7 months and 7 teeth

Eddie IV turned 7 months today...and has 7 teeth...crazy! It is going by too fast. I find myself wanting to spend every single second of every single day with him because watching him grow and develop is just so much fun. He is really active now and we have to always keep an eye on him for he is constantly grabbing things and moving about. While on the floor, he rolls around both ways and pivots in all directions to move himself towards toys or to touch different textures, like the edge of the blanket or the rug. He loves nylon straps, like those on the changing table and on his high chair harness. He grabs these straps and sucks on them with such fervor. I have also realized that I cannot wear zip-up hoodies or sweatshirts because he loves to grab the zipper and the drawstring cords and will not let go without a serious fight. He still plays with such intensity and focus. He really doesn't seem to have any favorite toys, but is starting to really like balls and his wooden blocks. He sleeps with a doudou style stuffed pony, called Mr. Blue Pony, or simply Blue, and a small blankie that was a gift from Daddy's friend Scotty J. We read books throughout the day often right before he goes down for a nap. Sometimes I read with him in my lap with him facing the book but he tends to want to eat the book - many of his board books have teeth marks in them - or rip the book if possible. So for the bigger books with paper pages I read those to him while he is playing on the floor and he seems to like listening to me read. He loves "Green Eggs and Ham," smiling when I start to read "I Am Sam...Sam I Am..." and we have also been reading the Beatrix Potter books.

Eating is going well. He now eats three times a day and often eats a couple different foods in one sitting. He has most recently eaten acorn squash and peas - he loves the peas! We also tried yogurt but he didn't seem to like it - it was the first time he actually made a sour-puss face while eating. And then I started to get paranoid about his skin and allergies because he got a red patch by his mouth so I stopped the yogurt after two days and will reintroduce it later. His favorite foods seem to be in this order: sweet potatoes, bananas and avocado - these three foods he never turns down and he opens his mouth wide for them. He spends a lot of time in his high chair - his dad calls it "his desk." Mostly because I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and it is the best place for him to observe and play without being on the floor. Likewise, it keeps him away from Mara and her licky-licks. Mara and him rarely interact, probably because for the first couple of weeks with her here I was always telling her "No." But in the morning when Eddie first sees her he smiles, and sometimes when they are on the floor together he will try to grab her or Mara will come over to him and lick him.

Sleeping has been pretty consistent with 3 naps a day, lasting about 45 minutes each. Every now and then he has a long 2-3 hour nap, but it is rare. He wakes up twice a night for a feeding, sometimes only once. We still give him a bath every evening before bed and he likes to play with his boats, rubber duckie and squirter cars.

As the weather gets warmer we will go for more walks and get involved in more activities (just signed up for story time at the library), although I have truly enjoyed these months cozying up together at home. I truly am a home body...and Eddie IV might be too. He talks more (he is razzing now and says 'a-goo' a lot), is more active and is in general happier at home than he seems to be in other places. It is like he is a totally different baby outside of our abode. He still behaves very well in public, but he seems to be in a sort of daze, starring at everything, and rarely smiles. Shopping seems to lull him to sleep...typical boy. He does seem to like to go for car rides now, mostly because he loves to play with his car seat toy, Morgan the Jittery Bug. Thankfully the days of crying in the car are long gone. So much growth and so many changes...he is becoming a little boy, a wild little boy.