Bodester is on the move

This was supposed to be a post updating Bodey's 6 month old milestones but life got really hard to function in over the past month. I mourned my daughter more than I have in a very, very long time. I wasn't myself and I needed every ounce of energy to manage those 23 days of the year that coincide with the 23 days she spent earthside. 

But let me tell you Bodey is a burst of fresh, clean, crisp oxygen every single day to a mother that might feel like she is suffocating under the weight of two years without her daughter.  

Bodey is 7 months old now and he is freaking amazing. Period. I said it. There is no better baby I could possibly imagine being given the honor of hanging out with every day! He has always been the most chill baby but now he has a little personality to match it!! He literally greets me at daycare with the biggest, happiest, wide open-mouth, excited smile!! He shakes his head, squirms his body or swims out of pure excitement and it makes a momma's heart want to burst right out of her chest!! 

He can sit, transition from sit to lying down and visa versa. He started crawling the last week in February, just a couple sequenced moves covering about 2 feet distance. Today he is going wherever he damn well pleases which means a lot of 'no' coming out of my mouth! Just today alone I had to fish soggy paper out of his mouth, remove the cell phone charger cord he was gumming, take away sandals he was licking and hide the dog toy he was using as a teether. Needless to say we have some definite baby-proofing to do this weekend!!! Despite the fact that I can't do one single productive thing since he requires constant supervision, it is the most incredible feeling to watch him engage in and explore his world around him!! He is finally responsive to story time and just loves mommy's goofy sounds I make when reading baby books! He still loves to be sang to so I make up lots of crazy songs with his name in it! He is so vocal lately. He loves to grunt and holler and say da da da! He started swimming classes a few weeks ago. He is pretty chill about it. I thought he would love it and he enjoys it but seems like he could take it or leave it. Being in the water that long also definitely puts him to sleep! Last session while floating on his belly he tried to rest his head down on the water which obviously didn't make for the best pillow! Daycare is freaking amazing because his teachers expose him to so many new experiences and textures like finger painting, sensory tables and swinging which he enjoys so much! I wouldn't even think to try half the things he does in daycare so there is no doubt it's a great balance for us! 

I love to jump, jump, jump!!!

Happy Valentine's Day Millie bear

beautiful winter days spent outdoors

rocking, rocking, rocking...I'm ready to crawl

piking, pre-crawling

the happiest baby in daycare

yeah I was napping but I think I'd rather play

crawling to get to my mommy so she will pick me up

what do you think is down this hallway, mom?? oh just the dangerous cliff known as the stairs, let's go check them out!

this paci makes a great teether

found the doorstopper

sweet sleeping baby

He is eating more, including 3 solid feedings a day (if he stays awake long enough to get them all in), and an extra ounce of milk in each of his 3 daily bottles! Therefore I am very pleased to report that he has gained 2# in only one month (he gained only 1/2 lb over the 6 weeks prior to last doctor's visit) and has improved from the 3% to 16% bracket! This helps put my worries at ease.  

On a side note as much as this season in Bodey's development has been super fun so has this season in my marriage! I love seeing my husband interact with Bodey and connect in their own special ways. I love seeing my husband's confidence in his abilities grow! I love that he wants to make an effort to be healthier for his family! He is incredibly supportive of me and so helpful with taking on plenty of the daily workload. I'm pretty proud of us and the story we continue to write together ❤