Happy Crabby 7 Month Birthday

Bethany is 7 months old today. At 7 months she is:

~Still pretty crabby. She is happy for the first awake hour of her day. And then it is back to her normal crabby self. Honestly, I don't know if I should be worried that there is something seriously wrong with her, or if it is her "Empress" personality. *sigh*

~Loving sitting up. She likes to spend a lot of time in her Bumbo, but even more so likes to practice sitting up on her own. Crispy has been her biggest helper in this endeavor, and you can often find him taking her out of whatever contraption she is in, and bringing her to the middle of the floor for sitting practice time.

~Getting even stronger. She spends much time in her exersaucer spinning around with her legs and manipulating all the toys. On the floor, she gets to wherever it is that she wants to be by rolling, and creeping. There is nothing that she can't accomplish.

~Wanting our food. She stares at us intently as we eat, and wants to be a part of the fun. However, she has no interest in actually eating the stuff. After one taste of rice cereal, she refuses more. Her favorites are pumpkin pie and ice cream. But her funniest little episode was one day as we all were sipping celebratory Icees after the kids' Christmas Show, she was beside herself with pride when I allowed her my Icee with straw to use. She didn't use the straw for drinking, but merely chewed on the end, happy as a clam, thinking that that is what big people do, sitting around with straw ends in their mouths, and now she was one of them. Silly girl.

~"Crying and screaming, and just being Bethany"(that is the answer I just got from the kids when I asked them what she is doing these days....see, it's NOT just ME thinking these things!).

~Liking her siblings.....a lot! She thinks these kids are hilarious! Well, "hilarious" for Bethany is a relative term. She will smile and squeal at the funny things they do, and especially likes the smaller kids: Tubby, Laura, and Crispy. Something about Crispy, especially, nearly always makes her smile. He had her actually laughing one night by making silly raspberry noises. I even got a little on video, as that is such a rare occurrence around here!

~Is 15-1/2pounds, and 25-1/4 inches long. That is 50% on the non-preemie-fied growth chart. Way to grow, girl!

~Is sleeping well at night from 10pm to 4/5-ish in the morning, but can only manage to stay asleep for 30 minutes at a time during the day. It is as though there is something wrong with her sleep/wake cycle, and she simply can't make it through that first transition after 30 minutes. This is what I contribute to some of her crabbiness, and she only gets worse and worse as the day goes on. By dinner time, I am ready to move out. Alone.

~Is still loving the sling. Thank goodness that this still works. Without it, none of my other children would ever get dinner. EVER. She especially likes the cozy fleece one we use at the hockey arenas(where she also likes the cooler temps). And I have been fortunate to make it through most of the kids' concerts and Sunday church services with her slinged to me, as long as we have that nukkie too!!!

~Is adorable. With all of her challenges, spark, and fire she brings, she is still certainly a beautiful, adorable little girl! Alex goes so far as to say, "Bethany is the most perfect baby ever/in the world....she is just misunderstood." Well.....fine, I suppose. But I can certainly say, without a doubt, that we love her so very much!!!