Seven months old: a world of changes

* I'm sure it has something to do with my technical inaptitude, but I just realised this post did not get published last month. Better late than never!

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Dearest Alice,

The last month of your life has been the most exciting yet, as we watch you really wake up to the world around you, joyful and curious about all it has to offer. You've become quite the conversationalist - random noises, coos and shouts have given way to more deliberate experiments with vowels and consanants that roughly mimic the sounds you hear around you.

You've had a huge advance in your physical development, surprising us with how well you can roll in every direction, not just to change your view, but you roll as a form of transportation from one place to another. I've watched you roll across the room to get a particular toy you've had your eye on. Sophie the Giraffe is your absolute favourite, with your little red rattle crab coming in a close second, I think.

You don't just roll on the floor, either. As soon as we put you down in your cot for a sleep you turn over onto your tummy and think it is a great game. To our shock, you are able to manoevre yourself right around the cot. Each time we peek into your room we are never quite sure where we're going to find you, only that you won't be anywhere near the place we left you. At night time you are still sleeping in your bassinette next to Mummy, but during the day you are increasingly napping in your own room.

Sleep doesn't come as easily to you as it once did, or rather, you have begun to actively resist it a lot of the time. Trying to get you to sleep has actually become something of an ordeal. During the day you will sleep most easily in the pram or car seat, so the least painful thing to do is to get out of the house first thing in the morning. This is fine by me as I don't really like being stuck at home all day, but it makes things difficult when for some reason we can't go out and you end up being crabby. Then neither of us have a good day.

Getting you to sleep at night never used to be a big deal - somoene to hold your hand and a lullaby were the most it ever took, but you're getting very clever now. Last night, for example, you screamed whenever we put you in your bed. We'd pick you up and bring you into the living room and you'd cheer right up but as soon as Daddy carried you anywhere near the bedroom you knew this meant sleep time and would promptly start to cry! We don't believe in letting you cry yourself to sleep so we're kind of out of options at the moment and feeling a little helpless.

You really love interacting with other little children lately and it is gorgeous to see. On the weekend we are going to one of the local creches open day to see if it might be a place you'd like to go for a few hours every now and again once Mummy goes back to work next year. I think  you'll get a lot out of the social stimulation. I think Mummy will have a hard time leaving you there, though, so we will see how that plan works out in reality!

You're really starting to enjoy your swimming lessons, too. You've not as wary and serious as you were in the beginning and will happily kick and express your pleasure at being in the water. This pleasure extends to bathtime, where you make a terrible mess all over your parents (and the floor!). You're rapidly outgrowing your baby bath, which leaves us with a bit of a dilemma as we don't have a bath in our house. I'm sure we'll come up with something, though.

The other thing I'm really noticing about you is that you are expressing preferences for things and people that you were never really capable of before. Your favourite toy is Sophie the Giraffe and you also really like holding your big brother's soft bunny rabbit. You especially like to hold either of these when you are going to sleep. You seem to like having something in your hands at all times, even if that something is my hair - you're starting to get quite rough now, and we are trying to teach you what 'gentle' means! You're fascinated by faces and mouths most of all. You also love feeling different textures and fabrics. Your favourites are my dressing gown, the couch, and a particularly frilly pillow case on our bed.

You've been a slow starter when it comes to eating solid foods, but we can see an improvement even in the last few days. So far you've had pumpkin, carrot, sweet potato, pear, apple, banana, avocado, porridge, rice cereal, yoghurt, brocolli and peas. Your favourite is definitely the yoghurt. You were launching yourself at the spoon to get it into your mouth more quickly when we gave you that!

The other major milestone to note is that you are almost sitting independently. You can do it for a few seconds on the floor but always fall forward. You've got the strength, I think, but not quite the balance or stamina. You'll be sitting up by Christmas for sure.

It is a bit of a tough month for Mummy and Daddy this month as it is your big brother Max's second birthday. We are trying to stay present and actively enjoy each moment we spend with you - even the hard ones - as we know how precious they are and how much we long for the ones we did not get to spend with Max. We are so glad you will be here to spend the day with us this year. Last year we were still so scared and unsure if you'd ever make it home with us. I don't think we'll put you down all day that day.

We love you more than ever and we adore watching other people in our lives get to know you and fall in love with you too. 

Our seven month old baby girl, who's made all of our dreams come true.