7 months

Better late than never, right?
1..2..3..4..5..6...

Marlee Kay is seven months old. Well, on February 10, she was seven months old.

About one week after Marlee turned six months old she started really rolling. One morning I put her down on the floor in the family room, she threw her head back, lifted her arm up in the air...and rolled, and rolled, and rolled. She is now a pro at this rolling thing.

Marlee rolling herself up in blanket

Another exciting thing happened this month, on January 21, Marlee sat up unassisted. She can sit up on her own for about ten seconds. I must say she is not a fan of this whole sitting up thing and often times throws herself back, telling me "no Mama"!

After about a month, Marlee is just starting to get this whole solid food and eating with a spoon thing. This past month she ate (I use the word ate very loosely) peas, bananas, apples, and pears. She loves pears. She is finally starting to "get it" and will open her mouth for food.

Let's talk sleep. Overall, Marlee is a great sleeper and usually goes down for naps and bedtime very willingly. Of course, there is always exceptions to this but I certainly cannot complain. Dave or I give her a nighttime bottle, take her in her room, and read her a bedtime story. She loves story time. When the story is done, we close the book and put it in front of Marlee. She then "bams" the book. I'm not sure why but she so enjoys doing this. She slaps the book over and over smiling and laughing all the while.

It's not just books Marlee likes to bam. She bams toys, the floor, Mama's face, pretty much anything.
I see so much of Dave in Marlee. She does this thing where she crinkles up her nose and snorts, in and out. I laugh, so then she laughs, and snorts and snorts. This so reminds me of Dave's laugh. When he laughs he throws his head back and crinkles up his nose, too. Like Father, like Daughter. I swear some days I look at Marlee and see Dave staring back at me.

While on the topic of Dave, Marlee said Dada! On her seven month birthday she was in her jumparoo, talking and squealing as usual, and she screamed out "dadadadada." You can only imagine how giddy this has made Dave since he has been coaching her for four months now.
She also found her feet and toes on February 10. And, yes, her toes went straight into her mouth, as well as anything else she can get her hands on these days.

I cannot even begin to explain the joy Marlee Kay has brought to my life. So often I forget the many years of trying, struggling, hoping. It all seems nothing but a distant memory.