Seven Months!

Charlie has a neck! A friend commented on one of my many pictures of Charlie that he looks like a big kid because you can see his neck, and it couldn't be a more accurate observation. He's looking more and more like a big kid and less and less like a baby every day because he's no longer this blob of a head sitting on some shoulders. Now he's no giraffe, but he's got some real space there. And I think it's totally this little neck that's making him look so much older to me. And it's helping him to look all around. My new favorite thing is to look back at him in his car seat just gazing out the window. It's like all the sudden I can flash forward to his elementary school days with this perfect vision of him sitting in the backseat as we drive home from school, but we'll tap the brake on that for now. I know, I know...he's seven months old...get ahold of yourself!

This past month Charlie has rapidly increased his food repertoire - he now eats (and loves!) bananas, mangoes, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, and squash. The only thing he's flat out refused, other than rice cereal and my homemade bananas, is yogurt. And I can't say I really blame him...who likes just plain 'ol whole milk yogurt?! He's eating a 4 oz serving of solid foods twice a day like a total champ, and I don't know exactly how much he weighs because we won't go back to the doctor this month, but I do know he's upwards of 22 lbs. And oof I can feel every ounce of it! He's sleeping so well this past month - through the night every night and taking two wonderful naps a day. He takes about an hour nap in the morning (yay! we finally broke the 40 minute barrier!) and takes a two to two and a half hour nap in the afternoon. And I'm not the only one that loves this new schedule. He's so happy to finally be sleeping for these longer chunks of time. He wakes up smiling, laughing, and of course gleefully yelling.

Because that's what we do nowadays...yell...in the bathtub, outside, in the car, on the swings, and especially at the grocery store. Charlie's no doubt found his voice, and he loves hearing himself. His little voice has found new syllables, new volumes and new inflections. His Gaga and Papa swear he was saying "ball" today, and I don't doubt that will be one of his first words - the 'B' sound is one of his very favs. I'm thinking of changing my name to Ba-Ba and claiming he called out to me first. Over the top? In addition to yelling out, he's also got loads of new laughs and funny faces. He's just started to "get" what he's doing is really making us laugh, and he loves to repeat, repeat, repeat. And of course, we just laugh all the harder.

Chuck's ever-changing voice and laughs aren't the only new additions this past month...he has two sweet little teeth! And doesn't that just make so much sense? At the end of his fifth month he was having a hell of time sleeping - naps and at night. He was working his way out of it right when we hit six months, but he didn't have any teeth so I'd convinced myself it was a growth spurt, and then what do you know? A couple of days into the month, I reached into his mouth and felt a little, tiny shark tooth, and about a week later, another sprouted out. I thought I'd be devastated when that gummy grin was gone, but I have to admit I love looking in and seeing those tiny teeth. And oh my is Charlie serious about keeping his teeth healthy.

This past month we're grateful for the park, unseasonably warm weather, sweet friends, baths, and books, but mostly, we're grateful for our healthy, beautiful little baby. What a freaking joy it is to spend every day with this little dude.

Sweet, little Char is on the downward slope to a year old. And we love, love, love who this little guy is turning into. He is the sweetest, most gregarious, curious, content and loving little fellow I've ever met, and there certainly isn't a day that goes by that we don't spend at least a little time reveling in how sweet life is with our little family and how lucky we are to have Charlie.

Seven Months!

 

Soooo...he doesn't smile all the time...
but jeez, he's even a cute crier!