Brenson is 7 Months Old!

We just finished up a whirl-wind of a weekend that included several crowds of people who don't really know us. I was asked over and over how old Brenson is, and I always replied with "Six months". Well, not anymore! Today, our little man is 7 months old!

Here is his monthly photo with giraffe:

Brenson is currently wearing size 12 month clothes, size 4 diaper, and size 3 shoe. I'm so glad that the weather has finally cooled down a bit because I am rapidly running out of summer clothing that fits the boy!

Right now, Brenson is in a stage where he is doing something new almost every day. It's so fun to watch him grow and develop! He has said "Mama" several times in the past, but this month he started using it often (pretty much every day) and very distinctly. We were at a birthday party the other night and I walked right by him. He wanted me, so he very clearly said, "Ma-ma!" in a somewhat demanding voice. It surprised me enough that I stopped and paid attention to him! He also says Hi, Ba-ba (said this on August 31st for the first time), Bye-bye (said this the first time on September 8th), and Dada (said this the first time on September 9th). Yes, language has certainly exploded recently!

Brenson is increasingly mobile. He's not crawling in the traditional sense, but he will get up on all fours and rock. He scoots, rolls, pushes, pulls, etc to get anywhere he wants to go. He also stands holding onto the couch or chair, but he doesn't pull himself up yet.

Some things that Brenson loves these days include Brianna's Little People Zoo and animals, books, blocks, rattles, anything he can bang, and bathtime!

He always looks so cute fresh out of the bath . . . though he hates the hood part of the towel :-).

Brenson also started clapping and waving bye-bye this month. His clap was so cute at first . . . he would hold his right hand still and only move his left hand (very dapper). A week ago at church, he would wave then clap then wave then clap . . . just completely showing off!

Sleep is still great. Brenson generally goes to bed around 8:30pm and wakes around 7:00am. We started putting him down awake more, and he does pretty well with it. He is still sleeping with the swaddle because we're having a hard time breaking him of it. The only time he takes the soothie is when we rock him to sleep, and he spits it out as soon as he falls asleep. If he goes to sleep on his own, he doesn't use it.

Brenson has really started to play independently so much more. One day, he was fussing around in the living room and I was really trying to get something done. So, I took him into his room and sat him in the closet (where his toys are) and he had a ball! He sat in there on his own and played for over 30 minutes!

Up until this morning, Brenson was down to only nursing one time a day (first thing in the morning). However, this morning was our last session, so he is officially weaned. He takes formula very well, and doesn't mind the bottle at all. He eats an 8 ounce bottle 4 times a day, plus rice cereal in the morning and solids at lunch and dinner. He will take baby food, but MUCH prefers table food, so we mostly just feed him bits of what we're eating. He doesn't have any teeth yet, so we are careful about what we give him. I love his gummy smile and can wait a few more months for teeth :-). He is a GREAT eater and pretty intense about food! I mean, he kicks and squeals and gets beyond excited when we put him in his seat to eat! I can't remember if I've mentioned this before or not, but Bren has been drinking from a straw since just before he was 5 months old. He's great at it now and loves to drink water from our glasses during meals.

If someone would have told me 4 or 5 months ago what a GREAT baby Brenson would be now, I'm not sure I would have believed them. He was so fussy for the first 3-4 months of his life. However, my little fussy gus really is the best little thing now. On Saturday, we went to two different parties (and were at each for more than 2 hours) and he never cried or wimpered at either one. I personally think SO MUCH of this has to do with having him on a schedule. He always knows what to expect and when to expect it, so I think it helps him be relaxed about things. I mean, I know I'm for sure more relaxed when I know what to expect out of a day. He just truly thrives on a routine and appreciates a schedule. He does so well when we go places and is so happy at home as well. And his little belly laugh is a crowd pleaser every time, haha! This little guy just fills my heart!

Happy 7 months, Brenson-man!