Seven Months Old

Phaedra discovered her tongue this month. I'm not sure if she was teething and it felt good on her gums or if she got interested by looking at our tongues (She likes a game we play where I stick out my tongue and hurry and slurp it into my mouth whenever she reaches for it). But sometimes she likes to stick out her tongue while she crawls around. She'll also stick it out and suck on her top lip or stick it out and blow raspberries around it. It's pretty cute.

Last month, she became interested in faces, grabbing at noses, lips, or pretty much anything she could get her fingers around. Hair is especially fascinating. It doesn't hurt me when she grabs my hair since it's so short, but she can yank out a chunk of Eleanor's hair with one grab. I have to hold Phaedra's hands away from Eleanor's hair when we do loves at bedtime. She loves having her sister's love and attention, though.

Phaedra is such an adventurous girl. She quickly learned to crawl up on all fours during the first part of March. She started out a little unsure, moving along with her stiff little arms slapping down in front of her. Now, she is gaining speed and confidence.

She knows when she is getting into trouble. Whenever she has something she knows she isn't allowed to play with, when she hears us coming, she turns and grins at us just before doing a frantic scurry of a crawl to try to get away with it before we can reach her. The parent always wins, but it's fun to watch her try.

She makes the funniest sounds. She makes a gurgle sound at the back of her throat that resembles a cat purr. When she's tired or wants something, she makes a high squeak. She blows raspberries. She has noticed how we move our mouths, so she'll silently open and shut her mouth as if she's talking or chewing.

She does not like her Johnny jump up anymore. It was rather short lived. She might have bumped her hand on the door frame once (I wouldn't know, I'm always in the shower while she's in it). She might just resent being confined like that. Today, I moved the exersaucer into the bathroom. It's rather bulky, but it kept her pleasant. If I can get through a shower in peace, it's worth it.

She has continued her mommy-clingy phase, and with her crawling, I find her at my feet more and more. She'll follow me into the bathroom if I leave the door open, too impatient to wait for me to come back. She has even taken to exploring the house to find me. One morning, Grant was watching the kids in the family room while I caught up on some sleep. She crawled her way through the kitchen and down the hall to come looking for me. When she gets to me, she puts a hand up on my leg, clinging to my pants. I have to pick her up if I want to move.

I love it when she's tired and I hold her close to my cheek. She always puts her right thumb in her mouth and her left hand reaches around my neck to grab my hair, neck, or ear.

She is such an explorer. It doesn't bother her one bit to wander away from us to explore another room or part of the house. She's actually gotten so good at following our voices to find us in another room, I think I'm getting too used to just walking away and expecting to see her in a few minutes instead of actually picking her up and bringing her along. I know I need to be better about that. It's pretty funny, though, when I leave her in the family room and go to the main bathroom, and I can hear the soft slap of her hands all the way through the kitchen and dining room, hear the sound soften as she reaches the carpet, and soon I see her little head round the corner.

This little girl loves dogs! Get her around a dog, and it's a challenge to get her to look at anything but the dog. She'll squeal and carry on, trying to get the dog's attention. Even the slightest response thrills her.

She cracks up over just about anything Eleanor does to try to make her laugh. I'm happy that she's so easily amused by her sister because that way, Eleanor is rewarded for any attention she gives her, no matter how little.

Her exploration (and her pursuit of her mommy, for that matter) is not limited by obstacles or heights. She's my little B-line girl with 4WD. She'll crawl over toys, clothes, the bean bag chair, or even Eleanor to get where she's going. Never does it occur to her to go around something to get where she's going. Also, raising things we don't want her to have off the ground doesn't always stop her. It wasn't long after we elevated any paper she might get her hands on before she was pulling up to her knees and even feet to reach it.

Pulling up.
No obstacle too great. She was pulled up on the bottom step of Eleanor's stool for a bit. Then she got down and realized the stool was between her and me. So, she went over the bottom shelf while going under the stool. Soon after this picture, her right arm got stuck, and she started to cry. Wouldn't it have been easier to go around?

Here's a little video of her crawl, taken March 24th.