7 months
Dear Hazel,
Today you are 7 months old. (Well, 7 months and 2 days if you're counting. And I am, apparently.)
We are visiting Grama Eileen and Grampa Steve right now. You took your first plane ride to visit them. You were very good on the plane. A bit squirmy, though, because you wanted to get down and roll around in the aisle. You were one of many babies on the plane.
You are very close to crawling. You've done it a few times, but never for more than a stride or two. You quickly revert to your preferred method of rolling and pivoting to get where you want to go. Sometimes you'll get up on your hands and knees, and then lunge for what you want. The lunges are hilarious. First you rock, rock, rock, rock and then LUNGE toward your target.
We put up a gate around the fireplace recently. You are too mobile now and we couldn't avoid it any longer. You mostly ignore the gate, although I did catch you using it to pull yourself up just before we left for this trip. You had already proven once that you can pull yourself up, on Suzanne's tub. This was the first time I'd seen it in person though. It made you seem so big -- closer to a toddler than a newborn. How did that happen?
Actually, you are big. Or tall at least. People comment on it all the time. "She's so long!" It's hard to find pants that are long enough for you and still actually fit around your waist. You're long and lean, like your Papa.
You get more fun all the time. You laugh a lot and squeal loudly as much as ever. You still laugh when I kiss your neck. We've recently discovered that your belly is ticklish, and it's a lot of fun to make you giggle. You play peekaboo now, and it makes you laugh, loud, sharp laughs. It sounds like you are actually saying "HA!"
Papa makes you laugh by standing at the bottom of the stairs, and then popping up and down. You scream with laughter at this. You love your papa, and watching him with you charms me daily. He tosses you in the air, holds you upside down, reads to you and sings you silly songs. When he gets home from work you cry if he leaves the room without picking you up first.
You are going through a Mama and Papa phase. Being held by someone other than us can queue a meltdown if you're not feeling like it. You still warm up to people pretty quickly, though, and then you're willing to be held and show off your considerable charm.
I enjoy having the Mama magic. It feels good to have you settle down the moment I hold you. You have started giving hugs when I pick you up, and it's beyond charming. I'll pick you up and you'll wrap your arms around me and pull yourself in towards my face. I often end up with slobbery baby kiss. The drool is worth it.
Speaking of drool, you are teething again. The drool is considerable, and you are a bit fussier than you would normally be, especially at night. It's a little easier now, knowing what to expect, and knowing that it will pass again, at least for awhile. The lack of solid sleep makes me even more absent-minded than I already am. It's hard to function when your sleep is broken into tiny snippets. It's also hard to be annoyed, though, when you wake up at 6 a.m. and turn your charm on high.
You've had a few more types of food to try. You like banana and carrot especially. You prefer to feed yourself, and you're getting better at it. Still, though, you spend as much time smearing the food as you do eating it. You have also started trying to eat the little bits of crud that end up on the floor. Tufts of cat hair, bits of bark off of the firewood. If we put you down with a tray of food, it is a big ordeal for you to get it in your mouth. First you'll chase it around the tray. Then you'll miss your mouth several times. If you find a bit of bark on the floor, though, you get it in your mouth the first try. Every time.
We visited Janeen, Vivian and Kyle today. Kyle had picked out a little rolling horse for you to ride. It was a huge hit. Tomorrow Janeen and Kyle will come visit at Grama and Grampa's house, and we will go play in the snow. Maybe you can take your first sled ride. I'm sure Kyle will show you how it works.
You bring so much fun a laughter to our lives. Thank you for being our baby.
Love,
Mama
Clicky for more pics:
Hazel
Today you are 7 months old. (Well, 7 months and 2 days if you're counting. And I am, apparently.)
We are visiting Grama Eileen and Grampa Steve right now. You took your first plane ride to visit them. You were very good on the plane. A bit squirmy, though, because you wanted to get down and roll around in the aisle. You were one of many babies on the plane.
You are very close to crawling. You've done it a few times, but never for more than a stride or two. You quickly revert to your preferred method of rolling and pivoting to get where you want to go. Sometimes you'll get up on your hands and knees, and then lunge for what you want. The lunges are hilarious. First you rock, rock, rock, rock and then LUNGE toward your target.
We put up a gate around the fireplace recently. You are too mobile now and we couldn't avoid it any longer. You mostly ignore the gate, although I did catch you using it to pull yourself up just before we left for this trip. You had already proven once that you can pull yourself up, on Suzanne's tub. This was the first time I'd seen it in person though. It made you seem so big -- closer to a toddler than a newborn. How did that happen?
Actually, you are big. Or tall at least. People comment on it all the time. "She's so long!" It's hard to find pants that are long enough for you and still actually fit around your waist. You're long and lean, like your Papa.
You get more fun all the time. You laugh a lot and squeal loudly as much as ever. You still laugh when I kiss your neck. We've recently discovered that your belly is ticklish, and it's a lot of fun to make you giggle. You play peekaboo now, and it makes you laugh, loud, sharp laughs. It sounds like you are actually saying "HA!"
Papa makes you laugh by standing at the bottom of the stairs, and then popping up and down. You scream with laughter at this. You love your papa, and watching him with you charms me daily. He tosses you in the air, holds you upside down, reads to you and sings you silly songs. When he gets home from work you cry if he leaves the room without picking you up first.
You are going through a Mama and Papa phase. Being held by someone other than us can queue a meltdown if you're not feeling like it. You still warm up to people pretty quickly, though, and then you're willing to be held and show off your considerable charm.
I enjoy having the Mama magic. It feels good to have you settle down the moment I hold you. You have started giving hugs when I pick you up, and it's beyond charming. I'll pick you up and you'll wrap your arms around me and pull yourself in towards my face. I often end up with slobbery baby kiss. The drool is worth it.
Speaking of drool, you are teething again. The drool is considerable, and you are a bit fussier than you would normally be, especially at night. It's a little easier now, knowing what to expect, and knowing that it will pass again, at least for awhile. The lack of solid sleep makes me even more absent-minded than I already am. It's hard to function when your sleep is broken into tiny snippets. It's also hard to be annoyed, though, when you wake up at 6 a.m. and turn your charm on high.
You've had a few more types of food to try. You like banana and carrot especially. You prefer to feed yourself, and you're getting better at it. Still, though, you spend as much time smearing the food as you do eating it. You have also started trying to eat the little bits of crud that end up on the floor. Tufts of cat hair, bits of bark off of the firewood. If we put you down with a tray of food, it is a big ordeal for you to get it in your mouth. First you'll chase it around the tray. Then you'll miss your mouth several times. If you find a bit of bark on the floor, though, you get it in your mouth the first try. Every time.
We visited Janeen, Vivian and Kyle today. Kyle had picked out a little rolling horse for you to ride. It was a huge hit. Tomorrow Janeen and Kyle will come visit at Grama and Grampa's house, and we will go play in the snow. Maybe you can take your first sled ride. I'm sure Kyle will show you how it works.
You bring so much fun a laughter to our lives. Thank you for being our baby.
Love,
Mama
Clicky for more pics:
Hazel