seven months

dearest Sweetpea,

life with you just keeps getting better and better! you are thrilled with your new skills that help you play and explore your toys in new ways -- sitting up, twisting around without falling over, easily transferring toys between hands and working on that pincer grasp. there are some days that you don't cry at all which is just insane. even when you are upset (for example, when we went out to dinner this week during the USA vs. Portugal World Cup game and you cried every time the crowd cheered), you calm down easily with some snuggles and distraction. 

you have definitely found your voice this month. you especially like to talk and sing during the homily at church! your favourite syllable to repeat is "da-da-da-da-da", although we don't think you know what you're saying at this point. squealing, cooing, grunting, and whispering -- you love to experiment with your voice. 

we are so lucky to have your Grammy Sabrina come out to watch you on her day off, usually about once a month or so. you absolutely love your time with her, and she spoils you with toys and outfits! you love the stacking rings she bought you, banging them together, chewing on them, throwing them and picking them up again. 

we've tweaked your daily routine a little bit now. you still nurse or drink a bottle every three to four hours during the day, and you eat oatmeal and fruit, veggies, or pureed meat twice a day. and a few times in the past week, you've gotten an extra bottle before bed because you still seem hungry! must be a growth spurt. you don't have any teeth yet, but you love to gum on cucumbers, peaches, and zucchini. you got to taste your first pickle last week and it was a big hit. you are definitely daddy's girl! 

 
you generally take three naps (one 2-hour nap in the morning, an hour nap around 2 pm and another hour nap around 5 pm). before your naps, you put your pacifier in your mouth all by yourself and sit quietly to read a story or two with me. your favourites include "Little Blue Truck", "One Fish Two Fish", "Mr. Brown Can Moo", and "Goodnight Mouse". then you usually hug your light-up seahorse and fall asleep listening to it play lullabies for a few minutes. we read another story and say the Lord's Prayer before bedtime; you're typically asleep by 8 or 9 pm and we don't hear a peep out of you until morning (hallelujah!). 

we love to see you smile, and really love to make you laugh. your huge grin is well worth the effort it sometimes takes to coax it out of you -- "flying" you above our heads, letting you tip upside down, or bouncing you on our knees a la "Trot, Trot to Boston" are our go-to moves. every day with you truly is a gift!