31 Weeks Old :o)

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 31 weeks (Approximately 7.2 months) old now.

At seven months old, babies usually range from 25 inches long and 14.25 pounds (10th percentile) to 28 inches long and 19.5 pounds (90th percentile).

By playing with your baby, you're helping him or her develop some of the social skills that he or she will need when he or she begins to interact with other children. The more you play with him or her, the faster he or she will learn to recognize when someone is interested in playing with him or her and understand how to evaluate non-verbal communication. You're also teaching your baby the value of sharing a game or toy with another person.

You may experience a bit of discomfort while nursing once your baby's teeth start erupting and he or she bites your nipples. Don't let this deter you from continuing to breastfeed. He or she's not biting to hurt you; he or she doesn't yet understand that it hurts. Although it may be difficult, try to remain calm when he or she bites. Any strong reaction may prompt him or her to try again just to see what you'll do. Instead, remain calm and tell him or her "no" in a firm voice. Remove your nipple from his or her mouth and wait a minute or two before trying to resume nursing. He or she will quickly learn that if he or she bites, the food goes away. Be patient, it may take a couple of interrupted feedings before he or she understands this cause and effect, but soon you'll be nursing bite-free again.

You may find yourself wondering why your baby seems to act up when you're around, while other caregivers report that he or she's a joy to care for. He or she may be young, but he or she's already figuring out how to manipulate you. He or she is testing his or her limits and learning how far he or she can go before you give in to his or her requests. Take charge of the situation now by setting limits. Be sure your requests are age appropriate, but remember that it's not too early to learn that we don't hit, we share, and that food goes in our mouth, not on the floor.

I've been nervous about Matthew getting teeth - he has bitten me quite a few times, but I have never shown any reaction because it hasn't hurt. I don't nurse that often anymore, though. Just twice a day and then if he gets up at night and won't go back to sleep without eating. So maybe he will be completely weaned by the time he gets teeth. I'm still having trouble with that, though. I don't want to give it up! Maybe by the time he's 8 months old. Or 9 months...

Matthew's Christmas went very well. We were nervous because he cried pretty much the whole time we were at my husband's family's get-together. There is just so much noise, though...when you get that many people in one house it's bound to get noisy. Poor Matthew just is not used to all the commotion. When we got him to my family's house, he was much better. I feel bad for my inlaws - they usually just see Matthew when he's screaming. It's not that he doesn't like them - it's just that they're usually in a noisy house! Anyway, he can't open presents on his own yet (of course), but he seems to enjoy his presents. He got mainly toys, but also a couple of outfits and books. Something else that he got (although not for Christmas) was a potty chair! Mommy thinks it's a bit early for that, but Daddy wants to get him used to sitting on it. So he has a few times...the second time he sat on it he actually pooped in it! Daddy heard him grunting, put him on the potty, and viola! I was glad that he did it, but I think that it will be quite a few more months before he actually "gets" it. Anyway, here are a couple cute pictures of him on his little commode.