7 Months

Last Thursday Andy turned 7 months old. I feel like he just turned 6 months, so I guess this is what people mean about it going by quickly. The third month of his life was by far the longest I have ever experienced, and I never thought that I'd get to the point where I'd be wishing time went slower. Yesterday I didn't really get to spend quality time with him because we went to the mall to walk with another mother, then he napped, then Peter came home and I went out for a meeting. I got home and really missed him. All I wanted to do was wake him up, but even I'm too smart to actually do something that dumb.

Andy is sleeping great, napping great, and is generally in a better mood. His fussiness isn't quite what it once was. And I know how to deal with it better too. If he's a little tired, I distract him or hold him. If he's hungry, I do the same. If he has a poopy diaper, I change it. Unless of course I think it's leaked. Then I need to get the mental strength to deal with it. On Friday, he had his biggest leak to date. It went up and around the front, going out both sides. He kept sticking his fingers in it too, and try as I might, I couldn't stop him and clean it all up. It was such a mess, I gave him a bath. All alone. For the first time ever. I didn't know what to do, so he laid on the bathroom floor while I filled up the tub and again as I wrapped him up in his towel. He cried through the whole thing.

This month Andy also finally got his first tooth. It's his bottom front right one, and it seems to be coming in nicely. He now hurts us when he bites down, leaving indents in our fingers. He isn't as interested in chomping on my fingers luckily. He also is getting thicker hair, is eating more and more although still doesn't understand feeding himself, and he loves to stand with our help. In fact, he'll straighten his body so he can't sit when we place him down. He's learned how to play with toys and is already getting bored with the ones he already has.

I have started to miss him when I'm not around. Last week I was out for two nights when he went to bed. So I come home and he's sleeping and I want to wake him up so I can see him. Of course that is dumb, especially since I used to freak out so much about his sleeping. But I just want to stare at him. He is so cute and so perfect and so much like me it's scary. He's great at letting the world know what he thinks of it just like me. How is he going to act to Peter when I go away in a few weeks? How will I survive without my baby for 48 hours? How will we get through this so that I can still breastfeed as much as I do? I'm so afraid that I'll be forced into weaning because I don't remember to pump enough. I'm worried that he'll miss me and freak out at Peter, or worse that he won't even notice that I'm gone. And I always worry that he doesn't know how much I love him. I doubt he could understand the concept, but it is so important to me that he knows this. Maybe it's because of the depression I had before, I want him to know that even though it happened he's my baby and more important to me than all the world and I love him no matter what, even if he is just like me and we fight like hell when he gets older.

I also sort of think I want another. Obviously we can't do that now because we have no room, we'd have to move, and omg I am not ready to go through all that again. But I'm starting to get the itch. If they are all this perfect, why didn't I start when I was 22? I could have had a whole slew of Andy's by now. Of course, if they were all as cute as he is, the world would have imploded with cuteness. Or at least that's what I tell Andy. Can you imagine if I had twins like I originally thought? Two Andys is just so adorable. Really, I don't think the world could have taken it. Too cute for our society to stand.

Happy belated 7 month birthday Andy! You are my perfect Andy Pandandy Pumpkin Boy!