7

Nikhil hit the 7-month mark on Halloween. He is still crawling up a storm and uses a full-on crabwalk! I mentioned in the 6-month post that I thought he could sit pretty well but wasn't sure at the time because he was more interested in crawling. As soon as we got back from Brazil, it was very clear that he could not only sit on his own independently, he could also push himself up into sitting position! Unfortunately, this means that whenever he wakes up from a nap or in the middle of the night, he pops right up, which makes it a little harder for him to self-soothe. Though he has been known to fold over onto his legs and fall asleep that way - oh, the flexibility!
He pulls himself up to standing position any chance he can get. I see him consciously trying to let go of whatever he's holding on to and to stand on his own. He's done it for a few seconds at most, but I think that he is really building up his strength and won't have trouble with it once he figures it out.

After we got back from Brazil, Nikhil had his first taste of "solid" food - we started with banana, and he loved it! More on that later, but I'm glad that we waited until he was developmentally ready because he really willingly tries and eats everything we've offered. Or maybe he takes after his parents and just loves trying new food. =)

He came down with his first cold around Halloween. That was kind of a bummer, but we feel very lucky that we made it to 7 months before the first illness. He was a little subdued for a few days and not sleeping well for the course of the cold, but it seems that he's finally kicked it now. Baby coughs are so sad! He was due for his flu shots (seasonal and H1N1), so the doctor checked him out and thought he looked fine. Since there was the possibility of medicine, we found out that he weighs 16 pounds, 3 ounces.

All in all, we're still having lots of fun as a family! Nikhil's personality is coming out more and more. Good-natured, sweet, curious. And brilliant, of course. Of course! He is very active and wants to get into everything - and now that he can get there, he tries his best! But he's also very chill. We really do feel like we can take him anywhere. Though I did take him to campus the other day to visit Alvaro, and he hardly peeped the whole time except when we were in the library stacks, when he started giggling. I, of course, had to laugh with him - it's just too darn cute.

I saw the first glimpse of separation anxiety the other day when I left him with the babysitter to go to a meeting. Normally, when I wave goodbye through the glass kitchen door, he just grins at me, but I could see that he actually realized that I was leaving, and he started bawling. I have to admit, it was a nice feeling because he usually doesn't seem too aware that I'm gone, but of course, I don't want him to be upset.

As you can see, we are enjoying a beautiful fall in North Carolina. We've been enjoying going on long walks with Nikhil, who is so observant and peaceful on these strolls. Life is good!
Thanks, Julie, for letting us know that you're reading! Want more posts? Leave us a note here so we know that you're out there!