7 months

Lots of good things have happened this past month. You learned to sit about 5 days after your 6 month Well Baby checkup where they asked me among many things if you could sit on your own and I had to say no. I swear you were just doing it on purpose. One day it was immediate toppling over, the next, just sitting there like you had secretly been practicing for weeks.

Among other accomplishments, you grew hair. I'm proud to say goodbye to the baby mullet -see, I didn't even need to cut it off, and hello to a full head of chocolate brown baby boy hair. I love boy hair, you don't even have to comb it. You wake up in the morning like the cheery little fellow you are with your messy hair and it looks like the I'm-so-good-looking,-I-look-hot-even-with-messy-hair hair do. However, because you now have no remaining bald spots, I felt obliged to trim off the long comb over hair at the top of your head that was single handedly trying to make up for the bald areas. I felt it gave you personality, but it was time to move on and you are so adorable with or without it that it didn't take me too long to get over my heartache over the loss of your baby hair.

You've started eating baby food, rice cereal and bananas this past week. Once we added the bananas to the mix, you're enthusiasm for food definitely improved. And an added bonus, only one poop in 24 hours! I think that's a record for you. Sadly, your poopies had finally gotten to a point where they didn't really smell like a toxic waste dump explosion in my sinus cavity. Kind of like they were supposed to be all along because you're breastfed. So, I'm bracing myself for the moment where enough baby food has gone through your system and a new, more mature poop smell develops. This is usually the point where the diaper champ becomes utterly ineffective and I'll probably just start throwing the diapers out the window of your second floor room like baseballs in to the neighbors security spotlights that light up your entire room at night. I guess they think if a burglar tries to breach their compound, he will surely be coming from the roof of our house. ... Anyway.

This past month, you've been super into toys. You must have toys at all times. I'm glad I had the forethought to buy a second car seat toy while you still enjoyed the first froggy one with Irish music. Because, suddenly, you bored of it, I attached the other one and magically kept the momentum of happiness going without a hitch. But only after a couple of weeks of the new chime elephant toy whose tags are so so soft and nutritious to suck on, I think you're on to my plan. I'm afraid the resistance movement has begun after all. Yes, the dreaded arching of the back accompanied by high pitched squeal of indignation upon being placed in the car seat. Last Monday, you cried hysterically all the way home from daycare which is a 30 minute drive. I think we all need psychotherapy now, thanks a lot. The minute we got home, I hurriedly took you out of the seat expecting that I would need all my motherly love to calm you and bring you back to a balanced state of mind. But before I even had you out of the seat, you turned that switch off like it was nothing. So the next day, you cried hysterically in the car seat on the way home for 10 minutes and we just ignored you and didn't even feel bad about it.

Health Watch - you've been to the pediatrician's office every week this month: ear infection, Hand Foot Mouth Decease, Fifth's Decease, another potential ear infection and runny nose & coughing throughout. The only other person I know that gets sick as much as you is your daddy. If in ten years from now, the medical community comes to the realization that the current emphasis on the superiority of breast milk to formula in building babies' immune systems, lower incidence of eczema, ear infections, vomiting, etc. etc. is completely unfounded, I'm going to be really pissed off. This is probably the only thing I have done in my life based on faith alone. So far, I can't say I'm seeing the benefits except for less bottles to wash ... and being close to you. I'm just saying, it would be nice to have some degree of validation that this is actually good for you and not possibly giving you eczema, diarrhea and a puny body. Thank god, you don't have to breastfeed for 18 years or something, that would suck (no pun intended).

Sofia can't wait for you to grow up. You're really not much use to her if you cannot stand up to her rough play. I hope you're tough and not too much of a cry baby (I'm sorry I know you're a baby and you cry, but you know what I mean) because I have a feeling you are going to be the subject of many experiments in torture and unless you learn how to bite back like Lolo, you are not going to do well. Sometimes while I'm holding you, she pulls on your limbs like she's pulling on one of her stuffed guys and I explain to her that you're a real boy and that hurts you but I think she still has a ways before she really understands that ... or, maybe she never will. Sorry, I just can't really make any promises there. Maybe it's because you almost never cry when she tries to squeeze the life out of you that she doesn't really understand the effect. She still manages to envoke complete happyness and excitement in you with her crazy antics.

I think you are possibly more flirty now than ever. Your smile makes me so happy or maybe just the fact that you still like me. One of two isn't too bad I guess. When you get older, and not even too much older, the girls are going to be all over you. And although Sofia has plenty of boyfriends, they like her because she is just like them, but you are going to dazzle all the girls with you're dreamy eyes and yummy smile. Just try not to drool so much, ok.

By the way, right now you weigh 15 lbs 10 oz.