Life with boys : 7 month update!

This is the most late I've ever been for anything, a grand total of 3 days before his 8 month birthday, I present to you, Teddy's 7 month update!

This month has been an emotional one but also an amazing one. He has learnt so much and I can't believe how much he has grown.

Routine

This month has shaken up our cosy little routine massively. After 7.5 wonderful months of spending every single day together, my maternity leave ended and it was off to work I go. (Obviously it wasn't so simple, I suffered greatly with anxiety leading up to that day but that's another post for another time). I had in excess of 400oz of expressed milk in my freezer and me and Tom had spent weeks getting him to take a bottle so he was ready for his days with my mum. His first few days were fine, he took his milk fine and all was well but the past 3 work days, he has refused and hasn't drank more than 4oz in the 6 hours that I'm away (and that's via a syringe or open top cup). I've spent days feeling so guilty and worrying that he's not drinking enough but today I was reassured by a lady from the breastfeeding team that even if he drink 0oz, as long as he had water to hydrate him, he'll be fine until he's back to me. The relief I feel is immense. It's not ideal and my mum will keep trying to get him to take the bottle again but my son is about as stubborn as me, he knows what he wants and he wants boob! When he first feeds from me after work, he feeds like he's never been fed before or like he's been reunited with his favourite toy that he lost. So as relieved as I am, I've now come to realise that I have hundred of ounces of milk and possible no use for them. Around my work times he still feeds every 2/2.5 hrs and is having 3 meals a day. Since we became mobile our naps have gone up to at least 2, maybe 3 and we still wake up lots in the night. (I'm literally a zombie in work). It seems he can suffer with nightmares at times and won't even wake up, he'll just be screaming in his sleep. He will fight me because he doesn't know it's me and it takes so long to calm him. It's heartbreaking and I really hope he grows out of it soon. My poor love.

Weight

Theodore was weighed just after he turned 7 months and he was 20lb13oz! Moving steadily between the 75th and 91st centiles with a gain of 15oz in 4 weeks. Teddy is still enjoying his meals massively, this month we have discovered a love for crackers, peanut butter on toast, olives, cherries, boiled potatoes and Yorkshire puddings! We've yet to find something that Theodore doesn't really like but we have found something that he can't really have! Citrus tends to make his mouth come out in a rash, he was a huge lover of marmalade on toast but sadly that's now a thing of the past. However, he experienced his first BBQ this month and I think that more than made up for it!

Milestones

- WE ARE CRAWLING! My clever little peach is very much mobile and he just wants to explore everything. He loves his new found sense of freedom and therefore hates any safety gates being shut and hates to be stopped from doing something he wants to do!

- Not content with the crawling, Theodore has moved straight on to pulling himself up to standing using the furniture. (The amount of bumped bums and heads we've had his month is unreal, the boy is a menace..coincidentally he loves Dennis the menace)

- His imagination has developed a lot this month and he is constantly babbling away to his toys. Usually telling them something about "mamamamam" or "dadadadad"... Hopefully nice things!