Hollly, Jolly 7 Month Old!

 Oh, by golly, we have a holly, jolly 7-month old this year!

 
 

I am in utter disbelief that my little baby is now closer to being a 1 yr old than he is to being a newborn. That revelation is both terrifying (how are the days, weeks and months flying by so quickly!?) and exciting (he learns something new each day and is so full of personality, we never know what tomorrow will have in store!) Words truly cannot explain how amazing, fantastic and awesome these past 7 months have been (or should we say 6, the first month's learning curve was steep and life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, it was hard work...but still totally awesome and totally worth it). 

Love is simply not a big enough word to describe how I feel about this little boy. I often think my smile is going to swallow my entire face, my heart is going to leap out of my chest into his chubby little hands, and my arms are going to scoop him up, squeeze him and never let go. His face melts my heart like nothing else can and his smile sends tingles of pure love and adoration throughout my entire being. It's one of those feelings that despite there being millions of mothers and fathers in the world, I cannot fathom anyone loving their child as much as I do. (I realize this is totally not true, but it's that kind of love....you think to yourself, surely no one else in the world can feel the way I do!) And I now wonder if this is how my parents look at me?? Surely they don't, right? It's insane, that's the only way I can describe it. I am insanely in love.

While I long for the days of him fitting snugly in the crook of my arm and sleeping so soundly on my chest, I anxiously greet each day with wonder of what he'll do to make my life even more complete. For instance, the smile he greets me with each time I open his car door now is such that I would stand there for days on end, just opening and closing that door with him. That smile of recognition and joy did not exist on that tiny baby I enjoyed back in June, and that's what makes me more excited for the future than too nostalgic about the past. As the saying goes, the best is yet to come. But what's come and gone is pretty fantastic, too. With that said, here's what's gone down since last month:

AT 7 MONTHS, TRISTAN... 

...has perfected crawling.

....pulls himself up on just about anything he can.

...gets SO proud of himself for standing up!

...absolutely loves "Bath Time!" (both the book and the actual time in the bath)

...has eaten rice cereal, oatmeal, peas, carrots, green beans, squash and sweet potatoes.

...does not like green beans! 

...survived (and rocked) his first airplane ride to Vegas.

...weighs about 20 lbs. 

...is a big fan of his furry siblings.

...walks along the stairs while holding on, impressive!

...has started sleeping through the night, 5 in a row is our record!

...is still working on getting that first tooth (which will likely derail the accomplishment above!)

...has his daddy's hazel-green eyes.

...is turning into a blondie, and the mullet is filling in!

...thinks fish-face is very entertaining.

...loves musical toys and things that make noise.

...is a mama's boy, but is quite fond of daddy too.

...makes the world a better place by being in it. :-)

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!