Letter to Samuel: 7 Months

Dear Sammy,

Say it ain’t so! You are seven months old. For the past two weeks I’ve been answering the “how old is he?” question with “six months.” And then Daddy corrected me and said “almost seven months.” That means you’re closer to one year old than one week old. How did that happen?

I do believe that you’re beginning to look less like a baby and more like a little boy. Thankfully, you still have leg rolls and elbow dimples, but your face is a bit leaner and, boy, are you strong! You are now sitting completely unassisted and have just started to assume the crawling position. Though you’re quite content just rolling and squirming to get to where you want to go. You still love to bounce in your jumperoo and in our laps and stand (with our help) at your music table. I have a feeling that you’ll be mobile sooner rather than later!

At your six-month doctor’s visit, you weighed 15 pounds 10 ounces and measured almost 26 inches long. But I’m sure you’ve reached the 16-pound mark by now. You are wearing size 3 diapers and mostly 6-9 month clothing, though there are still a few 3-6 month onesies that fit your slender frame. But that belly! I think it gets a bit bigger every day.

You cut your first two teeth this month! They arrived totally unexpectedly, and they’re still just barely visible. This milestone was the first that brought tears to your Mommy’s eyes. I will miss your gummy grin, but your wide smile is sweeter than ever. It’s your big blue eyes, though, that stop strangers. They are still lighter than Daddy’s but darker than Mommy’s. They are uniquely yours, and they are so captivating.

You continue to look a lot like your Daddy, and you’ve adopted some of his mannerisms, too. You tap your right foot against the tray of your highchair between bites of food, and Daddy is constantly bouncing his legs at the dinner table. You scratch your head when you’re sleepy, and Daddy scratches his when he’s stressed. You let out long groans while lulling yourself to sleep, and, well, I’ve heard Daddy do the same. And there’s still such expression in those bushy baby eyebrows of yours.

You’re curious and adventurous inside the comfort of our home or in the safety of my arms. While you’re quiet and observant in large groups. You tend to stretch your arms out and slightly behind you in new environments until you feel confident enough to reach forward and explore your surroundings. Also, we think you might be a lefty like your Opa. You reach for toys and the spoon with your left hand and generally seem to be more coordinated with that side.

Another major milestone this month? You are sleeping through the night! It took just a few nights of letting you whimper through the 4am feeding that you had grown accustomed to, but now you sleep from about 7:30pm until 7:30am and wake up a well rested and happy boy! Your favorite sleep position is on your belly with your arms curled under your chest, your knees bent, and your booty in the air. And when you wake up, you immediately pop up and peer over the crib bumper, waiting for us to come in and scoop you up.

You’re taking 2-3 naps per day, each 1-2 hours long. And you have certainly outgrown the ability to sleep through anything. You have trouble falling asleep in my arms and typically wake up if I try to transition you from the car to your crib. But that doesn’t stop us from running errands and taking road trips. Fortunately, you’re able to adjust and slip back into your routine when we return home.

Perhaps the reason why you’re now able to sleep through the night is because your belly is so full at bedtime! You are now eating three solid meals per day (and nursing five times). Breakfast consists of waffles/muffins/Cheerios, fruit, and sometimes yogurt. Lunch is more fruit, a vegetable, and sometimes meat. And dinner is a mini version of whatever Mommy and Daddy eat. Turkey burgers with avocado and sweet potato fries, chickpea patties and yogurt dip, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, cheese ravioli in tomato sauce. It’s been so incredible to watch you learn to eat. You’ve nearly mastered the pincer grasp, and you’ve become quite adept at chewing and swallowing. Daddy and I are so thankful that you enjoy food as much as we do. We hope that you’re always an adventurous eater!

In addition to mealtime and bath time (which you still love), I think you also look forward to our evening walks. Daddy straps you into the Bjorn, and you’re so content as we walk by Little League baseball games, across the bridge, past neighbors with dogs and strollers, under the shade of blossoming trees and birds soaring overhead. Your eyes are bright and your smile is wide.

You squeak and squeal in delight and have started to imitate our sounds. While playing with a new race track from Nana and Poppy, I made a “vroom” sound and you repeated it at least six times. And one night during dinner, you were fixated on “ga ga ga,” and so Daddy and I said “good good good.” And then, loud and clear, you said, “GOOD.” Obviously, we think you’re a genius.

Gosh, kid, I love you with my whole heart. I’m so proud to call you my son.

Love you today, tomorrow, and always,

Mommy