seven months.

Franz turned seven months old last Friday the 13th! Seven months with this little dude. It's going by way too fast, and I can't believe how big he is. The sounds this boy comes up with are ridiculous. Yesterday he was growling. Sometimes, when I put him down for a nap, he cries and blows raspberries at the same time. I don't even know. He's hilarious, and has me cracking up every day.

At seven months, Franz...

• can sit up by himself.
• laughs at everything, and smiles even more.
• just wants to be held. All. day. long. (Not complaining!)
• is still a horrible sleeper, but is getting better at falling asleep by himself.
• has to be swaddled to sleep.
• has finally learned to roll from his tummy to his back. He did it a few times before, but now he does it consistently. He'll roll onto his tummy to grab a toy, and then roll onto his back to play with it, and repeat.
• loves every food we've given him. So far he's eaten brown rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, peaches, green beans, mangoes, and plums. I think he's allergic to the mangoes and plums though.
• has the most fuzzy, sticky-uppy hair that always gets him compliments.
• is the biggest flirt. He'll stare at people until they look back at him, and then give them the biggest smiles.
• loves baths, and loves splashing.
• knows when he's about to be breastfed, and does excited/anxious moans leading up to it. He would breastfeed all day long if I'd let him.
• takes 3 or 4 naps a day, usually about 40-50 minutes long, and if we're lucky, one will be 1 1/2 hours long.
• holds out his arms and leans toward you if you're going to pick him up.
• has learned to click his tongue and smack his lips, because Zac and I do it to him all the time. He associates clicking his tongue with Zac, since Zac does that to him, and has associated smacking his lips with me, since I do that to him.
• has slowed down growing for now, and has been wearing the same clothes for a few months now. Anything from 9-18 months, and size 4 diapers.
• is somewhere between 22 and 23 pounds (that's a complete guess; he hasn't been weighed since 6 months).
• sits in a convertible car seat now when we drive in the car, since the infant car seat was getting too small for him. 
• loves things that he cannot have, like car keys, jewelry, and our food.
• swam for the very first time in St. George and absolutely loved it (too bad I hate swimming).
• says da, ma, pa, and ba, among other things.
• loves to be sung to. It either makes him beam ear to ear, or makes him crack up. His favorite song is "One Tin Soldier" by Coven.
• still sleeps in our bedroom at night, only because it's easier to attend to him when I'm half asleep and totally out of it. 
• naps in his crib, and won't nap anywhere else. Boo.
• has never been babysat. I've literally spent all my time with him since he's been born. Too much anxiety for this mama to leave her baby right now. Maybe when he's a toddler. ;)
• loves to jump when you stand him up, and loves the jumperoo (still).
• has never watched TV or played with my phone, despite the comments telling me to "never say never" and "you'll change your mind when you're exhausted and out of ideas to entertain him with."
• loves being outside, and loves the grass.
• loves running water, and tries to pick it up, and gets confused when he can't.
• looks just like Zac did when he was a baby. As much as I'd love to claim it, all that cuteness comes from his papa, except for his feet and that tongue that sticks out all the time. Those are aaaall me. :)
• went to his first concert. Van Lady Love at the Rooftop Concert Series a couple of weeks ago. Although he was wearing earmuffs the whole time, he rather enjoyed it.
• got both of his bottom teeth! As if he couldn't be any more adorable... ;)

I know I say it all the time, but I freaking love this baby. I cannot even explain it, but I'm sure all the mothers know the love I'm talking about. I have so much love for this little human that sometimes I think I might explode. He makes me so excited, so frustrated, so tired, and so happy. I cannot believe he's mine, and that I've had him for this long. He makes my life better and more meaningful, and fills it with so much joy. I love watching him grow up and get smarter and more clever and creative as the days go by. He's such a sweetheart!

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