Monday, March 12, 2012

Darwin is 7 months

I finally got the courage to put Darwin in the seawater and let him explore on his own. I took all his clothes off and let him sit on the shore. He wasn't too excited however.. let's just put it that way. But I could tell he was interested in the newness of it all. I'll have to try again another day.

A friend once told me that 7 months for her was when life started getting easier and when the fun began with her little one. I would have to agree. Life has completely changed for me. I see my Darwin becoming independent and exploring life on his own. He likes when mommy is nearby of course but I can let him play at a distance while I do things around the house like cook, eat, exercise, fold laundry, etc.

This month he is crawling all over the place and is really starting to pick up speed. For this reason we have started to babyproof since our house needs it. He just figured out how to sit up from the crawling position and he's really loving it. He can take a break from crawling all on his own. He especially likes to follow me into the kitchen while I'm preparing a meal for him and come right to my feet to let me know he wants to be near me.

He absolutely loves to eat. He tends to get a little fussy when I put him in his highchair but becomes very calm and ready to chow down once I start feeding him. He will sometimes grab the spoon from me to have a taste on his own and also get a hold of his sippy cup to have a drink of water. He learned this on his own. His favourite foods are sweet potato, carrot, peach, pear, banana and mango. He's also tried pumpkin, yellow squash, and zucchini. He's so eager to eat that it's just so easy for me to feed him. Next he will try green beans, peas, apricot, apple, chicken and tofu.

He loves to play on his mat and especially likes his pal Scout, a little drum, a ball, and a moving musical ball. He tends to be overly interested in my laptop so I try to teach him that it's not a toy. He's just very good at entertaining himself and it makes it easy on me. I find myself with ample time to do things and feel encouraged to play with him and teach him new ideas.

I try to sign to him throughout the day. The main signs are for 'all finished', 'milk', 'more' and 'poo'. We go for walks around the house or nearby and I let him touch the different trees and flowers. I let him sit in the grass and play with the dirt. I wear him in my handy sling sometimes while I water the plants, chat with my neighbors, or discuss projects with my contractor. Many moments with him are such a treat for me and he enjoys life so much more as well since he can sit up and be mobile.

The best of all is that he is sleeping so well. At night he is very playful but also sometimes uncomfortable with his poop situation. It is a lot more solid now so I have to be adament about giving him water or pear juice after each meal. He will squirm but once he starts to doze off while nursing I can easily put him down in his crib and he will sleep for 10 hours straight. If he wakes at 6am I can feed him and put him back down for another hour. Naps are great too. I think I can easily put him down in his crib but am hesitant since I love to cuddle him while he naps on me. I know it won't last long so I'm taking advantage .. let's put it that way.

I love my little Darwin who can now say Mama and Dada. I can't wait to see what he'll do next! Perhaps a clap and a wave!