A Long-Overdue Update: 7 Months!

SJ is seven months old today.  I can't believe how quickly time has flown, and at the same time I can't remember life before she was born.  It feels like she has always been a part of our lives, but so very much has happened in these past seven months!

SJ has learned so many new skills since I last had a chance to write.  I am currently watching her rock on all fours and scoot backward (slowly) across the living room floor.  It won't be long until she's really crawling - I'm not ready for that yet!!  She mastered the art of rolling from her back to her belly at the beginning of the year and she has been sitting unassisted since the end of January.  She is fully capable of rolling from her belly to her back, but she refused to do so most of the time and just cries until someone turns her over.  Silly girl!!

Daddy has been blowing raspberries on SJ's belly since he came home from his last underway, and she quickly figured out how to do the same to Mommy's arms/shoulders/hands!  It's pretty cute, except for the slobber-covered body part I end up with :)  She also learned how to give kisses without licking my face, and I can't get enough of those!  So far she only gives me kisses though.  Yesterday, I was playing with her and started clapping my hands in response to some of the things she was doing.  Last night, she started clapping back to me!  Such a quick learner!

Her new favorite "toy" is our cat, Silas.  She shrieks with delight as soon as she sees him.  Most of the time she can pet him gently, but those grabby hands of hers have a tendency to pull his fur if I'm not careful.  Of course, SJ is much more fond of Silas than he is of her.  He is much more tolerant than I'd expect, though!

We started giving her some solid foods last month.  She hasn't had much yet, just baby oatmeal, bananas, pears, and avocado.  She really likes her oatmeal and avocado, but was not a fan of the bananas or the pears.  We did give her a little spoon of applesauce while we were out to eat the other night, and she enjoyed that.  I didn't want to give her much though, because I'm sure it had added sugars that she certainly doesn't need. 

I have been thinking she must be teething for the past few months, but no teeth have broken through yet.  She doesn't seem to be in much discomfort, just drooling a lot and chewing on anything and everything within her reach!  I'm okay with her teeth holding about a while longer - I'm not looking forward to relearning to nurse her with teeth!

And speaking of feeding, it's getting close to lunchtime in our house.  I will hopefully have a chance to write again soon with an update about our new apartment!