7 months

it's been seven months since daxton was born.

it's been seven months since this sweet boy found his way into our lives.

it's been seven months since our hearts grew exponentially with a love we never knew.

time is flying. it seems like just yesterday we were bringing our sweet baby home from the hospital and now he is seven months old! daxton is growing so fast! it's just hard to keep control of time passing so quickly. before you know it he'll be crawling, walking, running, and off to college!

daxton is continuing to be an excellent eater. he's been given the green light to consume just about anything he can gum and we've been giving him 100% organics. he's a huge fan of a broccoli, pea, pear mix, a beet, blueberry, banana mix, peaches with brown rice, bananas with brown rice, and sweet potato. he is no longer in love with his beloved squash. i ordered a case and was so excited to see his face when we spooned it up - but, he stuck out his tongue and choked down every bite. it was no longer what he was craving. strangely enough broccoli has been the big thing of late.

eating times are becoming more entertaining. just this week dax learned how to grab hold of the spoon (full of food) and drive it right into his mouth. at first he landed it in his eye, then in his hair, and finally into his mouth. i ended up giving him a practice spoon (that was empty) so he could play with that one instead of the one full of purple carrots! one flick of the wrist sent carrots flying and i feared that the silk curtains' days might be numbered.

dax is exploring body parts. he has really discovered his feet. he'll curl up and tuck those legs in to get right at the feet. he will grab hold and pull up. he really admires them and thinks it's pretty amazing that they are attached to his body. he also learned that he has a tongue. for one, its really good to use it to press a ton of stored food out of your mouth and dribbling down your chin, bib, lap, and off of the high chair and on to the floor. secondly its really a unique tool to create the rolling "r" sound like he's from brazil. earlier this week, everything was babbled with a rolling "r". even daddy cannot do that! third, it's surely fun for making lots of racket. he knows how to make all sorts of sounds with the tongue - loud ones are his favorite. lastly, its certainly fun to never keep it in your mouth. just stick it out all the time - a little to the left, a little to the right, then straight down! he also loves to use his right hand to pet on things. he loves to stroke the back of his head, part of his pajamas with the snaps, or his blanket. it's so adorable to watch those little fingers work.

daxton has graduated from laying down all of the time to actually sitting once you get him into the position. sure, he will still end up falling over, but since it's never been on the hardwood floors he thinks it's pretty funny when he tumbles. we make a crashing sound and he just laughs and laughs. he really likes spending time in the bumbo seat now and will sit and play in there for a good long time. today he sat up in the yard on a blanket with no support at all! being upright is getting better for him each day!

dax loves music. he loves me singing "america house originals" (songs where i completely make up the words) while he eats, rests, and plays. he looks at me like - are you singing again? - and then he smiles, stares, and laughs. he has a "wiggle" song, a song entitled "it's everywhere", and a "tummy time" song. he also loves it when i play music for him on my phone. he likes to clap his hands, wiggle, and wave his arms up and down. he also likes soothing music that helps him rest, when he is just too tired to sleep. now he even likes to sing on his own. tonight we were at a restaurant with live music and dax made his own la-la right along to the music.

his favorite toy is still the jumperoo. he has two - one for work - and one for play. when i work he rotates through the toys, but he always winds up back in the jumperoo. lately he likes to take a book into the jumperoo, or a play ring, or some type of clip toy to play with while he jumps. i don't know how he can focus on all of that while jumping, but he does - and he gets such a big kick out of it. he also likes to play in his walker. he has no concept of moving forward, but he loves to take one foot (usually the left) and push himself backwards. we make the beep - beep - beep sound like a truck is backing up and he can sometimes get a pretty good momentum. hopefully one day he'll be moving the other direction.

dax is a happy baby. everyone who meets him comments on how sweet, how charming, how pleasant, how giggly, how talkative, how smart, and how happy he is. he's giggly and ticklish. he loves laughing - giant belly laughs - and they're contagious. you cannot see him laughing like that and not smile or chuckle yourself. he's content wherever he is.  it does not take much to make him happy.  he loves bright colorful rings and can sit and talk to them for hours.  he's can be calm, happy, giddy, perplexed, and a little demanding - but he is always a genuine pleasure - and our sweet - sweet baby.

it's been seven months of 1397 diaper changes.

it's been seven months of 1369 bottles for a total of 49.3 gallons.

it's been seven months of cuddling, rocking, and loving on our boy.

it's been seven months of the purest joy you'd ever know.