This has been a big month for our (not so) little guy. A couple of hours after his six-month post went live, he started rolling. As expected, he hasn't really stopped. He's proficient bordering on expert, though he still hasn't figured out how to roll in his sleepsack in bed. It's not for lack of trying (and crying), I assure you. In the last couple of days, I've noticed a rather sudden interest in getting to things out of reach and even some scooting. It makes me slightly terrified, but the one who should be really terrified is the big sister because Elliott has his eye on her stuff!
Elliott is also sitting up pretty well. He has the tripod down and is doing better about being able to self-correct when he gets excited and leans back too far or too abruptly. I don't really trust him to sit on his own unless he has the Boppy behind him, but that will probably change soon. He's surprisingly good at getting out of the seated position and into a tummy laying position. It's hard to tell if he's doing that by choice or because he has collapsed too far forward to recover.
Aside from all of this gross motor development, we've had some excitement in the food department with Elliott. When he was first exposed to eggs, he swelled up and broke into itchy hives with some wheezing. We are now the (not so) proud owners of an Epi-Pen and waiting for our appointment with the allergist before getting too adventurous with other potential allergens. Our pediatrician did say that dairy should be fine because he has been fine on the formula that I occasionally use to supplement (which is apparently dairy-based). Elliott's happy about that and loved the yogurt we gave him on his 7-month birthday. His other favorites are zucchini and banana. I don't think he has turned away anything we've given him, though it wouldn't stop me from continuing to offer it. We're doing primarily baby led weaning, and he hasn't really had anything pureed to any finder than a chunky mash. Part of this method is inspired by Denaye and part is, frankly, out of laziness. We fed Madeleine the food that we ate (more or less) from almost the beginning, but this time I have the confidence to not spend the extra time pureeing and blending and watering down and instead just feeding from the beginning. Elliott eats three meals a day, and I'm constantly challenged to find more and more that is appropriate for him right now (especially with the allergy concerns) because this guy loves food! I'm currently nursing Elliott four (occasionally five) times a day and (sadly) often once overnight. I hope that things will soon slow down enough for my milk supply to re-connect with Elliott's needs.
For the most part, Elliott is still a happy guy. He continues to be chatty, and his "bwah, bwah, bwah" and "bah, bah, bah" have been joined by "bahp, bahp, bahp" and "dah, dah, dah." I swear he looked at George the other day and said "dah dah," but George thinks I'm nuts. He and Madeleine continue to interact more and more, and he absolutely lights up when she walks into the room. Elliott is also starting to encourage his sister to get into trouble, like when he smiles and laughs at her being naughty at the dinner table. We are in serious trouble when these two are a bit older.
In the sleep department, we are experiencing a rough patch. He takes two or three naps during the day. If the first two are long enough and the second one ends late enough, he doesn't need the third nap. I'd say he only takes the third small nap 25- to 50-percent of the time. At night, he is generally pretty easy to get to bed but has been waking up once a night, sometimes just an hour or so before he should be up for the day. I'm guessing it's either because he's not getting enough milk from me during the day or because his schedule is confused between early daycare days and later other days. No matter what, I'm really hoping to get back to having a boy who sleeps through the night!
We had a particularly bad night last week when he (finally) had his six-month pediatrician's appointment, complete with a whole slew of vaccines. For a baby who is constantly wiggling and moving, having sore thighs is the pits...and he let us know about it. I know that I often talk about how good and happy Elliott is, which is true, but when he is unhappy, look out!
On that note, I'll leave you with this month's photo of our sweet, sweet Elliott:
You've come a long way, baby:
What an amazing little guy! He is as cute as a bug and oh so sweet. Slow down, my sweet little boy.
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