Seven Months!

(Another month, another letter.  Once again, I realize that this is an epic novel, but it is for my memory and not your blogging enjoyment.  If you happen to enjoy piddly details of a seven month old's life, then by all means knock yourself out and read every word! :)

November 29, 2010

Dear Riggins,

You are officially closer to your first birthday than to your birth day!  That thought kind of makes me hyperventilate a bit, but the one thing that keeps me smiling is that promise from so many parents who have gone before me: it just keeps getting better.  So far, those wise words have proven true.  

This month included some fun firsts.  We kicked it off with your very first overnight away from us.  You stayed with Grammy and Grampy in Fort Smith while we went wine tasting with friends.  You handled it like a champ and won over all of their friends; they had so much fun showing you off!  That weekend was also your first Halloween.  We didn't have any special plans since we were out of town, but we dressed you up in a Yoda costume and took some pictures on our stoop with the pumpkins.  You've also experienced your first campfire and your first hike alone with Daddy and Weber at Shelby Forest State Park.  The other big first this month was Thanksgiving!  We traveled to Fort Smith, and there you experienced the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and your first taste of meat: turkey!  You didn't care for the turkey alone, but you didn't mind it mixed with sweet potatoes or a bit of cranberry sauce.  

And speaking of food, you are eating solids like a champ!  You eat several ounces in the morning and several in the evening.  These days, your menu includes oatmeal, yogurt, bananas, apples, pears, berries, mango, plums, peaches, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, sugar snap peas, green beans and broccoli.  You especially adore bananas, sweet potatoes, and yogurt.  As for finger foods, you have no interest in Puffs, but we just introduced Mum Mums and you went crazy for them!  (Still no signs of teeth, but your little gums do a fine job of turning those suckers into mush!)  You tinker around with the sippy cup and are getting better at holding it and putting it in your mouth; you can sometimes get a few swallows from it but at this point the goal is building familiarity and not hydration!  I love introducing you to new foods and particularly enjoy having a little buddy in the high chair while I'm working in the kitchen.  

At this point, my bathroom scale estimate has you at about 18 pounds.  You still nurse about 5 times per day and take two naps: about one hour around 9 and about two hours around 1.  We're working on phasing out that last little catnap around 5 in exchange for an earlier bedtime.  The big change in your sleeping habits this month was that I cut out your middle of the night feedings.  It took a couple nights of crying, but now you sleep from 7:30 or 8 p.m. to about 6:30 a.m.  You occasionally wake up and squawk, but if I just let you fuss it out you typically fall asleep in about 5 minutes.  Getting a full night's rest has been such a wonderful change for our whole household!  

You can now roll every which way, sit up solidly, scoot backwards and forwards, get up on all fours (so close to really crawling!), and pull yourself to standing.  We had to lower your crib mattress just before bedtime the other night when you suddenly exhibited your new pulling up skills on the side of your crib!  You are still a noisy little guy, always babbling (lots of "dadadadada" going on!), squealing, squawking, and--your new favorite--fake coughing.  Your favorite things include Weber, bath time (you're now sitting up in the big boy tub!), the outdoors, riding in a grocery cart, Sophie the Giraffe, your blue lovie blanket, your new crackly ball, your sit-and-play car, your Baby Noah dvd, wooden spoons, combs and brushes, remote controls and cell phones, peekaboo, and patty cake.  Your least favorite things include avocados, getting your nose wiped or aspirated, and getting into your car seat after a particularly fun outing.

I can't tell you how much we just adore your little personality.  You are just a sweet, happy, calm little boy.  One of the highlights of my week is dropping you off or picking you up at the nursery for BSF, MOPS, or church.  Those ladies get so excited to see you and have such sweet things to say when I pick you up...it just makes this mama's heart proud!  You already have such a way with people--constantly smiling and looking people in the eye.  One of my prayers for you is that those traits would continue to grow and that God would make you a man of compassion, kindness, and leadership.  

Speaking of prayers, at a recent MOPS meeting we were encouraged to have a simple prayer that we pray daily for our children.  This is my prayer for you, Riggins:

Lord, thank you for Riggins and for the blessing of being his mother.  Please protect him and make him a man of compassion, kindness, and wisdom.  Give him a heart that loves, trusts, and fears You.  Amen.

I am soaking up your sweet smiles, the way you cling to me like a spider monkey, your soft little head of hair, your smooth skin and adorable skinny body, your hilarious noises, your gummy grins, and even your pitiful cries.  You will never know how much I love you, baby boy of mine.  But don't think I'll ever tire of trying to show you.  

All my love, 

Momma