Seven months old

Poor Ruthie! This post was sitting in my draft folder and originally titled "Six months old." Already getting second-child treatment...

How well Ruth Caroline fits in with our little family! The thought of caring for two children in addition to my husband and home was a bit sobering at first, but now we can't imagine life without her. 

Oh, my precious blue-eyed Ruth! I'm glad the screaming days are over--that you can be happy playing on the floor for a bit, that mommy taking a shower no longer warrants an official complaint session to the powers that be. But I loved all our hours of cuddling while nursing, in the Moby wrap, with books...you're getting so big now! 

At your six month appointment, you were in the 75th percentile all around for height, weight and head size, weighing in around 16 pounds. And you must have had a growth spurt because now, clothed, you weigh about 18 and a half pounds!

I never understood the significance of measuring head size until that sobering one-month appointment when the pediatrician asked us if prominent eyes ran in our family, then sent us off to an opthamologist, who sent us off to a surgeon, who sent us off for X-rays and an MRI. You got your taste of the medical system quite young for one so healthy, baby Ruth...and we praise our Father that we seem to be at the end of that story with no further testing or treatment needed.

You're rolling and sitting up so well these days! You can sit unsupported for quite a few minutes, and half the time transition back to your tummy with no trouble. I think you'll walk sooner than your sister did at 15 months, because you already like practicing standing and jumping in an exer-saucer. You're not quite crawling yet, but I'm in no hurry to have you grow up, sweetheart!

We decided to take a more traditional approach to solids this time, and your first food was organic baby oatmeal mixed with some of mommy's milk. For the first month, neither carrots, peaches, bananas, avocado or cereal were very interesting to you, but we had a breakthrough with green beans recently, and I think you're finally really ready for food.  And we're still doing a bit of baby-led weaning, too...

You're starting to clap your hands, too, Ruthie! I suspect you may be more keen on sign language than sister was. But she definitely had you beat for hair.... 

What a blessing you are to us, precious one.