Hugo spent his seven month birthday traveling from one side of Switzerland to the other. As birthdays go, it was a pretty good one, if you ask me. He got to gnaw on some pizza crusts, enjoy a stroller nap as we toured Bern on a beautiful sunny day, and hang out on all manner of busses, trains, and trams.

::Growing::

Hugo weighed about 8 KG this month. He is about to burst out of much of his 6-9 month clothing, but his mother dresses him in it anyway, because she’s sentential about baby clothing.

::Saying::

Hugo has this hilarious way of beat boxing, and it's such a constant with him that he even does it in his sleep, which is equally maddening and hilarious. There’s been lots of Mamamamama and babababa, and my personal favourite, YEEEEEaaaaahhhhhhh. I’m telling myself the Hugo says Mamamamama with intention and meaning, because wishful thinking.

::Learning::

This month Hugo really started learning about routines, recognising cues, and anticipating what they mean. When we strap him in the stroller and walk towards the elevator, he becomes visibly excited, pumping his arms and legs back and forth. He knows that this is a likely sign that we are going to the rooftop garden to play.

Hugo is also learning music. I signed him up for Kindermusik, which, okay, is kind of ridiculous. Because come on, baby betterment classes are entirely the province of delusional type-A Tiger Parents, which is hardly my natural environment. But I enjoy spending this time with him, having a slot set aside each week for a “baby date”. And plus, I figure that I’ve got to invest some time in building a social network for my baby boy, right??

::Mastering::

I wouldn’t say that Hugo’s entirely mastered sitting unassisted. He does continue, from time to time, to tumble backwards and smack his head. But he’s working on it!

This is a major difference between my kids. Whereas Stella straight up refused to preform a skill until she knew that she could do it perfectly, Hugo is happy to bumble along, semi-proficient. And give himself the odd goose egg in the process. He has, however, mastered kisses. Big, open mouthed baby kisses. *heartexplosion*

::Playing::

Peekaboo is a big hit. And Hugo M. Genius can cover his face with a towel and BOO! on command.

::Changing::

I think Hugo’s settled on an eye colour. He boasts a pair of big round peepers in a lovely shade of hazel. They shift and change hue in the light, just like his mother’s, and she secretly loves that.

::Eating::

We are taking a baby lead weaning (lite) approach to introducing solid food to Hugo. He sits at the table with us for most meals, and gobbles up cheerios. He also enjoys cucumbers. He can easily strip a tomato wedge of its skin, slurping up the flesh and seeds. Avocado, bread, and pasta are also major staple items. We gave him some ramen and that went down like gangbusters. He’s not crazy about fruit; bananas are a big NOPE and so are mangos, which confounds his mother to no end.

He’s still nursing several times a day, and taking the odd formula bottle.

::Sleeping::

Let’s not talk about this, okay? Kinda a sore spot for me.

Okay, okay, fine. Naps are pretty regular, usually lasting 45 minutes. He’s from three to two naps a day, and has mostly dropped his four PM sleep, unless he’s exceptionally tired.

His night time sleep is atrocious, though, and has been since the hospital. I’m waking up countless times to re-insert the pacifier, feed him, or settle him back to sleep. He’s doing a lot of sleep crying, tossing, turning, and thrashing about. Mercifully, though, he does drink his night-time feeds quickly, and fall back asleep pretty easily. I’m beginning to think that we are going to have to do some sleep training.

::Loving::

Hugo looooooooves anything that rolls. Balls, wheels, cars, bikes, they’re all fascinating to him. He’s also beginning to explore stacking toys, and will spend long stretches of time (I mean, long for a baby) exploring how things fit together.

He also LOVES the pool, and basically tries to fling himself from my arms to get in there with his sister.

Speaking of Stella, she continues to light up his face like no other, and I love watching their bond grow.

::Loathing::

Hugo’s a pretty amenable baby, and there’s not much that he doesn’t like. He is starting to protest when about diapering, and dislikes lying down to have his pyjamas put on. Oh, and tummy time. He’s not a fan.

::Enjoying::

Isn’t seven months great? The seven month old baby is still squishy and snugly and little-baby delightful, but there’s this whole budding personality! Hugo has an amazing sense of humour, and is really quick to laugh. He loves people, and is free and easy with shy smiles to adoring strangers. He’s a pretty great little guy, you know?

And now for some pictures

PS,

Hugo {Seven Months}