Back to our regularly scheduled program....

OH MY!!!  The last time I posted anything about Little Lord Jeffery (as Queenie calls him), it was in regards to our adventures in Arizona and California.  This MUST be rectified!  :)  Not only because he is growing so fast....but because he is just too darn cute!

Jeffery is now 7.5 months old and I am in awe every day at how fast time is speeding by and how fast he is growing into a "real" little boy.

My impish little boy

Some new firsts:

1) He has two front teeth on the bottom of his mouth.  So far, the teething process has been smooth but I'm told that it is the Molars that are really quite delightful.  :(

2) He is sleeping in his crib....for...wait for it....10-12 hours every night!  Oh sweet mercy!!!!  And he is taking a 3-4 hour nap every afternoon.  It looks like we have a sleeper on our hands....like his parents!!

3) He LOVES his exer-saucer as he can stand in it, turn 360 degrees, is on the same level as the pets, and it has lots of toys for him to play with and put in his mouth.  

Such pretty eyes you have.

4) EVERYTHING goes in his mouth these days.  :)
5) He reaches for me and Dave now and he is constantly trying to touch our faces.   In a bittersweet moment...he also tried to do this as we were skyping with my parents the other day.  They had both put their faces up close to the camera so their image filled our entire screen and he reached out and tried to touch my mom's face and then tried to get my dad's beard.  I thought I would cry at how sweet....and heartbreaking...it was.
6) He is "talking" up a storm these days.  He is starting to string consonants together and is making our speech pathologist neighbor and friend VERY pleased!!!

Who you talkin' to?

7) He is fascinated by the dog and the cats.  Hilde is still unsure of him if up-close but is extremely protective of him.  I hope you never have a chance to hear the new urgent high pitched and ear piercing bark she has now adopted. The cats are patient...even when Jeffery grabs handfuls of their fur and tugs...HARD.  :)
8) Not only has his thumb found his mouth but it seems that he is taking after his mother and sticks his tongue out at everyone.  Sorry, Uncle Joe.  :)

Happy with daddy

9) He is starting to get those knees under his bottom in an attempt to crawl....but he still absolutely abhors tummy time.  Tummy torture....as a friend of mine calls it.

Don't I look pathetic?

10) After striking out on several different kinds of food, we finally found that he likes Vanilla Yogurt.  So...every day we practice eating with a baby spoon (my baby spoon actually) and he is doing a really good job.
11) Nothing new here but his best friends are still Sophie the giraffe and BoBo the monkey.

 Much happier on my back

12) He loves going on walks either in his stroller or in the bjorn.  He is just captivated by the sights and sounds and smells.

Bird watching with daddy

The Pedersen boys hangin' out in Maymont Park

13) He loves car rides.  He is so good in the car.  We went down to York River State Park last weekend and tomorrow he and I are going down to Williamsburg to meet some friends for lunch.
14) His laugh melts my heart.  I could listen to that little laugh all day long.

He loved the sound of the water.

15) He is such a happy baby....though he is starting to manipulate us.  He will be perfectly content and then will start with a little cough and wind himself into a full blown tantrum until whatever he wants...he gets.  Hmmmm.  This is going to be nipped in the bud sooner rather than later.  :)

Happy

Dave and I are constantly in amazement at just how wonderful Jeffery is and how much we love him.  He has truly added so much to our life....to our family....and we are so very lucky to have him.  We're already starting to plan his First Birthday.  :)  And while I look forward to him growing up...I do wish I could bottle him at this age.  :)  Thank goodness for pictures and videos!!!