7 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 7 months old (+ one day)!! You are closer to your first birthday than the day we first met and time just continues to fly by at warp speed (I better start planning your first birthday party, stat).   

This past month you experienced many firsts.  You got your first tooth (two!!), you celebrated your first Christmas, you survived your first blizzard, you got your first real cold.  Although you continued to be your happy, smiley self, your new teeth and the congestion from your cold made for some very tough nights for a few weeks.  Your papa and I shared many sleepless nights and you even had to sleep in the swing with the dreaded binkie for a couple of those nights so we could make sure you got the rest you needed to fight that cold of yours.  I am happy to report that you are feeling better and nights have gotten much easier.  You still aren't sleeping 7p-7a like you used to, but I can live with one babbling wake-up...as long as you don't decide to get up for the day before 5:30a!! 

Many things make you happy, here are just a few:  being held up in a standing position, reaching out to anyone and anything, touching faces, pulling facial hair, taking off eyeglasses, grabbing noses and putting your hands in people's mouths (not great during this cold/flu season!!), thumping your legs down in your crib when either me or you papa enter your nursery in the morning to show excitement, playing pat-a-cake, looking in the mirror, and of course mama and papa.   I think your all time favorite thing at the moment has GOT to be the jumperoo.  You could stay in it for hours if we allowed you too.  The second we place you in the contraption you begin to bend your legs in perfect form for optimal bouncing.  Sometimes we fear you may fling yourself right out of the seat.  If we are holding you and happen to walk by the jumperoo, you will lean forward and just stare at it hoping we will plop you in for some fun.  It is so adorable, you are so adorable!!  

Over the past month we've been introducing homemade solid foods to your repertoire of milk and milk, and you really seem to be adapting well to the new method of feeding.  You had some minor digestive issue during the first week on solids but your system appears to have adjusted...well, expect for the occasional dirty diaper at 3am, but it just gives you an excuse to chat with me for a few minutes before babbling your way back to dreamland with Gigi.  

So far you've tried oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peas, butternut squash, carrots, apples, pears, avocado, and zucchini.  It usually takes you a couple of days to decide if you really enjoy a new food, and your face is priceless when trying something new for the first time, but if anything has sweet potatoes or apples blended with it, you gobble it up in seconds.  Yum-O!!  It is seriously the cutest thing when you are in love with a particular food, as soon as you swallow a spoon full, you open your month immediately and stare at the spoon approaching.  Many times, you will close you month before the spoon even enters and the yummy goodness will paint your face.  We get many good chuckles during mealtimes, that for certain!!  Some new foods we plan to try this month are bananas, mangoes, peaches, parsnips and I may even try adding some herbs and spices to some of your purees to really jazz up lunch and dinnertime. 

What new and exciting things will you do this month?  Will you say your first official word, will you finally roll back to belly (you are seriously so close!!), maybe you will sit up on your own, army crawl, wave or cut more teeth?  Your papa and I can't wait to discover what January will reveal, but in the meantime we will continue to enjoy getting to know you along the way. Happy 7 month birthday!!   

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy