Letters to Serene: 7 months

My dear Serene Joy,

Just like that, you are seven months old! This month seemed to fly by in particular, perhaps because you're growing and changing so insanely quickly, every single day. You weigh 16 lbs 2 oz and are 26 1/2 inches long. You move and groove all over the place, and we're getting our exercise in by constantly rescuing you from the baby-unfriendly objects you encounter on your mobile adventures. It began when you were 26 weeks, where your rolling and scooting landed you into the forbidden treasury of your daddy's beloved books. He yelped in agony when you attempted to topple his neatly arranged books over. Then at 29 weeks, you proudly pushed yourself up into crawling position. You crawl with your legs, but haven't fully figured out how to combine the strength of your arms to move forward. You'll rock back and forth in crawling position, and then, in utter determination, resort to a combination of rolling, scooting, and inching with every ounce of your being (face included!) to grab an elusive pink highlighter.

You tend to roll around in your sleep too, particularly onto your left side. Your naptime schedule has been the most predictable this past month. You nap about three times a day, and you sleep even better through the night now. Though you have been sleeping through the night since you were 3 months, you needed the pacifier. Thus, sleep training began when you were 28 weeks. It took you a little over a week to be able to go down without crying anymore. It agonized us to hear you cry it out for that week or so, but we are so thankful you're able to sleep on your own without any crutches now! You sleep for longer, more consistent stretches, waking up between 4-6am for a feeding before you knock out again. Those early morning feedings are so sweet because you snooze (cuddle) in the big bed with us afterward. When you wake up in the morning, you are a ray of sunshine, gurgling to yourself and launching your body at us in hopes that we'd wake up to lavish attention upon you.

You are a squirmy ball of energy all in all. Your curiosity manifests itself in your tendency to leap out of our arms to grab something in your line of sight. Interacting with and befriending the world is your cup of tea. You grin unabashedly at others. You hug and gnaw on your stuffies, your wooden teethers, shoes, and anything within reach. You grasp with more dexterity, especially between your thumb and forefinger. In fact, you pinch really hard! You chatter to yourself when you play. You're content to entertain yourself for up to 20 minutes at a time when you know we are nearby, which is so helpful when your daddy is trying to get some studying in, or when I'm trying to get a shower in. You still have a strong case of separation anxiety: you begin wailing when I leave your sight. You gave your daddy a particularly hard time when you were 28 weeks. He ended up having the genius idea of having me record a video of myself talking to you. He played it for you, and you immediately stopped crying to smile. Unfortunately, the video ended, and so did your high spirits.

It is no surprise that you happiest when we play with you. You warble along when we sing (Frozen or Mary Poppins songs) to you. You crack up when playing peek-a-boo with me. You adore observing the world on your daddy's shoulders. You're fascinated when we read you this book before bedtime. You love being tickle-kissed on your belly. Along with expressing your joy through your heart-melting smile, you experiment with your voice,  vocalizing repetitive consonant sounds and wee raspberries. Your ultimate expression of contentedness includes simultaneously smiling, vocalizing, and bouncing up and down, whether you're sitting or whether we're holding you up in standing position. When you're not jumping up and down against a surface, you're kicking excitedly. Many have commented on how strong you are, particularly when you kick. It makes me fondly recall how hard you kicked when you were inside my womb (I first felt your kicks when you were just 17 weeks along around this time last year!).

We're so thankful that you're growing strong. You started solids the weekend after you turned six months with pureed carrots, and you were not a fan. It took you this past month to acclimate to eating food, and you still don't fancy carrots. You also shudder at the taste of green beans. But you like zucchini squash (mixed with a bit of brown rice cereal), and you love avocado. We can tell because you pant for more between spoonfuls of those two foods - so cute! I love that you love squash and avocado, because I do too!  I'm pretty sure your inclination towards them has something to do with my frequent meals including squash and avocado when I was pregnant with you. Dinnertimes are more fun now because you are thrilled to sit in your highchair up against the table and be a part of the meal action. But you still prefer nursing the most. And I have no problem with that! I cherish our bond and the time we get to spend together in that way, little love.

My heart is so full. Your daddy and you are my greatest earthly treasures - reflections of God's kindness. So grateful for how your daddy leads our little family and lays down his life for us, especially since this past month has been particularly intense for him, with his finishing seminary. We love your ever-growing joyful personality, sweetheart. You are such a warbly, giggly, effervescent gift from the Lord! It is a privilege to raise you by His grace. I am constantly in awe that God has allowed us to be on this amazing adventure with you.


Love you so,
Mommy

P.S. Serene Joy at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 months.