In month seven, Natalie:
- Was on the move! Not only did she get much more stable sitting up, she began to crawl! But in typical Natalie fashion, she didn't crawl the "regular" way--nope, she crawled backwards! It was more of a scooting motion where she would propel herself backward using her arms. She could clear a room in seconds, though, so the backward motion didn't slow her down any. The biggest issue was that she would get herself stuck under furniture and then need assistance getting out. That was rather humorous for Mommy, not so much for Natalie.
- Got the hang of sitting and playing with toys and rarely toppled over.
- In general, her newfound freedom made Natalie a happier baby. There is a blog I read where the blogger has a baby girl not much older than Natalie. This baby seems similar in personality to Natalie. She recently began to walk, and her mom said that she is much happier, and that she is convinced her daughter hated being a baby! I feel similarly about Natalie. She sees all of these cool things--standing, walking, talking--she wants to do, and she isn't happy just watching others do them! She is going to be a go-getter, I can tell.
- In connection with her general disdain for baby-dom, Natalie is not very fond of purees. She much prefers eating little bites of "adult" food. I don't think it's the food as much as it is the control and ability to feed herself. So far, Natalie has sampled and enjoyed biscuits, quiche, scrambled eggs, various fruits, turkey sausage, sweet potatoes, green beans, and black beans. She will eat anything you put in front of her, which is a refreshing change of pace from her picky older brother!
- Is still pretty much on exclusive breastmilk, with the exception of one bottle of formula on the days I work. I am still pumping at work, which isn't pleasant but is necessary. I am not in a huge rush to wean Natalie, because she is fairly attached to nursing, and I am fairly attached to it, too. I will miss this time together when it's over. Right now, I will probably pump for another couple of months and wean Natalie around ten or eleven months.
- Remains a horrible sleeper. Naps still pretty much happen only in her carseat or in the Ergo. And night sleep? Let's just say Natalie refused to go back into her crib after spending a few days in our bed during a bad cold. So, she sleeps between Mark and me. Ugh--never thought we would be those people! Plus, she is waking two or three times a night and won't go back to sleep without nursing for a few minutes. While I'm not up for long each time, the interrupted sleep is for the birds! We keep saying we will lay down the law and put Natalie in her crib at night, but thus far we have been too afraid of her waking up Henry to do it.
- Remained toothless, but definitely was teething. She would gnaw on anything she could get her hands on.
- Wears either 6-12 month or 9 month clothing. She is still a chunky monkey, but I have no idea how much she weighs.
- Has eyes of an indeterminate color. They seem to be turning a bit darker, but they aren't brown yet. They are more of an army green color. I think they will end up being brown, though.
