Seventh Heaven

Polka dot princess

My sweet baby turned seven months old this past week. So hard to believe. This has been a month of smiles, sits, swings, and now, sand. What lovely transitions we have been seeing. Mostly we've been learning more of her sense of humor. The joy she typically exudes has has sprouted into laughter. It is always awesome to see just what is funny to a baby and to remember that so many things they are seeing for the very first time. She laughs at her brothers, (mostly at their jumps), at faces reappearing, at bouncing, at others colliding, at swinging. She laughs at being startled and she laughs when I admonish Cris for sucking her toes.

Thursday's child, has far to go, but she can now sit up

 The other day as I was holding her facing out by the armpits, she leaned to far forward and did an actual front flip in my hands. After a few seconds of tears she laughed at the feat. Then she reached out her hands together admonishing me to clap for her. I do clap for you. Go baby go! Take risks, be brave, Smile at your falterings, find those reasons to laugh in every situation. I applaud your little words for mamama, ta-da, (dad) and momomom (grandma) and your need to know. I applaud your gentle spirit and how you seek to comfort as well as be comforted- your little snuggles and the way you always rub my arm and my face when I am holding you. And I applaud how you can use that little thumb to make yourself so content.

I love that trademark tongue; perhaps because it is an inherited trait you get from me. I love how you stick it out for slyness, for sillyness; and if you are always trying to stretch it to something you just can't reach. You sticks it out to concentrate, when reaching and when plotting just how you are going to reach every beautiful thing in the world before you.

She has perfected the art of sitting and has the most perfectly poised balance. She focuses on every tiny detail and can find the most minute objects before her. She always seems to make a plan before deciding where she is going to go next. She scopes things out in a 360 shuffle and then does a lovely side stretch to show off how far she's come.  And if you are not looking, somehow, she shuffles about three little feet from A to B. Slowly to all fours and then down. But if you are looking, she stops.

Starbright

Cups are something she begs for. Water is super fun from a cup and she does a pretty reasonable job of drinking it if someone else holds the cup. We have been introducing some new foods. She is skeptical of the mushy things and only eager for us to give her authentic food. Sugar snap pea pods, fresh from the farm, are currently her favorite thing to gnaw on. She gives up great protest when it is time to take it away.

Pea pods!

Yesterday I sat her down in a sandbox. The uncertainty made her cry the first few minutes. Then an apprehensive taste. She was shortly, one sloppy little sister. We would expect nothing less...

Sandy smiles