7 months old

My precious one is 7 months old today! Each month that passes seems like it goes by faster than the last. Ava has developed such a cute little personality and it is so fun to play and giggle with her. She loves all kinds of toys yet I am still amazed at how much she loves the simplest of them all, a plain rattle. She knows her name now and I am pretty sure that she realizes that the baby staring back at her in the mirror is herself. Whenever she sees herself she just stares and smiles, as if thinking "I'm pretty". I tell her that all time and I pray she always believes it. I hope she doesn't aquire her mommy's insecurities! It's amazing how having a child of your own makes you really re-examine yourself and think about the kind of example you want to be for them. She makes me a better person and for that I am so grateful.

This month Ava has tried all sorts of new food. She has had rice cereal, oatmeal, green beans, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, avocado, apples, pears, and bananas. She loves them all (well, except cold bananas)! She is eating 3 solid meals a day in addition to 4-5 feedings. She is a growing girl for sure! I always seem to notice the most change in her face and her hair. Her blue eyes just keep getting wider and more beautiful and her hair is getting longer and fluffier. It's still too fine for clips so we still have to wear headbands with bows and flowers. I prefer for her not to wear headbands but it's fun to play around with them and make her look more girly. She could be wearing a dress or all pink and people will still call her a boy if she isn't wearing a bow! Why is that?!

Ava is doing better at sitting up on her own although she still topples over every once in awhile. We are working on helping her catch herself with her arm and also pushing up on her hands when she is on her tummy. She loves playing on the floor and rolling back and forth. I can tell she is anxious to crawl but I think she still has awhile. She starts "swimming" with her arms and legs and inching her butt up in the air but hasnt figured out how to use her arms to help her. To be honest though, she can hold off on that crawling thing as long as she wants! I'm not ready for her to be mobile and getting into everything. I don't think Macy is ready for the crawling monster either. Ha!

One of our favorite things to do is go for walks in her stroller or the baby bjorn. Whenever she is in her stroller she likes to prop her feet up on the tray and just lounge. She is so relaxed in that thing. If only she would sleep in it on occasion when we are out running errands.

This month my little darling has started taking shorter naps and waking up in the middle of the night which are both a mystery to me. She might be teething again or going through a growth spurt but I don't know for sure. I walk the fine line of making sure I am giving her what she needs but also being careful that she doesn't develop any bad habits. It's a tough one!

Ava's little grunts and coos have turned into babbles this month. Her favorite is bah bah bah and occassionally it sounds like dah dah. I don't know if dada counts as her first word or not but it is so cute to hear. I try really hard for mama but she isnt there yet. In the evenings before bath time she often times gets the tired sillies. It is so easy to get a laugh out of her then. She knows bath time is right around the corner and she gets so giddy. We will do anything to get a laugh out of her, even marching around the house in parade fashion. We look ridiculous but it's all worth it!

Happy 7 months old my sweetie! You continue to make me more and more proud to be your mommy. I love you more than you will ever know!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com