The seventh month

He:

*Loves peekaboo - but it's funnier to him when you turn around and then turn back really fast and say "hi" instead of peekaboo.

*Has had two holidays since his six month post - Halloween and Thanksgiving, and we are gearing up for Christmas!

*Has acquired another tooth which puts the count up to five! He has one more to get on the bottom and then two more on the top and then we're DONE until the 12-month molars. His toothy grin melts my heart every time.

*Still has a love of Uptown Funk, but whereas it used to relax him and put him to sleep, now he's a bouncing/dancing fool to it. He also enjoys Sugar by Maroon Five and Shake It Off by Taylor Swift - we watch the music videos on the YouTube app on our TV and I think he likes all those videos because people are dancing and cheering!

*Still loves running water - the sink is his favorite thing to watch. He's fascinated with the washer but can't quite figure it out. Sometimes he just stares at it and goes "ahh! ahh!" It's pretty hilarious.

*Is used to me wearing necklaces to work, so when I pick him up at the end of the day he smiles and touches my face and then immediately goes for whatever necklace I'm wearing. One day I didn't have one on and he patted my collarbone a couple times and then looked at me like "um...what is happening?"

*Enjoys food - we're taking it slow (only introducing one per week), but so far so good!

*Thinks Ben is the funniest person alive. Watching them together is incredible.

*Still puts his mouth up to cold glasses but is more interested in straws now - not trying to drink out of them but shoving them in and out of the top of the cup - the noise and motion is super fun!

All I want for Christmas are some more pump parts to chew on!

*For some reason really loves the toys that freak Ben and me out. His favorite is one we call creepy monkey; you push the stomach and the sound that comes out is children's laughter - from a monkey! (Did he eat them? Why does it sound like that? What are they laughing about?) We've also brought out a Leap Frog stuffed animal someone gave us called Scout. He's a green dog and plays songs and asks questions - I can definitely see how Parks will learn things from it as he gets older, and you can program in things like name, favorite color, food, etc. However, the way Scout says "Paaaaarkerrrrr" is so weird it cracks us up! 

*Is very into hitting whatever he's holding onto anything that will make noise. It's amazing to watch him figuring things out - sometimes it's almost like I can see his little brain working!

*Is so close to crawling. SO close. Like up on all fours, rocking back and forth, and scooting backwards. He'll go forward but he kind of just flings himself for now.

She:

*Came very close to having mastitis, and now officially believes clogged ducts are one of the seven layers of hell.

*Is having a shift in attitude towards pumping. I've been EP'ing for over seven months now, and while I still have several months until I'll be able to wean/stop, I can see the end in sight, and I'm determined to not resent it the whole time. There are definitely still struggles (I don't go and do the number of things I would if I didn't have to cart a pump bag, a diaper bag, and Parks), but I'm trying to see the positive. Also, it makes me laugh when people are like "oh yeah, are you still pumping?" because I talk about it all the time.

*Had my first experience pumping in the car. It was as awkward and uncomfortable as you would imagine and I hope to never have to do it again. Sheesh!

*Is enjoying Parks so much. So much! The other night he sat on the floor and played with toys (or rather, hit them on things), and I was next to him folding laundry. I'm trying to savor savor savor right now.

We clean up nice, huh?

We:

*Took our first trip without Parks and it was super quick (less than 36 hours) but we went to a wedding, had a great time, and had good "us" time. 

*Are still working on communicating effectively and being kind to each other. Some days it feels like you just go through the motions, but then we stop and have a moment and re-adjust our priorities. We don't want the day-to-day to overshadow the joy that is our little family right now.

When he saw us after we got back from the wedding - I love this photo!

Oh Bubba, we can't believe you are already seven months! You bring so much joy and laughter in our lives - we love you!