Alekzander continues to be such a good baby. For a while, I think I was secretly holding my breath, praying that he wouldn't change from his easy-going infant ways. So far, we have a healthy, happy, handsome little man on our hands. He is always happy, always smiling. He babbles and squeals excitedly. "Dada" comes out of his mouth often, but he hasn't yet associated it with Andrew. "Ma" is murmured most often when he is upset or sleepy; I'll take it! I'll happily be his rescuer and comforter. "Ra" and "La" are other common sounds, perhaps because we always talk to the dogs, Syra and Kaila. He is curious, and strong, both physically and mentally. Boy is he strong willed. Already he knows what he likes (pears, butternut squash, bananas, plain yogurt) and what he doesn't like (prunes, green beans). He likes to choose his own toys from his shelf. When he is bored with one item, he moves along to the next. Literally huffing and puffing, slapping and scooting his way across the room. [And then, pause for applause. "Mama, did you see that? I just pulled all of my stuffed animals out of my basket!" ... and yes, we applause and say, "Yay Alekzander!" A lot!]
While he often goes on napping strikes, it allows Mama a perfect excuse to steal some snuggles and nap with him. Friends and even my dental hygienist remind me that "babies don't keep." The dishes and fur balls drifting around my house will be there in an hour and even the next day. But when my sweet boy needs me, life is put on hold. I wouldn't have it any other way. His independence is broadening though. I can let him play in his room for a few minutes at a time, or leave him in the pack&play while I run around the house. His favorite game is "Stand Up, Sit Down" ... he could play this all day long, by himself or by climbing Mama. [Pause for applause. "Yay Alekzander!! You are so strong and big."] He practices during these napping strikes some days, by pulling up in his crib. (We've also recently noticed that he likes to sharpen his teeth on the top rail of his crib during this game. It looks like a mouse has nibbled the wood. [No applause here. I don't know how to stop this.]) He also loves playing Peek-A-Boo with us. He knows how to pull the blanket off of his head or off of a toy. [Pause for applause. "Good job, buddy!!!"] He's a smart little guy.
He had to be a tough little guy this past week as his third tooth (top left) popped through. Sleep has been disrupted for nearly two months since his first stomach bug and his first cold, but I think our sleepless nights and inconsolable midnight moaning may have been due to teething pain. We'll get back to 12 hour sleeps. One day.
{{See the tooth on top? It is huge. No wonder it hurt so badly.}}
[Pause for applause. "You're a rock star.
That big bad tooth will serve you good some day soon."]
Special skills at seven months:
Feeds himself Zwieback toast and Mum Mums
Attempts to feed himself chunks of banana (but it gets lost in his palm)
Has tried chicken and turkey breast and beef
Eats pear, banana, and avocado chunks
Nurses 4-6 times a day
Has 3 solid meals a day
Drinks water out of a sippy cup
Pulls up on his own
Takes a few steps while holding Ma's or Da's hands
Climbs Mount Daddy and climbs over pillow obstacles
"Sings" with songs on the radio & in response to our singing
Scoots/crawls (he almost has both legs working!)
Chooses his own toys
Makes "kissy" noises after we make "kissy" noises
Gets excited when Mama or Dada walk into a room
Charms everyone at the church nursery (we honestly had three adults compliment his great behavior and "chill" personality the other night)
[Pause for applause. "We are so proud of you, Alekzander. We know how wonderful you are and love that you share your sweetness with strangers."]
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