7 months

Abigail,

Yesterday, you turned 7 months old.  

Up until now, every "birthday" has fit.  At 1 month old, you seemed one month old, 4 months seemed just about right, and even last month at 6 whole months - I had no problem believing that 6 months had flown by.  But, for some reason, 7 seems so much bigger.  Maybe it's because it's past 6 - over halfway to the big 1 year.  7 months seems very old to me and its a little

 strange to think that you're there already.

I think this is the beginning of every new month feeling this way though.  I think you're done being a little baby and are well on your way to being your own little person.

So let's talk milestones.  At 7 months, you are getting so good at sitting by yourself.  I rarely have to keep you from toppling over - but I don't ever leave you sitting by yourself yet either.  You love food - I think peaches and avocados are your favorite with blueberries close behind.  You don't like applesauce yet and bananas are hit or miss.  You are so so so expressive.  You constantly amaze and entertain us with your barrage of noises and faces.  Most of the time we understand exactly what you're trying to say.

I need to weigh you to see how much you've grown.  You seem to have gotten heavier lately.  You're still in size 1 diapers - which is a little insane - but, hey, you're on the small side - nothing wrong with that.  You've also recently decided that you no longer like your paci.  This is bittersweet to us as parents who had come to rely heavily on its soothing powers.  You seem to be done with sucking on things for now and are all about chewing.  You don't suck your thumb, but you constantly chew on your index finger.  No teeth yet, but I'm sure they'll be here before long.

Your newest accomplishment is waving.  You now wave at anybody who waves at you.  It's a very delicate wave - as if you were the Queen of England - but it's completely precious.  You still think your daddy is the best thing ever.  You get so excited when you see him and will jump up and down and squeal and wave your arms at him until he holds you.  And, just so you know, he's twice as crazy about you.  You also love to stand with our help and you go absolutely bonkers when you see the mirror - it never fails to excite you. 

I'm happy to announce that you finally have hair!  :)  It is very fine and very light - so from a distance most people probably wouldn't notice - but I notice - every little strand.  I brush it for you everyday. Part of your hair is much lighter than the rest and it creates a light ring around your head - it looks just like a halo.  Your daddy had the same thing - and still has parts of it, so you definitely get that from him.  

You get lots of attention when we go out places.  Most of the time, people comment on your big blue eyes (another gift from your daddy).  You smile at everybody.  When you meet somebody new or when you're really excited, you do this thing where you smile, and then you quickly bury your face in my shoulder.  Then you'll peek back out and hide your face again.  It's pretty cute.

You're making more baby sounds everyday.  You melted our hearts when you started saying Da-Da.  One day, you looked right at your daddy and said "Hi-Da-Da!" and I saw him melt into a puddle of love....then, you turned to your monkey toy, grabbed him by the face, looked him in the eyes and said "Hi-Da-Da" to him too.  Well, it was funny.  You're not to the point of association yet (at least we hope) but Da and Ba are your favorite new words.  I'm secretly working with you on those Ma sounds.  ;-)

I've done a lot of thinking about being a mom lately.  More specifically, being your mom.  I'm really really happy.  Even 7 months later - it still dawns on me like a new idea every so often that we made you and you're real and you're ours.  We try everyday to be the best parents we know how to be.  Part of me can't wait to watch you grow up and the other part of me tries to enjoy each moment and not get lost in looking ahead.  Basically, we just feel really lucky to have you.

So, little miss Abigail, happy 7 month birthday.  I'm so happy I get to be your mom.  I love you.  We love you.  Always.