7 months

Yup, if you look closely you actually see one of my hairs dangling from Daisy's hand. What a bummer to see that after taking a ton of pictures, uploading them and editing them. What are yah gonna do. I've got a ton of hair:-)
This is long: Please feel free to skip:). It's mainly for documentation and for Daisy's baby book!
Seven months on Halloween:). Every time we come upon another month I'm just in awe. Seriously, how have we already blown through seven months?? And yes, I know I will be saying that for the next 20 years!

It took a while but, Daisy finally rolls all over the place now. It is her way of getting around since she can't crawl yet. She almost rolled off the bed, (we were watching her closely) so no more big beds for Daisy!!
She reaches for things too far out of reach and face plants or falls back and hits her head a lot so we still can't let her sit on wood flooring or hard surfaces unattended.
She tries very hard to crawl and has scooted in a circle and backwards but, not forward yet.
She babbles things that sound very close to little words and it's so neat to hear!
She grabs at everything big and small. She's got an incredibly strong grib!
She has learned how to "give kisses." It's really just us asking her for a kiss and she smiles and stays really still and lets us kiss her with her mouth open. It's awesome!
Loves her bath time still and her daily walks around our neighborhood.
Daisy is fascinated by people. We went to the church nursery today and I sat in with her the entire time and watched her just sit in one spot and stare at all the adults and babies. She occasionally played with a toy but, was far more interested in staring at people and hoping they would look at her. She loves when people acknowledge her and talk to her. She always smiles really big and gets so excited. She can be shy and quiet but, once she is comfortable with someone she really hams it up!
Most recently Daisy goes to sleep pretty easily on average. She doesn't want to be rocked anymore and I don't mind. It's much easier for everyone now. She prefers just being laid down, her back rubbed and her blanket snuggled on her. Joey has been able to put her to bed with no problem and that makes me SO happy!! Her naps have gotten a bit longer on average too. Anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes now....usually. It's a nice change that happened all on it's own.
She has eaten tons of different things now; our grilled chicken (loves it), bread, crackers, cheerios, mac n' cheese, all types of jar baby food, strawberry and banana smoothie (real fruit fyi), rice, casserole etc. She has a ravenous appetite. Well, she always has and now that she gets to try new things she is even more excited about food. If she sees us drink or eat she stops everything else and wants to join in.
Just this week she started liking TV. It's like a lightbulb went off in her head and she realized how much fun it is to stare at the TV all of a sudden. She would look at it briefly before but, now she can sit in her exersaucer and watch it for 15 minute easily and has a blast. The Wiggles is her current favorite show. Joey and I have memorized most of the songs...we've played the show probably 50 times in the past two weeks. Oh the things we do for our kids.
LOVES standing and holding herself up on a stool or a chair. I don't have to help her at all. She can stand for quite a while without assistance and loves it. We also walk around the house and I hold her under her arms and help her take steps. She loves that too.
Seems like she has allergies or something because her nose is always clogged and it drives her crazy. She rubs her face constantly and I am always cleaning it out for her. Hope it gets better for her!
Still wears 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers but, the clothes are just about too small!
Still spits up a few times a day and sometimes a pretty good. Yuck.
I nurse her every 3ish hours and plan to do so until she is about a year old if it works out.
Her hair has a reddish tint right now. How a dark haired guy and a brown haired mom could have a red head is beyond me but, when the light hits her hair it looks especially red. I think it may change as she gets older but, it's really cute right now.
Can I just say that now more than ever, Daisy is such a blast and a joy. She is into everything, giggling, hyper, cuddly at times, smart and smiley. She's such a good baby. She loves getting out of the house and going to places with lots of people to look at. She's a great shopping buddy right now. She doesn't like being in the car but, once we get somewhere she is happy as a clam. I'm savoring this season with Daisy for however long it should last. She is such a doll right now! Joey and I could just eat this baby girl up!! We love, love, love our little girl!

Mom reflections:

I think one thing that I am learning pretty quickly as a mom is to go with my gut instinct on things pertaining to my child. People will always have suggestions and opinions and good ones too, but no matter what I hear or am told, I have to stay true to what my heart is telling me even if at times it is contrary to popular opinion. I remember a few months back when I was feeling like it was my fault that Daisy was a terrible sleeper but, I wasn't ready to let her cry it out when she was so young. I'm so thankful to the people who have been encouraging and supportive of me as a first time mom. I haven't let Daisy cry it out yet at night and I don't regret it at all. I never had to force Daisy to take a longer nap, she has naturally fallen into that pattern all on her own. I never had to force Daisy to learn how to fall asleep at night, she has learned it all on her own. Things tend to fall into place quite naturally if we are patient enough to let them and I think that is what God has shown me these past 7 months. He's been telling me: Be patient Casey. Things won't always happen over night so don't get caught up in the how tos of parenting...just be. Just rest in me. I don't bottle feed Daisy at this time because I can't pump enough to feed her so I am limited by our 3 hour feeding schedule. Yes, it's tough at times in that it limits my freedom but, it's only one year in the overall scheme of things. I'm sorry that I have beat myself up at all or read to much into other mom's judgements about my parenting. I'm doing what's best for me and for Daisy and it works, it's all good. To each his own. I want to let each mom be who they are, to parent how they feel best and to leave room for everyone to be themselves. No judgements, no cliques (I hate cliques..are we in high school still?), no snobbery that my way is better than yours, no, "oh my gosh have you heard what she is doing with her child," just to love and support the other mamas around me as I would want to be supported. It's refreshing, enlightening and calming. Being a person is an incredible journey all on it's own. Being a person and a mom is a whole other ball game! Trust your instincts. You know what's best for your kiddos!

Happy Halloween!