Seven Months Old

Ethan!

The weeks are flying by!

This last month has been all about mastering skills for you. You eat almost everything that we eat right now. You are sick of baby food unless it is fruit - so we have almost stopped feeding it to you and letting you eat little bits or mushed up versions of what we eat. Watching your face scrunch up with each new taste is very entertaining. You seem to love most things you try.

Your hands are becoming very skilled! You can now do things like grab cheerios or bits of rice crackers off of your tray and put them into your mouth. You are very slow and delicate when using your fingers and I love to watch you gently use those pincers to explore the small details of your toys like tags and strings. You still love to smash and bang your toys too - especially two toys together like you were leading a marching band.

This month you spent a lot of time rocking back and forth on your hands and knees - especially when you would wake up in your crib at anytime of the day or night. You also spent a lot of time crawling backwards as you did not figure out how to put one hand in front of the other until just a couple of days ago. So right now you a crawling like a frankenstine baby all jerky and wobbly - but it is working and I know that by next week you will be zooming around the house.

Franken baby...

This past month was the first time you slept all of the way through the night. You usually get up to eat once (sometimes twice) and go right back to sleep, but the nights seem to be getting longer and longer for you which means that I have been sleeping well - which is nice.

You have started to really voice your opinions and preferences which is fun to watch. You get really excited to see daddy when he gets home from work and if he disappears into the bathroom for a second after you've seen him you get concerned and start looking around for him. You also look for me when you get tired - it is usually the only time you like to cuddle and you nestle your face into the crook of my neck and grab onto my shoulder which melts my heart.

This past weekend you were waking up at 5:30 and being really grumpy! Finally we noticed that a little tooth had broken through the gum - your first one! This month also marked the first time you were really sick - you threw up all over your crib and yourself and me one night - but you were such a trooper and went back to sleep with no complaints after it was all over.

Every time I look at you, I feel like my heart is going to burst. I am so proud to watch you learn and grow - but I sometimes feel a little sad. You are so perfect right now with your soft hair and skin, contagious smile and laugh, the brightest eyes, pudgy thighs and corn cob toes. I want to nibble on you every minute of the day it seems - and when I do you squeal in delight! I don’t think you will let me do this when you are a teenager - so I eat from the Ethan buffet as often as I can.

Love always - mama

First time eating watermelon with Auntie Natalie - Yum!