Seven Sweet Months

 Liam is 7 months old today!  I can't believe that he's already closer to being one year old than he is to being a newborn.  Unbelievable.  This month has been the most fun by far, and it seems like he is just growing like crazy.  Here's a pic of Liam with one of his best buddies, Lilly, the day after he came home from the hospital:

 

And here they are together just a few days ago:

What on earth happened to that teensy little bundle?  Lilly is almost exactly 3 months older than Liam, and this month he passed her up in size!  I think that means he has officially gone from being kind of shrimpy to definitely hearty.  So, here are a few 7 month old Liam facts:
* This month Liam's favorite foods are baby oatmeal (he gobbles it down), squash, and sweet potatoes.  Not so favorite foods?  Lentils & peas.  When I feed him either he gags himself until he throws up.
* Liam has become an expert at sitting up this month.  He has loved the new-found freedom that comes with being able to reach out for toys and look all around while he's playing (as opposed to either staring at the ceiling or the floor when he's laying down.
* Two more teeth!  His first top tooth broke through on November 23rd, and his other big top tooth showed up on December 8th.  So many teeth for such a little guy!
* December 8th was a big day - it was also the first day Liam pulled himself up onto all fours.  It's so adorable to watch him try to figure out how to use those little muscles to move himself around.  He'll be crawling in no time!
* It seems we have quite the little performer on our hands.  This month Liam has really started to ham it up: he loves to grin and coo at people until they smile at him, and then he 'll jerk his head away and bury it in my shoulder.  This shy act gets him tons of attention and he does it over and over again when we're in public.  We can see the little wheels in his head turning when people play games with him as he tries to figure out the response they are looking for, or at least the response that will make them laugh.  And his laugh?  He has the heartiest little deep man laugh when he really gets chuckling.  It's hilarious.
 * Naps.  This month Liam has finally mastered the art of napping and is maintaining a great schedule!  He usually wakes up around 7:00 - always in a great mood - and after a bottle and some cereal for breakfast, goes back down for a nap around 9:00.  His morning nap is usually about 2 hours (hallelujah!), and then he takes an afternoon nap that is anywhere from 1-2 hours.  He sometimes needs a little evening catnap, and then is in bed by 8:00, unless it's a community group or cell group night.  Those nights I try to have him in bed by 9:00.

Thankfully, he is still my cuddlebug.  He loves peek-a-boo, reading books with us, and banging his toys on things.  Hmmm, I think those are the big developments of the past month.  Probably more than anyone really wants to know, but it's fun for me to reflect on it.  I can't wait to see what this month has in store!  Here are a few pictures of his 7 month photo shoot (it's getting harder to keep his puppy sitting next to him for the pictures.  Today Liam just wanted to chew on him.)

I love you little one!