Maverick is 7 months old!

And I can't wait another day to write about it! I keep putting it off and putting it off and this little guy is growing and changing so fast right now it can't be put off any longer! The was a HUGE month for Maverick. So many changes, so many firsts, so much excitement. And so much love. Though Maverick seems to be turning into a little boy a lot faster than Tula (I really think that's more because of his size than anything) he is still the most lovable, happiest little baby in the world. And he just lights up when I smile at him too, so of course he pretty much holds my heart in his hands. I swoon over this boy. I love every little bit of him. I say it at least once a day, I could eat him up. He smells delish...he doesn't stop smiling....and he is one of the easiest babes ever born. I thank God every day that he is mine.

What's new in Maverick's world? Well, at 7 months old:

- You started crawling! Yay! You have been officially and totally "on the move" for about a week now. Pretty much all month, since you were able to sit up nice and strong, you started felling forward and ending up on all fours. I will say, there were about two weeks at the beginning of the month that were probably the crankiest of your whole life, and I think that was you just trying to figure out crawling. You would be fine sitting there and then roll into the crawling position and start crying, I think, cause you just didn't know what to do from there. At nighttime, when you would wake to feed, I would find you in your bed when you cried for me on all fours just rocking back and forth, maybe even dreaming about crawling? When you finally figured it out, the actual one hand then one foot motion, the first person you crawled to was me! Grandma had you outside on the trampoline, we were all sitting on there, and she put you down and you crawled right over to me into my lap. Maverick, that made my week. Okay, it made my month. So anyways, you aren't very fast yet, and haven't figured out that you can follow me from room to room, but the crawling thing has made playtime on the floor alone and with Tula much more exciting for you and for me to watch.

- I am pretty sure last month I wrote that I was going to try and give you some more regular meals, that you seemed hungry. I assumed that, like your sister, you would love sweet potatoes and they would be a mealtime staple. Boy, was I wrong. From the first time you tried the stuff, you gagged to the point of making yourself sick. You hate them. And, for that matter, you hate pureed food, period. Which is very strange for me because I was still pureeing Tula's food till she was about 15 months old and I think we will bypass that stage completely with you. This month, after trying and trying pureed things, we ended up letting you just pick and finger food and you LOVE all of it. You, like every other baby, love Cheerios. For every meal. And Mum Mum's, of course. Mommy and Daddy love that you like finger food too, it make mealtime so much easier for us to just put a handful of whatever on your tray and let you eat while we do the same. This month you also tried....chicken, steamed carrots, rice, pears, apple (you seemed to like it best when I would chew it up and spit it out for you. Gross, I know, but you are the one that likes it not me.) Oh yeah, and you even tried salmon one night, that didn't go over very well. We let you have some of Sis's mac-n-cheese one night and you gobbled that up. Yes, my son, all my food rules I had with Tula are out the window with you. You have tried almost everything in your first two weeks of really eating solids that she had to wait over a year to eat! I can't believe it! I even let you have cow's milk this month. Sometimes you just seemed extra hungry or thirsty so I have given you a bottle and let you have some in a sippy with meals and you love it. Normally switching to cows milk can be a huge adjustment but you never seemed to notice at all. In fact, you love it. It's also nice because I am not a fan of pumping so now I know if you start to fuss while I am out Daddy or Grandma or whoever can give you a bottle and you will take it. What a relief. I love it around dinnertime when i am busy in the kitchen and you start to get hungry I have given you a bottle a few times and you will just lay on the floor, holding your own little bottle and watching me run around the kitchen. I never, ever had the bottle "luxury" with Tula, so it's sort of a fun change for me. Though I still love the quiet times I have with you when you do nurse, and the chance it gives us to be alone, and quiet and focused mostly on each other. You love to scratch at my chest and play with my necklace. Those are some of the time I get the biggest, bestest smiles from you!

