summer so far.

Six months and seven months have flown by and eight months is on its way. For someone who is cutting four teeth at once you are remarkably sweet most of the time. Soon enough you'll have six (!) teeth total and will maybe even start napping again. After a few months of commando crawling towards all your favorite toys you discovered the kitchen step, quickly followed by real deal crawling on all fours. You can cover quite some ground in a few seconds and are adept at screaming your way into our arms if we try to leave you in the playpen. You spend a lot of time on my back and will occasionally even fall asleep back there, snug under the sun shade. 

A few days ago you figured out how to stand up, pulling yourself up against the mattress, then the couch, then your crib, and pretty much anything else. You are typically pleased with yourself and frequently look to see if we're watching you. You take little side steps sometimes but mostly just sway and bounce til your legs give out and you fall on your butt. We love it. You say "mama" pretty regularly, sometimes adding in some extra "mas"for impact. You use two fingers to find things on the floor you should not eat. Especially dog hair and blades of grass. You now eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in addition to still frequent nursing. You've tried many different foods now and I make a new batch of purees every few weeks. You tolerate being spoon fed and tend to enjoy it more when we eat too. You chomp happily on wedges of peach, banana segments, green beans, and anything else we hand you. Sipping water out of your silver cup and is probably the only activity which you do patiently these days. 

You don't especially seem to care for water but perhaps prefer the shower over a bath. Completely enamored of all things dog or cat, you drop everything when a pet enters the room. You eat books and tear paper. You laugh at peekaboo and babble in the car. We have taken many long walks in the morning with dogs and sunhats in tow. There has been swimming some evenings and lots of homemade pizza. Afternoons are spent indoors when the temperature soars above 90 and you enjoy getting sprayed down with hose on the porch outside when we get stir crazy. There has been more baby paint experiences and crawling in the grass. You've spent a few evenings without us as we've even gone on a date or two. You go to bed in your crib and usually wind up next to me in the early hours. There were a few colds this summer. You had a fever for a week straight while these top teeth cut through. You fall asleep more easily when we sing to you.

We have less time for writing, picture taking, and general oohing and aahing. You require more attention, more interaction, more play. You get bored more easily. Strong and determined, you would rather crawl to new places than play sitting still. I give you things that aren't toys and you tend to enjoy them more than something designed for babies. You have a small saucepan and a wooden spoon that get a lot of face time. I like watching the way you use your hands and call you monkey because of it. You respond to familiar faces with big grins and giggles. Sometimes you are remarkably solemn and I wonder what you are working out in your brain. It's been a real trip, watching your mind develop.