7 months

Its actually 7 1/2 months now, but hey, who's counting? On December 21st Collin turned 7 month, and here it is January 8th.
Its amazing to watch him grow, and now, at 7 months the milestones and differences in how he is becoming a little person. Sometimes I get glimpses of him as a little boy, rather than a baby, and its exciting, and sad all at the same time.
In our interactions with him it feels like now is the time that things are starting to sink in and he's starting to remember. Small changes, like responding to his name, looking for us during peek-a-boo and observing us, intensely, has helped to build what we see has his budding personality and character. In telling the world who he is, 7 months has offered these glimpses into his little brain and heart. Collin is incredibly easy-going and content. He rarely cries and enjoys just being with people. He sucks in his environment like a sponge, feeling every face he can get his hands on, touching every surface and placing every manageable item in his mouth.
Collin loves Samson, and every chance he gets he pets him, grabs his fur or tugs on his tail and ears. More than anyone else Samson is particularly funny to him, causing Collin to crack-up wildly when Samson runs up and down the stairs. He generally smiles all day long, peppered with instances of pure joy expressed in the sweetest little laugh. I honestly can't get enough of the sound of it.
He's curious, and ambivalent, all at the same time. His bright eyes explore strangers, while he clings to us. I love to see, in action, all of the research on a "secure base from which to explore" come to fruition from my own hip.Collin sits up on his own, rolls around (from belly to back, rarely the other way) and has no real interest in crawling, as he won't stay on his belly long enough to figure it out. Instead he rolls over and squirms a bit to move. He loves food. Nearly all food, except from a little mixed veggie dinner we had to use while we were traveling.He's growing like a weed, and making new discoveries every day, which are such a blessing for us to watch. Just the other day he figured out how to splash in the tub, which was fantastic to watch. He was so excited to realize he could have such fun in the bath.
He has one little tooth now, which is actually more like a razor blade then a tooth, and he uses it to chomp on my fingers (well, anyone's fingers) and toys all day long. He hasn't bitten me while nursing (yet) and I pray it stays that way!

So here we are, at 7 months of life with a bouncing, healthy, happy baby boy. He's got his dad's curls, my chin and little pinky finger and a personality of all his own. He looks a bit like both of us, and seems to have taken the best of both of us and presented it in his own tiny little package. Everyday that goes by we love him more.

At 7 months our lives are nearly settled into a new, comfortable routine as a family. We don't get as much sleep, and we focus on different things than we used to, but we wouldn't have it any other way. I love that Collin gets to spend his afternoons with his dad, building a strong bond between them. I love seeing Collin's little face light up when he sees Drew, so happy to have his daddy home. I however struggle with my work schedule, as I usually don't get home until the early evening, when I only have an hour or 2 at most with him before he goes to bed. I realize his sleep is important, but I am in a constant state of fear that I am missing something important. I live for Fridays, the day I work from home and get to be near him all day long.

I'm anxious to see his personality continue to blossom, and now, find myself anticipating his siblings, who before long, we'll be planning for. As my focus in life shifts to family, I find myself more and more grateful for those in our lives who we love dearly, our parents and siblings, or extended family and closest friends. If Collin's taught us anything, its that there is nothing more important that love, and nothing thatcan leads us to it as well as family.