7 is heaven

A couple of weeks ago, Drew and Harper turned 7 months old.  Part of me wonders where the time went and the other part wonders how I existed before they got here.  (Then I remember that I had a lot more sleep and free time back in the olden days...but I wouldn't trade the sweet kids for the time and sleep.  Or at least, not too often)

Our babysitter takes vacation a couple of weeks a year, and one of those weeks was the week they had their "7 month birthday."  I stayed home with the kids Monday, Thursday, and Friday and Darrell took a turn on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I really enjoyed spending time with Drew and Harper and they really are such good kids, that it was pretty easy.

But it also is a lot of work...I almost forgot how "on" I have to be all day.

And especially now that they both roll over.  Harper is really good at back to tummy; she can occasionally surprise herself by getting from her tummy to her back.  She has started enjoying tummy time, but once she is done, she wants to be on her back yesterday.  Drew, however, is a professional roller.  He rolls all over the place.  Unless he decides that rolling is overrated.  Then he scootches around.  Gone are the days when I could just put them both on their playmats on the floor and know they were safe.  Drew somehow ends up underneath the playmat, pretzeled in the playmat, or just plain feet away from the playmat.  He loves to find new and dangerous things to put in his mouth.  Like the ottoman or the laptop cord.

They are chatty, both with each other and with the adults in the room.  It is so cute to see them roll onto their sides, facing each other, just chatting away.  They do this most often if they are left alone.  They talk so quietly to each other and just smile away.  They really love each other.  Then there are the times when they just want to be heard.  Drew loves to squeal.  Harper recently discovered da da da da da.  She says it when she's happy, when she's sad, when she's tired....pretty much all the time.  The only time they don't talk is when I am trying to record them.  They sense the video and stop everything.

Drew is super ticklish and loves it.  He gets the biggest grin on his face when I gently tickle him.  He giggles with joy when the tickle bug attacks his tummy.  He kicks, kicks, kicks when I scrub his feet and toes in the bath.  And, when I forget that his back is super ticklish and tickle his back like I love mine to be tickled, he squirms and giggles.  Harper could take or leave being tickled.  But, if Drew is getting tickled and having a good time, she suddenly loves it, too.

 They still are getting used to the whole idea of eating food.  We feed them oatmeal and fruit puree for breakfast and dinner.  Harper still can't get enough.  Most days, I feel like if I had another hand and spoon, we still couldn't keep up with her.  If she thinks she isn't being fed quickly enough, she plunges her fingers into her mouth, so it really is a mad dash to keep her as clean as possible.  Drew is starting to like food more.  He still routinely shudders at the first taste of each meal, but then anxiously awaits the next bite.  He likes to squirm a little more than Harper and will almost lay down in his high chair as he eats.  They both are quite taken with the tree outside the kitchen window and it is sometimes a competition between the tree and the food, to see which gets the most attention.

 
Drew loves to be a helper.  He has almost always waited patiently while Harper gets fed or changed first since she is the more vocal one.  He still is very good at this.  A few times when Darrell has worked late, I have had to feed them both solid food.  Harper will have no part in sharing me, so Drew sits in his high chair playing with toys.  He recently started to try to pull up his pants while we get him dressed or after a diaper change.  The other night, he even started rubbing his head while I was shampooing his hair.  If Harper is sad, he rolls over to be close to her, and not-so-gently tries to soothe her.  He holds her hand or "pats" her cheek.  I'm not sure Harper appreciates it now, but know that she will love having an empathetic brother as they get older.

Harper loves to smile, smile, smile.  Her big, toothless grin makes everyone around her smile.  She also loves to laugh.  But many times, she does an airy laugh, which almost sounds sarcastic.  I don't have any idea how she learned to be sarcastic!   She also is learning early to be a cook.  During our little staycation, I made brownies and cleaned the kitchen and put the kids in their high chairs.  I gave each of them a silicon spatula and Harper just loved it.  Drew liked his, but wanted Harper's since she was having so much fun with it.  I think she will be a natural at cooking, with her love of food!

I sure love these kids...they truly have enriched my life!