Dear Eli: Month Seven

Dear E,

When I think about you lately the only word that comes to mind is "wild." You still have the sweetest, sunniest nature of any baby I've ever met, but all of a sudden you have discovered you can MOVE. You growl, squawk, roll, wiggle, flap your arms, try to climb up my body... you are like an octo-baby. You are well on your way to crawling. Right now it's like you will your way towards something- I'm never quite sure how you get there but you manage to. You are doing the typical rocking-on-you-hands-and-knees thing but as soon as you decide to just go for it you flop to your belly and start to wiggle your way forwards. You and your brother will "talk" to each other- you yell "bah!" and he will yell it right back at you and then the two of you will go on like that for a while. You want everything that he has- firetrucks, cars, milk- ANYTHING. We were changing you both on the bed today prior to naptime and you looked over at him, got that evil gleam in your eye and basically steamrolled right over to him and grabbed his hair. You were delighted and he was screeching "Get Eli OFF OF ME!"

We were looking at pictures of seven-months-old-Gray last night and while I can totally tell you two apart I can see how other people might have a hard time. You guys even have the same hair- at seven months he also had an unfortunate middle part going on. We wonder if you will have that crazy curly hair too? Your eyes will remain blue though and people always comment on their amazing intensity.

I think the no-nursing thing has been a little harder on you than it was on Gray. You have developed a new bedtime routine where, after you finish your bottle, you will flip over so we are tummy to tummy and your face is smooshed into my arm. Then you will suck on your lips like you are nursing. It is so dear. You'll take a pacifier but you are definitely not attached to it, for which I am thankful. You have been teething and it is definitely harder for you than it was for Gray. You have had a couple of rough nights where I have found that there's no consoling you- I just have to let you figure it out yourself. For such a mellow, happy boy you have a fearsome cry which sounds like someone is pulling your toenails out. It is awful, but I guess that's just the way you roll. You have been imitating "dada" and "lalala" and we just love to hear your little voice.

Eli, you are such a delight- I don't know any other way to put it. You have added a dimension to our family that I didn't know we were missing. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you.

love,
Mama