7 Months Going On 17 Years....

As I write this it's Rhys' 7-month birthday, and also the first day that he did consecutive forward crawling movements on purpose! He's been crawling backward for more than a month, which is very frustrating for him. He would back himself up against walls, under beds, behind chairs, and get STUCK, not to mention getting farther away from the object of his interest. Poor guy. Well, today he figured it out. For about a week now he's been moving forward slightly, but not recognizing it for what it meant or how he could use it to his advantage. Now it clicks. Watch out world - here comes Rhys!

And you really should watch out! I know it's all relative, but from our perspective over here this baby is intent on growing up, and NOW. My adjective for Rhys is "driven". When he was just a newborn it was readily apparent to me to he was seriously disappointed in his body. It was as if he felt cheated when he signed up for this mortal experience thing, thinking he was going to get a grown-up body right away, and lo and behold he starts with no skill set, no strength, no coordination. Nothing. He was mad for a few months there. But as he has diligently acquired new skills and strengths, he has become happier and happier. Now he's just a complete bundle of joy, and maximizing every new development. He won't slow down for anything. He learned to crawl (backward) before he learned to sit - a first for our experienced pediatrician to witness. (Who wants to sit anyway?) He eventually did learn to sit about a week or so after his 6-month birthday, but only when he did it all by himself - when we would sit him down, he wouldn't be interested, but when he eventually pushed himself up to sitting from a prostrate position, he decided it was a good thing to learn.

He also got his first tooth at 5 months of age and had four teeth by 6 and a half months - the same age that Tallis got his first. And he's happy to have them for two reasons - one, his mouth hurts less and he can sleep through the night now (glory be and hallelujah!) and two, he can eat all sorts of big boy food and stop depending on the spoon. When I first started him on solid foods at 6 months, he was all about the spoon. It was fun to feed him! But now that he has a pincer grasp (at about 6 and a half months) and four teeth, he's not a spoon fan any more. He eats avocado and peeled grape pieces and noodles and cooked carrot chunks and berries and cereal and crackers and potatoes and rice and peas and banana chunks and anything else I can find that is soft and finger-food sized - all by himself. And what an appetite he has! I feel like I'm feeding a teenage boy here....

 

Basically during the last two weeks I've come to feel that this little man isn't like a baby any more. It's very exciting at the same time that it's terribly sad. He is just so intent on being a big kid that he doesn't stop and smell the roses, and won't let me smell them either. He's not into cuddling any more - he's always trying to reach something or do something or see something or eat something or say something or go somewhere - in a nutshell, he's trying to be like his big brother. Tallis is a good hero to have, but I miss my baby already. Slow down, Rhys. You are a whirlwind. A happy, smiling, delighted and delightful whirlwind.

Developments in the last two weeks:

top two teeth in (4 total)

pincer grasp and independent eating

forward crawling
sleeping through the night
increased skill and dexterity with toys
much more loud and conversational in his "speech"
enjoys the bathtub and water now