's too fat. I do it anyway.).  Jonathan wakes up with Sawyer in the morning so I can sleep more.  Sawyer is unbelievably cuddly in the morning, so he and daddy chill out and listen to music on the couch together.  It's Jonathan's favorite time of day, and I think it might be Sawyer's favorite too.  Naps are still a work in progress, but he is napping.

Speaking of napping, this is how Sawyer napped the other day.  We were out for a walk when it started to rain.  So we pulled out our rain gear and hurried home.  However, when we got home, Sawyer had fallen asleep, and he's not the kind of baby who can be easily moved while asleep.  If he wakes up, even if only asleep for minutes, he won't go back to sleep.  So, I parked him outside the house, covered him with the umbrella and let him sleep for an hour outside on the street!

We love Sawyer.  SO, much.  He's our favorite person in the world.  When he smiles, the world stops and we soak in his radiance.   Jonathan and I often congratulate each other on our perfect baby boy. We hope the next six months won't go by as quickly as these first ones!