7 months!

I feel like 2 days go by and it's time for another update! Just stop growing up already. Well actually, you can continue to grow up because it is so much fun to see you change all the time. You continue to be a delight, I just love watching you become a little boy. There have been several times in the last few weeks that I have looked at you and realized that I am not parenting a baby anymore, but rather a little man as I like to call you :) In fact, you've started to sprout some facial hair.

Big changes this month is your ability to get on all fours and rock back and forth, and finally figuring out how to roll in both directions! You now roll intentionally towards toys, and are starting to dive from a sitting position towards things, which usually ends up in a less than graceful head plant onto the ground. You don't really like to sit still anymore, so it's a little more challenging to keep you occupied since you want to move, but haven't quite figured out how. Once you figure it out though, I don't think you're going to stop! You absolutely LOVE to stand. You are the happiest standing, whether its standing at your play toy, on the couch, the chairs at church, or your crib. Your favorite toys this month are kind of random. You love to suck on the string of your snail pull toy, you enjoy chewing on the flag of your sailboat, reading tails and your first words book, and playing with your alphabet blocks, especially the x and y cube (of course you love to chew it). You love everything that shouldn't go into your mouth-plastic grocery bags, envelopes from the mail, tags off of new clothes, and paper towel rolls. The other day we were at a house that had two dogs. I don't think you had ever seen a dog up close before. You got the biggest grin on your face and wanted to tug their hair so bad!

The only way I can get you dressed is by standing you up on the changing table to look at the bird picture. You are SO squirmy and SO strong that diaper changes are a whole new challenge! You twist your body with all of your might and I have to try as hard as I can to keep your flailing feet from getting poo on them. A lot of times I end up putting on your diaper when you are on your tummy.

Your language continues to grow by leaps and bounds and it seems like you are starting to talk to some of your toys or make sounds in excitement over new things like the night light that you discovered yesterday. You are most chatty in your booster seat after a meal. Apparently you have a lot to say to your cup and spoon that I give you after we are done eating so you don't have a melt down.

You also love drinking from a cup and from your own water bottle that dad got you. It always makes me laugh when you are going to town drinking, and then all of a sudden you spit out a ton of water that you have apparently been storing for a while! You love to feel food with your hands and will sit in your seat opening and closing your sticky hands or rubbing your hands around your tray for a while.

You continue to love bath time and are now sitting in the tub like a big boy. You love to face the water faucet and try to grab the stream of water. You also still love to suck on your wash cloth or play with the bath toys. You definitely do not love to have water poured on your head and onto your face. You close your eyes, make this really loud sucking noise and kick your legs really hard.

We usually have to work pretty hard for it, but when we get one of your sweet laughs, it melts our hearts. Here are two of your favorite activities.

I'm not going to talk about it, I'll just give you a picture to confirm. Yes that is a head lamp on my head.

One thing that is new about sleep this month is that sometimes after I get you asleep in the ergo, I am able to sit down and rock with you for a good portion of the nap. I actually really treasure this time because I don't get a lot of snuggles from you during the day. There is something so special about feeling the dead weight of your body against my chest and the soft rise and fall of your breath as the glider creaks back and forth in the dark. I know you start to wake up when your little legs poking out the side start to wiggle around and your hands start scratching my arm. I will give you some credit, you have had some really good nights of sleep this past month. Last week you slept until 5 or later 4 days in a row. Some days you go 3-4 days of all good naps, and then have some rough days.

I can't believe we are getting closer and closer to planning your 1 year birthday party and thinking about things like baby proofing! I love you Mr. Colterman, my son.