month 7!

fattypants,

oh, where do i even begin? you are a completely different baby than you were a month ago. your curious, independent little spirit is so infectious. i have enjoyed these past few weeks so much, my monk. i tear up at least once a day because of my overwhelming love for you. and so much has happened this month! first off, you got your first tooth! it is the bottom front tooth on the left side. you have had a few days where it was obvious that it was bothering you, but aside from a little fussing here and there, you remained pretty pleasant. we got you some teething tablets, and i have been giving you those as needed. i sometimes put a little drop of whiskey on my finger and rub it on your gums and that seems to work really well! this is the same method my mom and grandma, and your aunties used, so i figured i'd give it a shot. and let me tell you, that mini bottle of jack daniel's is the reason for our next big milestone...

the night before last, baby boy, you crawled up grandma's stairs! whenever we are over there, you always scoot your adorable tushy over and push yourself up (pushing yourself up is another huge thing you learned to do this month!). you had been trying to lift your knee up but your pants were hindering your ability to do so, so grandma took them off to give you a little more freedom. as soon as she did, you crawled right up that first stair, stood up, and went up the next. we put the bottle of jd at the top and you made it up those stairs in no time! daddy and i were so excited and you were so proud of yourself.

and just last night, after crawling up the stairs again and while playing on the kitchen floor, you actually crawled! crawling up the stairs must have helped you to realize the proper hand motion to propel yourself forward because you were off and running! or crawling, i should say. ;) i can't believe that you are crawling at 7 months old. i predicted a few months back that you would be crawling soon, but i honestly didn't think it would be this soon... you just became mobile!

it has only been 1 month since you figured out how to scoot around, and that is part of what made this month so much fun. once you were able to get around by yourself a bit, you needed me to carry you around less, and entertaining you was no longer such a battle. i thought i would have a little bit more time before i spent my days supervising your every move, but apparently there is no rest for the weary! after the crawling episode, we sat down at the table to play some phase 10 and when i looked over to see what you were up to, you had crawled up 5 stairs and where turned around looking at us. i nearly had a heart attack and ran to the stairs where you promptly opened your little arms and fell into mine. please only do this when mama is nearby because i am not sure guardian angels can catch falling babies!!!

and speaking of rest and weariness, we need to have a little talk. mama needs some sleep. i'm talking preferably more than 4 consecutive hours of slumber, and you are not being very cooperative. you are waking me up every 3 hours to eat, so basically at 11:30, 2:30, and 5:30, and the other night, probably because your tooth was hurting you, you woke me up every hour!!! i feel like a freakin' all-you-can-eat buffet!!! the next day was a bit rough, and i have decided that operation: sleep thru the night shall commence here shortly. i didn't want to do it while grandma and grandpa d were visiting, but they come tomorrow and will be here for almost 3 weeks so they are insisting i go ahead. at least i won't be tired alone! MWAHAHA!

you love to stand, and you hate to sit. you will only do so in the bathtub, or at your musical jungle. also, you sat for our xmas pictures, and they are so dang adorable that i could care less if you ever sit again. wait, scratch that, i will probably be yelling, "i TOLD you to SIT DOWN! right this instant, young man!" sooner than i think. you are so intent on crawling and standing and go, go, going that sitting is the least of your concerns and i'm totally okay with that.

eating, on the other hand, has been a bit frustrating for us both. i want you to do it, and you have no interest in complying. this surprises me due to the fact that you are indeed, a fattypants. i thought for sure that as soon as we started feeding you baby food, you wouldn't be able to get enough. this could not be further from the truth! i am lucky if i get you to take 5 bites in one sitting, and that is on a good day. maybe you will be one of those babies that goes straight from boob to table food, who knows? i do tend to think that you would be a better eater and a better sleeper if you weren't getting up 3 times a night to nurse. we shall see if my theory holds true in the next month.

jacob, last year at this time, i was eagerly awaiting the ultrasound that wrongly told us you were a girl. i couldn't even imagine life a year from then, when i would have a 7 month old baby, and i am glad. because nothing i imagined could have ever compared to what life is really like with you here. you are my reason for living, baby boy. i live for your smile, your laugh, your hugs, and your smooches. thank you for choosing me to be your mama.

love always,
mama