7 Months

Dear Timothy,

Hi Baby! Today, you are 7 months old. WOW! The last three months have been chalk full of changes for you. I almost don't know where to begin! I guess I'll start at the usual place and go from there.


The stats:

Age: 7 months
Weight: 20.5 lbs
Length (when does this change to "height", do you suppose?): 26"
Nicknames: Dopey, Chub-Chubs, Bubba, Drooly McDroolerson, and the recently coined Rojito*

THIS is why we call you Dopey.

Since my last letter, you have learned a lot of new things. You still notice everything, and watch it all so intently. I like watching you discover new things and sometimes you discover old things again and again and again (like the living room ceiling fan. yes, it's still there. yes, it's always been there. No, you don't need to check again.), but you get SO distracted that pesky little details like eating and sleeping get put on the back burner while you attempt to explore everything in your world. It has gotten so bad that the only way to get you to settle down and eat and sleep is to go into a dark room with you. Let me tell you what, Mister: I really don't like doing that. It's boring! Ok, so maybe that makes me the worst mama in the world, but it is. I just have to sit there and wait. But, I suppose that one day, I'll look back on this with fondness.

You now love playing with toys. Big toys, little toys. All toys are equal in your eyes. As long as they can be touched and/or chewed on, toys are good. Red Plastic Cups are the absolute BEST toys right now, so you really love going to church. There are a lot of RPC's at church.

In Thumbsucking world, you are now a Master at putting your thumb in your mouth. The sucking part? Not so much. You are a Thumb-Chewer. Sometimes you are a Thumb-Plus-One-or-More-Other-Fingers-Chewer. Sometimes you are an Entire-Fist-Chewer. Eeeeevery so often, you manage to pull a vacuum on your thumb for all of 2 whole sucks. I think the sound startles you because you kind of flinch away from it and then it will be ages before it happens again.

Since the beginning of May, you have been teething. Along with that has come a TON of drool and chewing. Anybody who hugs you is guaranteed to walk away a little wetter than they were before. You still don't have anything to show for it, though. I've been told that it can take months (yes, you read that correctly) before any teeth show up. I'm not real thrilled with that prospect because you have become kinda...cranky. There. I said it. You, Baby Boy, have become a cranky little monster. I didn't want to tell you because I know you're in pain and I wanted to show support and sympathy, but enough is enough already! You need to stop complaining.

Ok, I've rolled over. NOW what?

You have also learned to roll over. Well...kinda. You can roll from your back to your tummy (turning toward the right), which is pretty cool. You had been working on it for a couple of weeks and finally figured it out on May 24.  It seems like as soon as you figured out how to roll over, you started trying to get your knees up underneath you. So now, I lay you on the floor and you roll over, push up with your arms, playing with whatever you can reach, try out the knee thing and then fuss because you don't know what else to do. It's pretty cute. Probably made cuter by the fact that you'll only do it sans diaper. Don't ask me. I don't know what it is that makes you tick.

You are starting to recognize words. When we play Stand-Up, Sit-Down, I don't have to tug on your arms anymore. I just tell you which to do and you do it! It's pretty fun. You stand right up, but it takes you awhile to sit down (I understand. Sit Down takes more trust. You can't see where your bottom is going.). We are starting to teach you sign language. Just basic stuff (food, more, milk, etc). It's pretty fun to learn.

You are very much a people-person. You like to be around people and see what's going on. As long as you are being held by someone (or really, just in the vicinity of people you can see), you are a happy camper. You love talking to Marme and Pop and Grandma and Uncle Sam.

In March, Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Aysha, Aunt Cecy and Uncle Jonathan came out to visit us. They loved getting to meet you and Grandma loved getting to see how you've grown and changed since you were in the hospital.

 You charmed them with your easy smiles and sweet attitude. I hope you always have that effect on people.

In May, you got to meet Aunt Aimee. She thinks you're pretty swell. You really liked her, too.

So sweet!

"Here, daddy. This is where your code went wrong. I fix it."

Watching Magnum, p.i. Truly a man's activity!

Your very favorite person, though, is your daddy. You light up and start wiggling like a puppy as soon as you see him. You kind of arch your back towards him, and I know that, if you could, you would run to him. You are definitely a Daddy's Boy. You love to do things with him. I can see the future so clearly; you following him into the shop and being underfoot as he fixes the cars, trying to do everything he does, repeating what he says. It's a beautiful picture.

You love to listen to him play guitar. It doesn't matter what you're doing; as soon as he starts playing, you stop and turn to where he is and listen until he's done.










Well, Baby Boy, it's time to end this letter. I love you very much and I am so happy to be your mama. You are so very precious and such a blessing to us.

Love,
Mama



*This may or may not be Spanish for Little Red. In all likelihood, it doesn't actually mean that, but we're pretending it does.