7 months and getting SO FUN!!!

Sooo....Bella is 7 months old now! CA-RAZY!

Seriously.

That's crazy.

Moving on.

So, it's been a really busy, really GREAT month for Bella!! :) (It feels so good to say that. I feel like almost every post about Bella thus far has been riddled with worry. But, not this time. :) Bella is doing great)!!! She's 15 pounds now!!! At her 6 month check, she was just over 14lbs! She's in about the 25% for weight! She's totally catching up!! I looked back to see what Ava weighed at 7 months, and she was just over 16lbs. I have a feeling Bella will be catching up to and completely surpassing Ava pretty quick!

So, we finally followed up with Bella's neurosurgeon (who she was admitted under after the scare back in December). But first, I failed to mention that at Bella's 6 month "well check"- she jumped up >60% points from month 4 to month 6 in head circumference. This combined with my question about her prominent forehead.... ...prompted her pediatrician to consider having her scanned again (another CT scan) to check for fluid or some other cause for the bossing of the frontal bone (forehead bone). (I'm really looking forward to a boring-everything-looks-great check up for Bella....one day). Anyway, when I contacted Dr. Neurosurgeon, he said he wanted to wait on the scan and see her in person first. Long story short- he examined her, and although he noticed her prominent forehead as well, he did not recommend another CT scan....he just diagnosed her with.....a big head. :) And apparently it's familial (genetic). Which means....yep! I've got a big 'ol head, too! (And of course, Patrick's big head goes without saying). He even measured my head at her appointment, and it turns out, I too, am above the 90% in head size for an adult female. HA! :) So, technically, she's a bit macrocephalic (big head!). But, no worries. She will eventually "grow into" her head, at which point she will just be a normal kid with a big head....just like her mama. Gotta have enough room for that obviously advanced brain of hers. ;) So, I know I said it's been a great month, and this definitely was a little stressful, but in the end, Dr. Neurosurgeon said that not only did everything look normal, but that she looked PERFECT. :) Words I like to hear. :)


She looks perfect to me, too!
So, Bella (and Ava, for that matter) have both had their first course of antibiotics. Ava made it to age 3.5 and Bella to 6 months. :( Bella had a mild ear infection and an upper respiratory tract infection (URI). Ava just had the URI. Both of them had yucky coughs that just wouldn't go away. Ok, so I know I said this month has been great. So, I guess it was a bit of a rough start...but it's gotten so fabulous. :) They are both fully recovered and healthy now!

So, she has been HATING tummy time...she couldn't do it! We would move her hands under her and she'd just flop them back by her side and do a floppy fish thing instead of trying to push up on her arms. But, NOW we're finally getting there. A few days ago, I walked into her room and there she was....pushed up on those little arms...smiling. I was ecstatic. It's the little things, ya know?!
This tummy time business is a lot of work...
Okay- sooooo she's also just begun to SIT UP!!! She still needs quite a bit of support....unless you place her in the most perfectly balanced position...in which case she only stays for a few seconds until she starts to fall over. But, she's getting pretty decent at sitting with the Boppy pillow behind her!! To keep Bella looking up while she sat and to give her some positive reinforcement(!), I was doing my jumping bean floor dance. Ava was eating lunch and didn't really know what to think about all that. She just looked at me as if I had 7 heads. Mid dance, I told her that I used to act like that for her, too. :) I forget how exciting the little things are. They're so awesome. Here she is! Yay Bella boo!!
Serious little thang. :)

And if you just want a bit more....here's a little video.

:)


Eventually....the fall...hahaha....

In other news- she has discovered her toes and wants to play with them every minute. Very cute. I mean...this child is seriously her father's child!!! They are so beautiful to me. My two little red heads. (And when did Ava get so grown up)?!?!?!

And, lastly, Bella started on solid foods a few days ago!! I'll do another post on that ...cause this one's getting too long...and I'm tired. :) I hope y'all are all doing great!! We are! :)