You CAN always get what you want!

Day will be 7 months old tomorrow. She sits up all by her big girl self. She hasn't really tried to crawl yet, but why would she need to? We put everything she wants within her reach. And we also pick her up every single time she fusses. And she still mostly sleeps in our bed. And she still thinks she has to nurse all night. If it is even possible to spoil a 7 month old, she is officially spoiled. But we all like it that way. She rules.

We bought her a sippy cup this past weekend, and she is very proud to sip her water out of it. Ken has been concerned that she has something to drink while she's eating dinner, so now we have the sippy. And she loves it. And Daddy is happy. He is also happy because Day's babble is Da-Da this and Da-Da that. We have been talking about whether it counts as her first word or if she is supposed to know what she is saying before we can officially call it her first word. Really, I'm just giving Ken a hard time because the only time she says anything remotely like Mama is when she is crying. It's all Da-Da when she is happy and playing.

We are entering the stage of separation anxiety. Big time. And I mean break down crying and screaming when I walk out of the room like she may never see me again. "THEY" say not to sneak out of the room, but to say "bye" and tell them where you are going. That when you sneak out, you are just feeding their fear that you will disappear into thin air. But, sometimes I just have to sneak out. And she'll get distracted and not miss me until I reappear. Then she gets mad that I ever left and pitches a big fit. And so I pick her up and reassure her that I did not vanish into thin air. And of course that reinforces the "pitch a fit equals being picked up" equation that she is so fond of. Miss Jackie does this for her at school, too. So she's learning fast that fussing gets her what she wants. How else will she get what she wants? She's a baby!

She has 4 teeth now - 2 top and 2 bottom. Yeah, sometimes she tries them out on me while she's eating, but mostly when she's finished and just bored. It doesn't hurt long. And it doesn't happen that often. I think more teeth must be trying to break through because she grinds. It is an awful sound! I've felt in the back for molars, but none have appeared. I'm really not sure which ones are supposed to come in next anyway.

These pictures are from the last few weeks. Just random stuff:

Sometimes she goes to sleep while I'm feeding her at lunch. It melts me.



Here's a shot of the chompers.



This was her first ride in the grocery store buggy. Ken is still doing the produce comparison thing from when I was pregnant. Looks like Day might be as big as that watermelon!



Just about the only place in the house that she is happy when NOT being held is in her Bumbo on the kitchen counter. I think it's just a good height and she doesn't feel like she's missing anything. Makes doing dishes and cooking more pleasant with such happy company.



This is a STAGED shot. I did not, repeat DID NOT, feed my baby ribs on Labor Day. But I did pose her chewing on one for Miss Jackie (from the chicken bone incident).



Look at this sprig of hair! This is the last of the mohawk she was born with. The rest is new hair. It's like a baby comb over most of the time, but then sometimes it sticks straight up. I love it!



This was her 1/2 birthday party. It was only me, Day, and Ken. And there wasn't a cake - just green beans. But she did get a card. And what did she do with it? Straight to the mouth.



We are in between stages with bath time. She sits up, so she could take a bath in the big tub. But that would require bending over her and well, that's just not comfortable. She doesn't like to lean back. She never has, really. So this plastic tub is not her favorite. We tried just sitting in the sink and that worked ok, but I have sanitation issues with it. Guess we'll work through that soon enough.



We have been working on good sleep habits since the beginning, with MUCH struggle. Most days when we get home from work/school she takes a 30 minute nap. Sometimes in the swing, sometimes in my bed with my help. This particular afternoon she was exhausted so I just put her in her crib and walked away. I do this periodically and the result is always the same. FREAK OUT. This time she just wiggled around, chewed on Arnold's tail (the pig), and went to sleep. I was so proud! She almost lost her sock in the process.



No story here. Just unbelievable cuteness.



And for the record, she will also pant for a glass, regardless of what's in it. So, my theory is that it is the material she is so crazy about. Not the alcohol. But, it is still a little bit unnerving to see her pant like a dog while reaching for a bottle of beer. And just like most things at our house, she gets what she wants. At least it's good beer.



I love this crazed look. This is how she gets when she's sleepy and can't really stay with any one thing very long.



Another picture from lunch at First Methodist. Would you call this look mischievous?



This was a strange happening. She was home with a fever, so that might have contributed, because like I said earlier, she has very specific sleep patterns, but she bounced herself right to sleep. It was so cute. She would nod off, then kinda wake up and automatically her legs would start bouncing again and that would lull her back to sleep. Hasn't happened since. I've tried.

And this is her favorite thing in the world (and mine). A clean fresh sweet smelling baby in her footy pajamas ready to go to bed. In her left hand is Milky Love, a cow thing Susan bought her in the hospital. She holds onto him when she's nursing. When she finishes (if she is still awake) she chews on his ears and horns while I read until she's asleep. Heaven.