7 months

Today marks the 7 month birthday for Miss Eva Joyce.  The past month has been spent anticipating the day Eva will crawl!  Alas, she is a mover, but not yet a crawler.  I feel like we have been waiting for this moment since she started scooting about around 5 months.  It seems she likes to take her time perfecting her craft.  She has progressed through many pre-crawling stages.  From pulling herself across the floor, to plank, and downward dog. Right now she can get up in crawling position and rock back and forth.  She then proceeds to plop down and repeat until she has made it to her destination! We have had just a couple moments in the past couple days where she has started to move one hand at a time. But, her favorite is to inch across the room like a worm and boy can she move fast!

note: I had to switch to the 7 block!

This past month has also been filled with tons of smiles! Oh, and tears :(.  First, smiles...she is just such a happy baby.  She loves to observe the world around her.  And, if she catches the eyes of a stranger she will just stare with amazement and then give them a big smile.  I see this as her way of spreading holiday cheer and bringing happiness to others.  With her smiles she has also brought on the tears.  We have been working hard to get her sleeping better at night.  With this we have been using The Sleep Lady's technique found in her book Good Night, Sleep Tight.  As tough as it has been to not pick her up when she wakes up crying in the middle of the night, but instead to just rub her back and reassure her, the results (although not perfect) speak for themselves.  After a couple weeks she is only getting up once a night to eat.  If she awakens before then, she usually has a few minor fusses and settles back into a slumber.  Keeping our fingers crossed she starts sleeping even better (I think she wakes up and misses us and that is why she cries!).

awkward picture "smile for the camera" 

Eva's milestones

• on the move
• spent a weekend with Grandma and Grandad (she wore them out, but they had fun)!
• had her first Thanksgiving
• met Santa
• goes crazy when she sees herself in the mirror or watches a video of herself!
• still loves selfies
• observes everything
• wants everything in her mouth (still)

Marlena and Chris's milestones

• traveled across state lines to California for a weekend without Eva (ahh!)
• Enjoy another great date day thanks to Auntie Rochelle and Aunt Karen
• made it through the first stages of sleep training