my sweet gal is seven months. it seems like such a large portion of time but i still feel like i'm just getting the hang of things.

i'm still a little sleep-deprived.

i'm still struggling with time-management.

i'm still tempted to leave you in your pajamas all day.

girl - you make those footed pj's look good.

you know what else you make look good?

baldness, bottom-beaver teeth, drool, and fat knees.

girlfriend - you have the fattest knees i've ever seen. your thighs are worth a mention as well.

you've definitely hit a few solid milestones this past month and i couldn't beam with more pride:


1. you grew two more teeth. that's right, we're up to six now. four on the top and two little beaver teeth on the bottom. speaking of beaver teeth - i thought it was awfully quiet a few mornings ago. normally you want out of your crib immediately in the mornings. but not this particular morning. so when i peaked in at you to inspect, there you were, beavering your crib rung. when you realized i caught you, your giant blue eyes looked up at me and you smiled. i think you were even slightly proud of yourself.

but beaver (that's what we're calling you these days), please stop beavering your expensive crib.

2. my little sweetness - you are two shakes away from crawling up a storm. you get up on all fours all the time. you've even taken one little "step" with your arm...and promptly fell. i know you're going to figure it out, like any day.

and you know what that means? that means our farmer is going to be EXTRA motivated to get our basement all set up for you. because we all know that upstairs is not crawler-friendly.


3. guess what else you're two shakes from doing? walking. okay...maybe like 10 shakes. but you are almost pulling yourself up on things and once you are in that standing position you can stay there for however long...until you get bored.

okay, so maybe you're not that close, but it's worth noting, regardless.


4. hi. bye. hi. bye. that's right. you kind of wave at appropriate times. i certainly think this is noteworthy. you lift your tiny, chub hand, flip it so your palm is up and do the "give me more" motion...which in my world is a wave. you bet.

5. daddy's girl? i. think. so. i take no offense that you get more excited to see him than all others. that's all that really needs to be said.


6. hello cuddles. remember when you didn't cuddle last month? well guess what sister...you're a cuddler this month and i couldn't be more thrilled. your dad and i rank you cuddles in percentages.

for example: if your head is on our shoulder but your arms aren't wrapped around us, that's about an 80% cuddle. if your head is down, then up, then down, then up...18% cuddle. we're working on it.

7. hey girl - remember last month when you were a terrible napper? guess who is a bona fide napping professional this month? you are. you enjoy two 1.5 hour naps each and every day. and i love it. i love it so much. it provides me the time to get in my run. and running keeps me happy.

8. open-mouth kisses. you give these liberally each and every morning. and you know what? i take them. the more slobbery the better. all i have to do is make the MUAH noise and you come in for the kill, mouth open, and smack me right on the lips.

nicknames: beaver, sweets, baby, bear, cuddle-bear, turtle

weight: 18 pounds. my left arm is getting super strong.


loves: hummus. hummus above all things. baths. you also love your dad.

likes: running, dumbell rattle, being outside, chewing on anything,  bouncy saucer thing, boat rides



hates: being in your bouncy saucer thing for too long, your car seat, diaper changes

you keep me on my toes, baby...and i kind of love that about you.