seven months

We have a seven month old! When did that happen? Nearly every day we are amazed with the progress she is making. Unfortunately, many times I have something new and exciting to post, only for that thing to be trumped by the next new and exciting development. Look forward to a bit of catch-up in the next few weeks.

Harper is such a great little lady. She loves being around and watching people, but occasionally enjoys spending time alone, playing with her toys. She loves her sitter (Wendy) and her sitter's kids. On one of my days home last week we were doing some organizing at home so Harper was spending time on her blanket while I got to work. Every time I would leave the room she would protest, loudly. She made it clear she wanted to be the center of attention all morning long. Later that day, we stopped by Wendy's house to pick up some things that we had left behind. I figured it would be an in-and-out trip, since Harper was clearly wanting my attention. As soon as I put her down with the kids she was totally content. It is so relieving that Harper is so clearly happy with Wendy and her family. They do a great job with her and are helping her grow up so well!

Here are some of this month's developments:
Mobility: Harper now is able to maneuver from her belly to sitting up. She also mastered pulling her knees up underneath her, as well as pushing herself around backwards. Occasionally, Harper will show off and show us how to do a baby-style plank.

Eating: She now successfully grabs small rice snacks using her thumb and fingers and puts them in her mouth. Although she has been holding her own bottle since at least last month, she is now holding & using a sippy cup by herself, it is one of her favorite tricks. She will sip out the water and then let it pour out of her mouth and down her belly.

Humor: Harper is finally finding her sense of humor. She spent this month learning how to laugh - and doing lots of it. At first it sounded a lot like her clearing her throat - affectionately dubbed by M as "the smoke monster" laugh.

Sleep: Now that the A/C is working we're all sleeping much better. Harper now sleeps on her stomach, which is usually good, but seems to frustrate her as she is trying to go to sleep. We think it is adorable.

No longer a False Alarm: After a false alarm a few months ago, Harper has finally cut her first tooth. It took a lot of work. She was grumpy for a long time - weeks, I think. She spent 3 - 5 days with a low-grade fever and little sleep, and topped it off with a strange rash from head to toe. At the end of the trauma a little jagged tooth made its appearance. Hopefully tooth #2 will come easier.

Beating the Heat: We've discovered how pleasant a body of water can be on the hot D.C. days. This month, we broke free of our make-shift "swimming pool" in our backyard, and basked in the greatness that is an invitation to our friend's pool. Harper has gotten good use of her swimming suit and floaty. So far, we've only ventured into the baby pool. The first day, Harper enjoyed the freedom that the floaty gave her - her feet were able to touch the bottom of the pool, so she pushed herself around the pool for nearly 2 hours. When we got home, I noticed that she had developed blisters on both big toes. The second time we went she had less energy, so just enjoyed the sun and (to my disgust) would frequently dip her face and tongue in the water to get a drink.

This month she loves tags, necklaces, eating paper, computer/tv screens, getting tossed in the air, sweet potatoes, anything we are eating and her (second) cousins.

Hair Update: