Dear Brooke Allen: Seven Months Old

Today, you are seven months old.

Part of me is sad that we are now closer to one year old than we are to your day you were born. The other part of me loves every bit of the way you are growing and learning and expressing your personality.

You are one amazing little human being.

Since your six month birthday...

We met two girls we have been dying to meet for a very long time. I am a part of a Facebook group of moms who all had babies in March. We all met on thebump.com, and have made the move to Facebook. We share stories, funnies, milestones, pictures, and problems. We are such a close group and I know more about these women than I do a lot of people in my own town.

So when Elizabeth said she and Hannah would be in Destin for a few weeks with her family, we knew it was way too close for us not to make the trip to see them.

Hannah was a preemie and was born in February. You two were instant best friends. She is PRECIOUS, and so is her mother.

It was so nice to FINALLY meet these two beautiful girls.

Gigi came with us, and we made a day trip out of it. We went shopping at the outlets, where Gigi loaded you up on new clothes, and we went to Baytowne. We had to make your picture in the big chair.

It's amazing just how tiny you really are.

We swapped you from your pumpkin car seat to your convertible car seat.

It also means that you're sitting in high chairs.

I got free tickets to the Miranda Lambert concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. We couldn't find a sitter for that night, so we decided to just take you with us. We put you in several layers, a hat, and the Baby Bjorn and went for it.

Your Daddy was FREAKING OUT. He was worried it was too loud, or it was too cold, or that people were staring at us because we had a baby at a concert.

But when the people on the row in front of us said it was raining at their house five minutes from the amphitheatre, he couldn't stand it. I told him that we could go stand by the exit, that way if it started to rain, we wouldn't be caught up in the crowds trying to get down the stairs. As soon as we got down there, we felt a few rain drops. It was too much for Your Daddy to handle, so we left.

We love him because he loves you more than anything.

Gigi came up the weekend of your Baby Dedication, which I've already posted about. She went with us to the pumpkin patch, and then we went shopping and to dinner at Surin West after.

You really wanted some of our creme brulee.

I gave you a sippy cup to play with. You're not quite sure what to do with it yet, except that it has handles and you can pick it up.

You love to eat. You love to eat so much, that you talk with your mouth full.

You love veggies way more than you like fruits. Your favorites are mixes with sweet potatoes and peas. You went from hating sweet potatoes to loving them overnight.

You sit in your highchair and play a lot. You love this book that has crinkly pages and animals that you can feel.

You also love this little piano. You laugh when it turns itself off and says, "GOODBYE!"

You hate your Johnny Jump Up. We'll try it again in a few days.

Sometimes, I think you are part pterodactyl.

Other times, I think you are part lizard.

At all times, you are a wonderfully happy baby. I actually have people ask if you're real. You are happy all the time. You laugh and smile, and really ham it up for strangers. You even got two teeth and we barely noticed.

You are completely off your reflux medicine. You still spit up a good bit, but you are not in pain.

People watching is your favorite hobby. When we go to restaurants, your head is constantly turning while you look around at all the people. You are so observant, and we can see the wheels turning in your brain while you learn about your surroundings.

You and Daddy come eat with me on Fridays. Daddy loves to dress you up for our lunch dates. We are so thankful for him. He takes such good care of you while I work. And then he goes to his job, where he works hard to provide for us. We love Daddy.