Seven Months

Today is Little One's golden birthday- 7months on the 7th! Let there be fireworks! Parades! No? Ok well, then let there be overly-loquacious recounting of developmental progress! Yes! Here we go:

First of all, Little One would like you to know, She is now quite able and desirous of being involved in the greater community. She speaks up and weighs in on grown-up conversations, for instance. She sings along with the radio people. She laughs herself silly if others are laughing. She would like to eat what we are eating, and when we are eating. She would like to be where the action is, and not left to play on Her own any number of inches away. She would like to "help" with activities by getting Her hands all over the vacuum/spatula/textbook/toothbrush/whatever is being used and shaking it vigorously and with an air of utmost importance.

If left out, She is able to give a little cough, like, ahem, "cough cough (batting eyelashes, patient smile)." Or to mention her preferences, like, excuse me but I am right here, "aahgooDabllrrrrrt". Or to whine. Or to hold up Her arms beseechingly and say, "aaaaAH?!" Or to have a pretty decent go at a tantrum. "Is that what that is?" J asked me upon his first witness of said event. Why yes. Yes it is. And it's only the warm up.

Oddly She doesn't mind alone time if it's in Her crib. When She wakes up or before She drifts off, Little One has added a workout routine to Her talks with Blankie and Feet. I hear Her up there, moving and banging on stuff and when I peek in She is managing to turn Herself sideways, then a full 180, then all kinds of rollings around and kickings and squirmings ensue.

I think this is how She practices, and waits to demonstrate Her new skills until She can really impress us. As with the Rolling which She's now such a pro at. Or the new crab-shuffle, where She rolls on Her back, skitters Her feet out to one side, then rolls on Her tummy, so that She ends up going in a forward direction. But in a very roundabout and entertaining manner.

In the end though She can get to mostly anything, and She's begun to actually play with toys now rather than just slobbering them. She is able to walk in her stationary walker and pull the toys off the dashboard. She has discovered gravity, which is really really cool until the part where the object is now irretrieveably on the floor.

Fortunately this game does not yet extend to food, because the food does not stay around long enough to be played with. This girl chows. I thought for sure I could get you peanuts a good lemony sour-baby face picture by giving Her kale this week. No dice. She loves kale. She loves eating. She likes helping steer the spoon to Her mouth, to make sure you don't intend to trick her, or miss and not get the food into Her mouth right now please. How a 7month old in 3month-old clothing (actually still wearing some of Her newborn stuff) can pack away that much cereal, milk, kale, and water is a miracle of science. But She does it, and has a ball doing it.

She has a ball with most things, really. She interacts and enjoys playdates with other babies, She LOVES Her evening bath. She eats up any kind of attention, be it human or canine. She's fascinated and amused by pretty much any object, sound, smell, activity, and seems to be smiling and thinking, "now I can learn about this! and this! and this!" all the time. She likes being read to and pretending to read back, She likes going out and seeing new things, or staying in and playing and snuggling.

Snuggling is still Her favorite activity. We get in a good snuggle at least every morning and before bed, but despite Her new wiggly antsy-pants-ness, She likes to take a lot of cuddle breaks during the day, too. The best part is that She has added actual hugs to Her snugglishness now. Really good, wide-armed, head on the shoulder, nuzzled-in hugs. Which actually make up for the chocolate I'm missing on the allergy diet.

The Big change this month I think, is that Little One has crossed over to the Learning Zone. The age in which She can not only observe, but understand and apply. The time during which everything is an educational experience and little synapses are forming at incredible rates. She is trying really hard to master new skills; She can wave "bye-bye", give a kiss, and is working on saying h-h-h-hi and on clapping. From here on out, She is going to be bent on participating in the World, and each moment is a teaching opportunity. It's going to keep us all busy! And it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun.

Life is getting 7 times more exciting every day. Happy 'golden' birthday Little One! Here's to lucky number 7!