Letter to Baby

Dear Lukeasaurus-

You are 7 months old now!  I swear just yesterday you were 6 months, so I'm sure tomorrow you'll be 8 months old, so if you could slow it down a little, I'd be more than appreciative!  You must be the most awesome 7 month old ever.  How do I know, you ask?  Well, because everyone says so.  Not just family, either, but people who just see you at church, the grocery store, the office...e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e.  So it must be the truth.

In the way of stats, you are (or were at your 6 month checkup) 15 pounds 15 ounces and 25 inches long which keeps you at the 25th %tile.  We aren't sure if you stayed at the almost 16 pound mark, because after your shots, let's just say you went through a lot of diapees.  TMI?  maybe.  Sorry about that.

You are still great at rolling over to your tummy from your back, and you still hate rolling back over.  You practically refuse to do it.  You are trying so hard to crawl, and I'm sure in these next few months you'll be a pro at it.  You love love love your jumper.  You love to spin around in its seat and check out all the toys, talk, scream with pure enjoyment, all while jumping. :)  You are sitting up so big now!  We like to lay out a blanket, scatter your toys around, and watch with pure pride while you play.  We stick around just in case you topple over, but soon you'll be pushing us away and doing it all by yourself.

A little tooth has started to show through and man is it a sharp a little thing!  You always love chomping on our fingers, and that's how we found out that sucker was making an appearance!!  The drooling has increased, you suck on your lip, you suck on cold teether rings or washcloths, basically you suck on anything.  You've been so great about that little tooth, not really letting it bother you, just taking it all in stride!

Your favorite foods still include sweet potatoes and bananas, but we are venturing out and trying more of some other foods like sweet peas (which you hate), green beans (you don't mind so much), apples (mmmm) and carrots (more please!).  When you had your six month pediatric appointment, we were told we could bump you up to 2nd foods and by 9 months, start letting you sip out of a sippy cup and eat real food.  I might've had a slight stroke right then, but I just can't imagine all these new things that lay ahead of you!!  At Jennifer and Joe's, you had some of Pam's yummy mashed potatoes.  You were all over those, reaching for my plate, trying to gobble down some more.  And that brings up another topic, reaching!

You have never been interested for reaching for your parents, but when it comes to food, toys, or the most unimportant object, you're reaching for it.  I can barely sit you in your bumbo seat before you're trying with all your might to turn yourself around to reach for something.  Anything.  When we change your diaper, the reaching starts again, for the lotion bottle, clothes, the hand sanitizer, the corner of the changing pad, whatever you can get those little hands on.  I must say, it makes changing your diaper qualify for an olympic sport.

On the sleeping front, you sleep through the night like a champ.  Please keep that up!!  We like to give you dinner, play, have a bath, swaddle, give you a bottle, rock you for a bit, then lay you in your crib.  When we lay you in your crib, it doesn't matter if you've fallen asleep while rocking or not, your eyes immediately open when your head hits that mattress.  So we turn on your mobile, you squirm your arms out of the swaddle, and eventually fall asleep.  You also move so much when you sleep!  We always find you curled up in a corner of the crib with your pacifier at the other end.  I don't know how it happens, but it does.

Bath time is one of your favorite times of the day.  You kick your feet, splash, play, suck on a washcloth, play with a cup and your ducky.  The cup is your favorite, and my worst enemy.  A few night ago, you were playing with your washcloth when all of a sudden you grabbed the cup and tipped it over on your face...with your mouth open like you were trying to drink from it.  You got a little too much water down your throat and it startled you; it scared the bejeezus out of me.  You don't like sitting up in the tub, you'd much rather lay on your sling and play from there.  We'll continue to work on that, but I know you'll do it when you're good and ready.

We love you so much, Luke.  We are amazed every day at how much you constantly change and learn new things.  You're pretty amazing, but you knew that already.

All our love,
Mom and Dad