Our Boy is 7 Months Old! An INCREDIBLE month!

This past month has literally flown! SO much has happened between 6 and 7 months that I've barely had time to download pictures, much less post on our blog! Our beloved boy is growing by leaps and bounds! In the past month our family of 3 has had quite the journey!

1. Jacob has become an accomplished crawler
2. We traveled to Houston for a couple of visits
3. We traveled to Louisiana for my step-grandfather's funeral
4. Jacob started pulling up in his crib and we had to lower his mattress twice
5. he still has 4 teeth and more to come soon as we watch him chew on everything and go through bouts of really painful, swollen gums
6. Jacob got his first pair of sandal/flip-flop shoes from his Mama
7. We celebrated our first mother's day together
8. Jacob went swimming for the first time
9. His sleep is improving (though it is one step forward and 2 back some days - but we changed his routine so that we nurse before bath time and then do his whole routine for bed and then lay him down awake and he puts himself to sleep - he still wakes a couple of times at least at night, but we are getting there and I'm SO proud of him! Sometimes he then sleeps 1.5 hours, sometimes 5 - still not predictable, so I'm still exhausted most days, but it has become integrated into our lives and peach and patience are growing as we both learn our new normal :-))
10. He had his first real boo-boo (busted the inside of his mouth when he fell crawling forward at a friends house and landed, mouth first, on a plastic school bus - oh how he bled and cried and I just ached inside as I held him)
11. He started using a pacifier (never would before and we tried a week ago just to try and help his hurting gums through teething and he loved it! So, now we are learning about how to guide a pacifier baby - new territory for us!)
12. We are still babywearing with our Beco Baby Gemini and now are learning how to use a ring sling and just bought our first woven wrap - hope to be proficient by 8 months old!
13. We are still nursing!! What an incredible journey!
14. He started making many new language sounds like "dah!" and "pffft!" and "thhhh!" and "na!" and "eeeee!" and "eh!" and "aaaaah" (sort of a growl mixed with an actual speech sound). We have great conversations - I will sometimes copy what he "says" and he just LOVES this and will smile!

Trying to hold the sun! Reach for the sun and the SON my baby!

Other things in our 7th month - he has gone through a stage of just wanting to be with me, which I love. Though at times I wish he was a little newborn where, with him wanting to just be near me, I could crawl into bed and we could have an all-day nursing vacation - but this boy is TOO curious for that and wants to explore, play, and seize the day! And we finally got the cabinet locks done that we wanted up! My precious boy is moving towards being a boy more than a baby like a freight train - it is exciting to see him reaching for the stars, but heart-wrenching to see how fast his babyhood is slipping away. I love that he still wants to snuggle, prefers to be worn, lets me give him lots of kisses, and smiles BIG when his Daddy walks in the room. I see him wanting to stand and just the little man inside that gets SO excited when he does something that he's worked hard to do and we just cheer! My heart breaks when he's sad, especially when he's in pain. He is SO much fun - each month something new that I just cherish seeing. I can't wait to see what this 8th month of life reveals as I get to know this precious boy. He has a sensitive heart, a "wild at heart" heart, a happy heart with a ready smile that people always ellicit when they say hello. I see that he is fascinated by and loves people - I wonder how God will use this and what HIS plan is. Jacob is fascinated by his hands, as well - always studying them and mine... I cannot wait to see who God knit together as this incredible boy grows towards manhood! I love you my Jacob, my buddy!

Our 7 month photoshoot:

"This JP doll has NUTHIN' on me!"

Just lovin' my life!

"Hey buddy, did you hear the one about...?"

"Talking" (the sound "aaaaaaaaah")

"Dad, you're hysterical!"

"Let me tell you what I think!"

"I just love how funny my Mama and Daddy are!"

"Soooo, are we almost done??"

"Pffffft!"

"Come on mom!"

My precious boy's feet

(worn in honor of "flip flop Sunday" at church)

I LOVE to kick, kick, kick!

I just love these little feet!

Jacob just melted down when I decided to move the quilt from behind him for a more neutral background - "Mom, I'm really tired of just sitting here!" BUT, his Daddy can get the best smiles from him, so Josh was behind me and started being the awesome silly Daddy...

And we got some more great pictures! Look at this adorable face!

"Oh Mama - I love you! And Daddy - I want to be JUST like you!"

Hanging out in the nursery at church.

CRAWLING! He totally takes OFF and can cross a room in no time!

Even with shoes on!

His trademark "donkey kick" as he crawls - not every time, but often does this and then looks like he wants to push up and stand.

At home after our official photoshoot. We put some things on his floor so we could catch him crawling and playing.

Playing with his mobile.

"OK Mama - let's get my bath and bedtime routine started!

It's been real... and now I'm real tired!"

Oh my Jacob - I L-O-V-E you!! We are learning together and the journey is wonderful!