Seven Months Old

I just can't believe my little girl is 7 months old. What joy she brings to my life! She's getting so big and the word I use to describe her most often is "fun". She is our little social butterfly and loves to talk, laugh and watch people, especially kids. She's no longer content to lay on her back. She does ab crunches to try to pull herself to sitting. She enjoys sitting to play, but is still happiest when she's jumping. Mia is also starting to wave bye-bye, and occasionally will come at me - open mouthed - when I ask for kisses. She may be trying to chew on my nose or something, but it's cute to me nonetheless!

Mia uses her two little teeth to chomp on anything she can get her hands on. We've continued to introduce new foods to her palate, and have also started giving her teething biscuits in the baby safe feeder. Last week we introduced her first official finger foods, some banana puffs. Since solids are new to her we will only do things that dissolve quickly, to prevent choking. She still isn't sure what to make of them, playing with some, eating some, and throwing some on the floor. Grace just loves that!

Weeknights are Mommy and Mia's special time together. We have a great routine and I really look forward to getting home to her each night. She gets more animated every day and I love watching her observe and react to the world around her. She loves to babble and have conversations with me. We start our "talks" on the way home. I'll ask her questions about her day and she'll respond in baby talk. I'll then mimic her and she smiles and laughs when she hears me speak "Mia". Once we're home, we play with her toys. She loves her blocks and her caterpillar rattle. Usually she ends up in my arms where we roll around the floor or I gnaw on her belly to elicit that hearty laugh I just love to hear. Next it's dinner time, rice cereal mixed with veggies. Usually she'll get a teething biscuit or banana in the baby safe feeder to occupy her while I change clothes and make her dinner. After dinner is bath time, followed by a bottle and then bedtime. Mia is ready to crash by 7:30 p.m., if not sooner, so all this happens pretty quickly, with no time for me to sit down until after she's in bed. Mia will stay up later if we're out somewhere, but she doesn't sleep as well at night. So I try to stick to her bedtime routine during the week. 

I stopped the 10 p.m. nighttime feed last week. I thought it would cause her to wake up hungry during the night but it hasn't. If anything she seems to sleep more soundly, usually a good 12 hours a night. That doesn't mean Mike and I get 12 hours, however. Mia likes to babble and make noises throughout the night. Although we keep the monitor turned down to the lowest setting, she still wakes us up a couple times each night. Sometimes we go see what she's up to, other times we just laugh at all her baby noises.

Speaking of sleeping, Mia has taken after her Aunt Miss in that department. She's all over the place! I never know where she will be when I go in to check on her. Usually she sleeps on her side or her belly, even though I always lay her on her back to fall asleep. I've caught her in the act of using the crib rails to walk her feet up over her head, flipping herself onto her belly. Future gymnast, perhaps?

These past seven months have been the most joyful, fulfilling time of my life. I am so in love with my baby girl and her sweet and happy spirit lights me from the inside. She is the greatest blessing I could ever imagine and I can't wait to see all the fun this next month will bring us. Happy Birthday Mia!