April Update – 7 months

I don’t always do month updates, but April seems to be in a period of rapid change right now, so I thought it appropriate.  Since her six month update, a lot has happened.  Well, a lot in baby terms.  Since just before she turned six months, we started April on “solids”.  It took me about three full weeks to discover that she didn’t want mushy food, she wanted chunks or finger food.  Meaning, she is also starting to assert her own will.  Over the month we’ve been doing both (mushy and finger foods) and she is getting the hang of both.  Cherrios are hands-down her favorite; the girl would eat them all day if we let her.  And just in the last couple of days she has been able to get the Cherrio in her mouth on her own.  Very nice!  She doesn’t like the texture of the infant cereal mixed in with things, but since she needs the iron I sneak it in there whenever I think she’ll tolerate it.

We also have her first tooth (picture here).  This depends a bit on when you consider babies to “have” their first tooth.  We can see it (top right) but she hasn’t cut it yet.  With Abe, we didn’t count it until his cut because it kept disappearing behind swollen gums.  Her’s however hasn’t hidden at all, but has just stayed put since we first spotted it on August 17th.

Even though she’s been rolling since three months, she now uses her barrel rolling skills to get places as well as forward scooting (army crawling).  She is constantly on her hands and knees rocking, ready to take-off, and often ends up on her face in her effort to do so.  I keep telling Abe that any day now she’ll be crawling and we’ll have to watch the toys much more closely.

From three to six months, April essentially “smiled-on-command.”  All it took was a glance and a coo her way to set her off.  Since then she has become a bit more wary and strangers have to earn that beautiful grin.  However, she does laugh more easily now and that is lots of fun.  Just this morning I had her going by doing “SO BIG!” and “patty-cake”, both of which she loves.  Daddy can usually get her with wiggly fingers coming in for a tickle and Abe gets her by just being silly, crazy big brother Abe.  It is also fun to watch her anticipate things.  My favorite is when she’s on the floor and sees Dexter coming; closes her eyes and gets all “scrunchy-face” knowing that a lick is headed her way.

I’m hoping to post a video-collage soon which shows much of these things in action.  We’ve had quite the summer and while, sad to see it coming to an end we are excited for what the fall brings too!!