At the beginning of the month the entire family went to the Peach Valley AIM camp. The camp was a great experience, and you did SO well while we were at camp (with the exception of sleeping well at night, but that was nothing new!). You were good-natured and happy, and did much better than we could have asked! You loved being held by different members of the staff, and often fell asleep in their arms. One of the most exciting things about camp was the fact that it provided another opportunity for us to try the bottle, and you finally (kinda!) actually ate from it without acting like it was the worst thing we could stick in your mouth.
And, after camp, we continued to try the bottle, and I can happily say that you now easily take the bottle! You can even hold it if you want to, although you generally prefer for someone to hold it for you. You continue to be a great eater, and are doing a great job letting us know when you want more food (you've figured out how to yell at us to tell us you want more). You can be quite vocal when you want more food! You are also very coordinated; more coordinated than I remember your siblings being at this age, but then again it all blends together. You do really well grabbing your bites of food and putting them in your mouth. There are usually very few puffs on the floor or in your highchair when you finish eating. You have two little teeth trying SO hard to poke through, but they haven't quite come through yet!
For a couple of months now you have been fairly stable when you sit, but this month you officially graduated to full-on unsupported sitting. It provides you great freedom, and I think you really enjoy being able to sit up on your own. You still are not crawling, and generally hate being put on your tummy (which is ironic since you sleep on your belly!).
Your personality continues to blossom, and while you have been charming us with your smile and laugh for a few months now, you really began interacting and reacting to us in a whole new way this month. Your facial expressions have multiplied, and our favorite is when you scrunch your nose in happiness (just like your brothers and sisters).
Over the past couple of weeks you've been generally sleeping better: longer stretches and more consistently. You still have the occasional night where you are up frequently, but those nights are becoming fewer and fewer (thankfully!).
Annie @ 7 months
Luke @ 8 months
Troy @ 8 months
(I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)
