Keddiebears: Joshua Watch: Seven Months

J-bear is SEVEN months old! And there's no question about it now: he's definitely taller than his tiger. :)

(Side note: I'm SO GLAD he cooperated for this one shot. His rolling around isn't quite as bad as it was last month, but he's learned that there are so many cooler ways to play than just lying on his back like a baby, so more often than not, he's struggling to get himself in a sitting position so he can better see the world around him!)

And that takes us to the biggest developmental milestone from this month: sitting! He started sitting up unsupported earlier this month, able to stay upright once we put him down in a sitting position. And then he had one slightly difficult night in a Pack n Play, which gave him the last little bit of incentive he needed to learn how to get up into a sitting position all by himself! It's become second nature to him now -- we put him down to play on his back, and within seconds he's rolled over onto his belly, gotten up on his hands and knees (almost -- he still can't quite get his left leg straightened out from under himself), and then he pushes himself up to a sitting position. Because that's how big boys play.

He's such a willful wee boy, too... If he doesn't want to be on his back, he won't stay on his back! And that includes on the changing table. Sigh. He can be very determined about wanting to roll over to play with the blinds (we've hidden the string pulls away far out of his reach) -- who cares if he's undiapered and dangerous?? We've taken to pinning him down with one arm while doing the diaper change. It's surprising how adept you become at one-handed maneuvers as a parent...

It can sometimes be a little frustrating trying to train Joshua away from certain behaviors. He's certainly too young to understand or respond to discipline. The rolling on the changing table thing is kind of cute and manageable. The bigger issue we're dealing with right now is biting while nursing -- which HURTS now that he has two very sharp teeth. Which leave puncture wounds. I've tried pretty much everything Dr. Google has recommended, to no avail... Any suggestions would be appreciated, but I think we're looking at the end of nursing. :(

However! Joshua more than makes up for these little difficulties with his ever-happier personality. This month, we've seen so much laughter, and we've learned how to make him laugh at us, which is so rewarding! The biggest laughs we've seen so far, though, have come from his playing with other little kids. Jemina, the two-year-old daughter of some small group friends, brought out the first belly laughs from our little guy by coming up behind me and playing peek-a-boo with Joshua. He was startled, and then just laughed and laughed -- during prayer time, but we'll work on better praying etiquette later. :) And the second time we heard Joshua's belly laughter was when he was playing with little Caleb, who is 9 days older than he is -- Caleb kept trying to eat Joshua's toes, and Joshua kept laughing and reaching for Caleb's head. So sweet to see our boys actually interacting, rather than just playing near each other!

Joshua also clearly loves music -- just like both his parents! The surest way to calm him down is to sing to him. Lullabies, upbeat kids' songs, Broadway show tunes -- he loves them all! His latest favorite is "Edelweiss," but he also definitely responds to songs from Phantom of the Opera, which his very first babysitters, Katie and Rachel, discovered earlier this month.

And one last developmental bit in this very, very long update -- our kiddo LOVES eating solid foods. He'll grab the spoon and guide it into his mouth, and hold his mouth wide open to demand more. We've tried a number of pureed vegetables (sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, squash, spinach), and he loves them all! Here's hoping we don't have a picky eater on our hands...

If you made it this far, congratulations! Your reward is a set of photos of the cutest little guy in the world. :)