7 Month Update!

Today Colin is 7 months old, and we've really noticed how his little personality has taken shape recently.  He has a marvelous sense of humor, and absolutely adores silly noises and faces.  We've learned that he's actually quite ticklish, and he anticipates a good session of rough-housing with Daddy.  Colin seems totally fearless (and I'm not sure that's such a good thing!)...he loves being tossed in the air, hung upside down, and bounced on the bed.  His little squeals of delight are my new favorite sounds!  We're also amazed with how strong he's become.  He's now sitting without support and loves being able to explore his surroundings and toys in this new position.  He can hold up his weight while on his tummy, and is even starting to scoot a little.  He's completely intrigued by everything around him, and will do whatever he can to grab anything within reach.  We really have to keep an eye on him now that he's such a wiggly little worm!

Colin also cut his first tooth a few weeks ago!  I had lots of teething tools ready for him to chew on, but luckily he didn't seem to be in too much pain.  He really likes to suck on frozen fruit purees in a mesh teething bag - although this usually makes quite a mess!  He's also been introduced to a wide variety of fruit and veggie purees, many of which I'm proud to say that I've made for him myself!  He likes just about everything he's tried, but his favorites are sweet potatoes and bananas.  This month, he'll get to try some chicken and turkey, and beginning eating 3 solid meals a day in addition to formula (another new transition this month).  It won't be long before he needs that tooth (and hopefully a few others!) to chew on some finger foods!

Marshall and I are relieved that Colin has learned to fall asleep on his own...a process that took some trial-and-error, and a lot of patience on our end (and crying on his).  After about a week, Colin figured out that we weren't going to come to his beck and call at bedtime and throughout the night, and eventually began to self-soothe - a skill we knew was necessary for babies to learn around this age.  My last post detailed our weary efforts, and I'm happy to report that we've had pretty good success since then!  There will always be glitches in our daily schedule, but I think Colin trusts that he can fall asleep without us now...and we're all resting much more easily :)

We're so lucky that Colin is such an easy-going baby.  There have been days throughout the past month where he's gone to bed late, slept somewhere other than his crib, and had changes to his routine, all while transitioning from breastfeeding to formula.  He's even been in child care for 3 hours each morning this week as I volunteered for Vacation Bible School as a crew leader at our church.  There have been play dates, lots of time spent in the pool, and visits with family and friends.  And all the while, Colin just goes with the flow and keeps that toothy grin on his face.  The best part is, he is what keeps a permanent smile on our faces too.

Here's the latest chalkboard wall photo!