7 months!

My dear baby girl,

You have been exploring our world for seven months now. You have learned so much in such a short time, yet there is always something new to do or learn. I am amazed every day at the new things you can do, and I feel so badly when you are frustrated because some skill is just out of your reach. I wish there was a way that I could convince you that you will get there in your own time.

You have really taken to pureed foods. So far, you have tried: rice cereal, oatmeal, applesauce, pears, bananas, avocados, peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, blueberries, prunes, and a jar of some "rice and lentil" dinner. You have eaten every single one with a smile on your face and a wide open mouth - even the prunes! Your favorites are sweet potatoes, peas, bananas, and pears, although you love everything that I have put into the mesh feeder.



You are much more mobile than you were at six months, and can now roll across the floor to a desired object with speed and skill. You are also able to do some commando crawling when you need to and can grab a toy with the patented Long Distance Reach. You are able to get onto all fours easily and rock back and forth, occasionally scooting forward (or pushing backward), so I know it's only a matter of time before you are dashing across the floor. I guess we'd better get moving on making the house a little safer for you!



You still struggle with reflux, although now it is much more of an acid-only problem than a spitting up problem, so at least there is progress. We used to go through 6-8 burp cloths per day, and now it's more like 1 or 2. We increased your reflux medication because you are growing so big! Hopefully you will outgrow it soon and we can stop with the medicine. I think that all of the new foods have kicked your acid production up a notch. Poor little punkin!

You haven't fully mastered the fine art of sitting up, only because you don't want to sit still. Why would you when there are so many fun things to see and do? Some of your favorite things to get into include the legs of the TV stand and the bouncer seat - you love to drag it around by the legs. You roll so quickly that you have gotten quite a few head bumps even though we try to keep pillows everywhere. You're tough, though! I am confident that you will be sitting up nice and tall in no time.



You are now making "ba ba" and "bla bla" noises in addition to "da da." Occasionally you accidentally make a new sound, and sometimes you try out some spitting for fun. You love to explore faces, especially when you are drinking your milk, but your favorite thing is to pull hair. You have quite a strong grip and have taken out a chunk or two! You are also learning how to hold your own bottle and feed yourself, but you get to wrapped up in chewing on the nipple and laughing as the milk dribbles down your chin. You haven't gotten the hang of the sippy cup yet, though. We've got time.

I can't believe seven months have gone by. You have gotten so big!