Seven Months.

He:

– officially got his first tooth a few days after he turned six months old. It was a terrible experience for everyone, and I’m hoping he never gets any more teeth. (Though I suspect the top two are on their way.)

– is the 75th percentile for both weight and height (around 19 pounds and 27 inches). Chunk. Er.

– is obsessed with mirrors now – he could spend hours in our bathroom with its giant mirrors, giggling at himself.

– looks like a little man instead of a baby, or so we’re told by just about everyone.

– sits well without any support. He hardly ever tumbles anymore, which means lots of independent play time. Woo.

– prefers standing to any other position, but can’t really stand without us holding his hands. Lord knows he tries, though.

– isn’t bowlegged anymore! Babies are born with bowlegs, since they’re crammed in there, but they gradually straighten out. And has looooong legs just like his papa.

– loves peek-a-boo and has developed object permanance. It’s pretty much the most fun ever. I hide, he looks behind the chair/Mike/door for me. I pop out. Giggling ensues. I hide again. More looking. There’s Mama! Giggling. And so on.

– is a happy, happy little guy. He smiles at strangers now, which is quite charming.

– loves food, but not if it comes out of a jar. He’s a picky little foodie, preferring to eat our food instead of purees. He eats lots of squished up beans, tiny pieces of spaghetti, mushed up peas, and so on. It’s much less work, anyway.

– got his first sippy cup. He prefers to take sips from my glass of water, naturally.

– got crayons and a coloring page for the first time at a restaurant. I couldn’t stop laughing about it. A seven-month-old? Crayons? Hahahaha.

– sleeps better now that he’s not teething (hurrah!) but isn’t sleeping through the night yet. (Most commonly asked question EVER EVER EVERRRRR). It’s actually okay, though. I think it’s pretty typical for breastfed babies to go four hours at most. (Don’t tell me otherwise, please. I like my happy little bubble of coping.)

– does this thing lately where he grabs my face and pulls it toward him and puts his open mouth on my face. (Most often grabbing an ear and some hair to get a good grip on me.) He isn’t hungry when he does it, so I tell myself that he’s learning how to give us kisses. :)

– is on the verge of crawling:

Step 1: Get excited about your potential for moving forward to your goal (toy/laptop/iPod/mom). Step 2: Do the plank. Step 3: Get on your knees and rock back and forth, hoping to move forward. Throw your body forward. Step 4: Get upset because you cannot figure out this freaking crawling thing UGH.

– find myself loving each stage of Gabe more than the last. I get nostalgic before time has even passed, missing his babyhood while he’s still a baby. Some days, I get an overwhelming urge to just record everything about Gabe so I never forget how adorable he is. I want to pause time at this perfect age. On those days, I take a lot of photos and videos.

– still think mornings are the best time of day. He’s been waking up much earlier (around 7 instead of around 8:30), but he lies quietly in bed until we wake up, then giggles and smiles at us. The best way to be greeted in the morning, I think.

– was asked already, “Are you still breastfeeding?” like Gabe is a three-year-old or something. Ha. Seriously, though, nursing is going great. I love it, Gabe loves it, and I’m expecting to go for another year. It’s so, so convenient, it burns calories, comforts Gabe, and it gives me some nice happy hormones. For a while, I struggled with being the sole provider of Gabe’s food – it felt somewhat limiting (Mike handing a crying Gabe with a “I think he’s hungry” for the billionth time). But, I now think of it as something special that I get to give him, instead of viewing it as an obligation. We’re hoping to go on some road trips and camping this summer – and nursing makes traveling a LOT easier. Nothing to pack, wash, or prepare food-wise. (Though, the rest of traveling will still be difficult. 12 hours in car? Are we too ambitious?)

– am so looking forward to this summer. I’ll get nine weeks off (unpaid; I can’t have it all!), and it’s going to be so much fun to spend lots of time with Gabe and Mike. I also love that we’re starting to make plans for our summer. Whee!

– find that it’s getting (finally!) much, much easier to get lots done with a baby. Like I mentioned, I did some major decluttering and organizing this week, which feels so good I can’t even explain, you guys. I feel lighter and my apartment feels happier. I’ve also been cooking and baking more. Yum. And yay.

– adore this baby more than anything ever in the history of the world and still take entirely too many photos.