- No more teeth yet. You have had those bottom two by themselves for quite some time, but that's it. I am in no hurry, I know when Tula's face started filling up with teeth that's when she stared to look so much older and I am still in love with the "baby-you". I have felt around and no other teeth seem to be on their way. And of course all your smiles would never let on that you were teething at all so maybe it'll be awhile till we see any more action in there.

- This month you started sitting up in the bathtub like a bug boy and you think you are so cool like that. You love to splash. Loud and hard and make a big scene. Bathtime has become much more fun for you now that you are sitting up in there. We also had to lower you crib, now that you are sitting so much we know the next step is pulling yourself up and we wanted to be one step ahead of you so we lowered it and you didn't seem to notice.

- Sleep with you is okay. You sleep great, but I am ready to be sleeping through the night and you don't seem to be. You usually still wake twice a night. Once at about 11 or 12 and I am still up so I just go in and feed you and put you back in your crib. And then you wake again around 3 or 4ish and Daddy goes and brings you to me and I think you just nurse a bit and then we sleep together usually till Daddy goes to work in the morning and at that time he brings you back to your cribs, You usually wake around 7:30 or 8, shortly after Tula goes running up and down the halls letting us all know she is up. She loves to go get you in the morning, and every morning when I pick you out of your crib and show you to her, both of your faces light up. You adore her, you watch everything she does right now, but mostly you just laugh and smile at her and all her antics. She totally cracks you up all day long and watching you smile and giggle for her makes my world turn.

- You have become very expressive this month. Clapping hands together in excitement, not to make the sounds, but I guess you just love the feeling of your arms smacking into each other or something. Oh, and very, very recently, in the last week or so, you have really found your voice and love to tell big, funny, loud stories. You think they are the funniest, but just so ya know, Tula thinks they are pretty good too. Oh yes, you guys seem to have quite the conversations, especially in the carseats. I love listening to you guys back there. Tula will say "hand, hand, hand" and insist you hold hers while we drive. You guys usually do hold hands at least once per trip, and sometimes for an entire trip. My favorite is when you guys fall asleep holding hands. I can rest so much easier now knowing you guys have each other. You really do seem to have an incredible little bond.

- We had the privilege and joy of dedicating you to the Lord this month at our church in front of a few family members (Auntie Jen, GG and Papa, and Aunt Gayle) and our small group friends from church. We prayed that you would grow into the man of God that you were designed to be. We prayed that you would chose friends wisely. We thanked God for your precious smile. We prayed for your future wife (crazy...I know...maybe she is even born already? Oh Maverick, I have so many dreams for you....) that God would prepare you for each other. We prayed that you will be protected and safe, and we asked God to guide us as parents and help us to raise you up in Him. We stood before our church and were accountable to the congregation and our family and friends that we would be involved in the church, and that our children would be also. It is my prayer that you are able to find friendships at church with young boys and girls that you can grow up with, that they will be deep and meaningful and lifelong. And that your best friend, Jesus, will be a constant presence in your life. Though there will be times growing up that you will think you are totally alone and Mom and Dad seem a million miles (or years!) away, that He will be all the answers you need and all the friendship you require. That you will be a servant but leader, humble but proud of who you are, and as joyful and happy as you are right now. Okay, that last one might be a stretch, but if you could be HALF as happy, you will be a happy, happy man. I love you Maverick, and I am so, so committed to raising you the right way and not just telling you what you need to do, but walking the walk with you and living as "Christ-like" as possible alongside you. This does not mean that you ever have to alienate yourself, in fact the opposite. May you always, always be the light that shines, no matter who you are surrounded by. And I hope and pray you do go to the ends of the earth where they may be no light, that your may shine all the brighter there. Most of all, I pray that you always know, no matter what you do, you make me so proud. That you are loved more than you can know. And that nothing you could do would ever, ever change that. Your dedication day was a special day for our family, and I am excited to see all the great things God is going to do in your life and through you Mav John. You are a special boy!

Happy seven months Maverick! Mommy loves you so much!