Newsletter: Month Seven

Dear Ian, Today you turn seven months old and you celebrated the occasion by rolling off the sofa and getting a big bruise on the side of your face. It was our first incident of being a horrible parent so far and I'm at least pleased we managed to get seven months into this without accidentally killing you.

This has been a big month for you developmentally. From the day we showed back up at day care after your six month check up the ladies were asking if we would start you on solid foods. It's been a slow start so far, with a piece of broccoli here and a nibble of bagel there. You've had pineapple, peas in the pod, guacamole, apple, green beans, chicken, edamame and strawberries so far. No significant amount is making it to your belly but you're gaining enthusiasm for it all. The strawberry adventure was probably my favorite in that I thought I was being so clever putting you in just a disposable diaper and setting you on the ping pong table but after the massacre, I wasn't sure how I was going to get you back in the house. Thankfully you still fit in the kitchen sink (barely!).

The day care ladies told me that you've started holding the bottle yourself when they feed you. I told them you must have been practicing at home because you keep holding my boob when you're nursing. Just this last week when I had to go to Harvard, your Daddy was able to see it in action, though, as he could just give you a bottle and you'd be ready to go on your own. Such a big boy!

Sitting up has been getting easier for you and rarely do you fall over. Day care did note that last week you toppled over and hit your cheek which left a tiny mark. They promised me an incident report about it but I didn't worry about it. Then again, I told your Daddy that I may need to fill out an incident report myself after today's accident.

You didn't want to sit on the floor by yourself but were happy up on the sofa with me in front of you. I was working on collecting all the tumbleweeds of dog hair from under the sofa but when I moved over to the love seat and turned my back for just a second I heard a thud and my heart sank (much like you sank off the end of the sofa). You managed to sport an impressive shiner just in time for all the families from our birth class to come over and visit. It was nice for us to compare notes on all the mistakes we've made like that, though.

When your mother isn't putting you in harm's way, you're doing a great job of working on getting your feet under you. You've just started tucking your knees under and rocking back and forth. You don't make much forward progress at all and only a little backwards progress, but it's all the groundwork for actual crawling and we're pleased as punch! Now to figure out how to baby-proof the house without fencing the dogs in too.

This also marks the month of the minivan! We took the plunge and got you a new car shortly after last month's birthday because you were quickly outgrowing the car seat bucket. It's been a life saver for us all! I love watching you just hang out in the back seat and look out the window like a real big kid. You sing along to the radio and mimic the noises we make while singing. There's definitely a lot more spit involved in your versions of the lyrics.

This month has been a lot of fun for us. Some of the previous months were significant and rewarding but this month has just been straight up enjoyable. You can sit up but can't crawl away. You know enough to interact with us but not so much that you want to disagree with us. You are toying with solid foods but we can still pack light with just my boobs to sate your hunger. It's been awesome all around. I look forward to seeing what you show us next!

Love, Mama