7-months old

Pierce is 7 months old. I'd like to say time flies, but I feel that is becoming trite as I want to say that all the time. He's starting to prefer standing. When I try to sit him in the floor, he gets really stiff and forces his feet to the floor. I usually have to bend him at the waist to get him to sit down. He will rock back and forth on his hands and knees for short periods of time but hasn't figured out how to move his arms and legs to crawl. He's starting to move to get to something he wants using a combination of rolling, scooting, and stretching. Changing his diaper is a two-person job because he rolls over so much. I really do feel exhausted after getting him dressed. I know many things will get more difficult when he starts to crawl, but I think my back will get a bit of a rest from having to carry him all the time.

He's a very easy-going baby and usually has a smile on his face. Madelyn loves him and is good at making him laugh, but I sometimes think he wishes she would give him a little more space. She doesn't give much service to the concept of personal space. And as much as she loves him, I've seen bits of jealousy here and there, but I know that is to be expected.

I feel very thankful to have two healthy, sweet children. Here are some shots of Pierce on his "7-month day."

Pierce is discovering that air blows out of the register and he really wants to catch it.

As I mentioned, he's starting to move to get what he wants. I took my shoes away from him once and moved them to what I thought was a safe location...those shoes are pretty dirty. It took him a few minutes, but by golly, he got them again.