Dear Sloan: Seven Months

Wow, lots of firsts this month! Month 7 absolutely flew by...and got hotter and hotter as it went! It was 43 degrees today with the humidex!

You went on your first vacation this month. We went to visit David out in Vancouver with Nana, but sadly Daddy had to stay home and work. You were a great little traveller - sleeping on the plane, adjusting to the time difference and sightseeing like it was your job! We got to see a lot of great things (you especially loved the aquarium), eat at a bunch of great places (NoodleBox, Dim Sum, Mexican, Cupcakes! and lots of great homemade meals!) and spend lots of quality time with Uncle David and Brad!

You still love the jolly jumper and would stay in there for hours if I let you I think! I bought you a little spongy mat to jump on so you don't hurt your feet! You're also using this mat to roll around on - you're a master roller now! You can even roll towards something to get it! This mat has also come in handy to work on your sitting, which you have also mastered! You look so grown up sitting there on your own, not toppling over!



Last month you mastered the clapping, but this month you perfected it by clapping on cue! If we clap, you clap! You have also figured out that if you bang two things together it makes a noise. It was so neat to watch you figure this out for the first time, and just as wonderful to see you so impressed with yourself each time you rediscover it!



You are eating more and more different foods now. This month we discovered that you love apple-pear sauce (so do I!) and although peaches weren't a big hit at first, you love them mixed with banana!



Your little personality is developing more and more. You are a little Mama's girl for sure! You have this adorable little shy smile when meeting new people and turn into my shoulder to hide your little face - it is so stinkin' cute! You also do this adorable little shoulder shrug that could melt anyones heart!


We hosted our first play group this month - you had 6 little friends over! It was so neat to watch you interacting with them (mainly with eye contact and watching them play with your toys).

Speaking of playgroup, we have also been going to the Early Years Centre on a pretty regular basis and this month you got to paint there for the first time! Yummy vanilla pudding painting! As soon as you got a taste of it, you licked it all of your page - so much for painting! You also did some painting for Father's Day - hand prints on a homemade card and some painting with a brush on a bowl that you helped make for Daddy out in Vancouver - he is one lucky Daddy!

Yum!

You're babbling more and more now. Da-da is still your favourite sound, but I'm working on ma-ma! I say ma-ma and you repeat da-da!

You also went to your first pipe band this month - a weekend tradition I hope to keep since I have so many great memories of it as a child. You watched without a flinch as the band went by and then we marched behind them and Mummy and Daddy got ice cream. On the way back you fell asleep! And stayed asleep as the band went by the second time!

Snoozing...

Lastly, another first - fireworks! You celebrated your first Canada Day! We were off to Cambridge for the day to see the Stewart-Murphy clan and visit with your Nanny Murphy - she noticed a HUGE change in you since this was just her 3rd time seeing you. You napped almost the whole way home, so you were able to stay up late to watch the fireworks over this lake in town. We weren't sure how you would react to them, but you just snuggled on me, and rested your head on Daddy and watched with amazement. I didn't get to see too many because I was busy watching your reaction to them!

You no longer hate the grass!

People keep asking me if I am looking forward to going back to work soon and the answer to that is a big fat NO! I love my job, but I love being with you way more. I can't imagine not being the one to get to watch all of these first with you and getting to see all of the subtle little changes day to day. Hopefully we'll win the lottery before it's time to go back to work! :)

xo Mama


p.s We still mainly call you Noodle! Luckily you aren't too confused by this and respond to either Sloan or Noodle!