7 Months

Elliot Claire is 7 months old!

Isn't she sweet? Here are some facts about our little E-Claire at 7 months:

• She loves stuffed animals. She only has one, but she's obsessed. Meet bunny. She loves to suck on his soft nose and pull his ears. Ellie also loves a Simba plush toy that resides at Grandma Purcell's house. 

• So...feeding babies pureed food is pretty much my least favorite thing ever. I hate that it's always messy and that it takes forever. My solution? Elliot eats her purees with a straw! I'm pretty proud of my resourcefulness and ingenuity. A feeding that would usually take 10 minutes and leave both of us frustrated and covered in orange splatters now takes 2 min tops. She slurps up the food and we are done! Sadly, I discovered this trick a little late because she is now pretty much done with baby food. This little missy only wants what mommy and daddy are eating.

• Speaking of big people food...she loves to eat! She's tried a variety of food and loves pretty much everything. Her favorites include meat, bread, cheese, yogurt, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, rice, sweet potatoes, and mandarin oranges. The only thing she's consistently spat out is avocado. We're working on that :) Here she is trying a pickle.

• Elliot is really expanding her repertoire of noises. Currently, her new favorites are the "k" sound and blowing raspberries.

• The thing Ellie hates most in this world? Getting her face washed. No matter how soft the cloth is, or how warm the water, or how gentle I wipe, she whines and twists away. Also, she's still a little hesitant around blenders, mixers, and other loud appliances. Hairdryers are a little scary too.

• Ellie LOVES her cousins. And most little kids for that matter. She just thinks they are hilarious. Especially when Chase makes volcano noises. Watch the video and check out that belly laugh!! 

• At just 7 months old, this baby girl is already a little model. Like, for the life of me, I can't get a candid shot! She poses for pictures. I'm not even kidding. Whenever I pull out the camera or my phone, she stops what she's doing and flashes that gummy smile.

• But that sweet, gummy smile might not last too much longer! I can just barely feel two little teeth bumps on the bottom middle section of her mouth. This might explain why she's into biting everything lately. 

• Ellie babe is working really hard to pick up little bits of food and put them in her mouth. She hasn't mastered the "pincer grasp" yet. She'll grab the snack with all of her fingers and try to eat it but it gets stuck between her fingers and her palm, so she ends up just sucking on her fist until she gets bored and eventually drops the food. But she's learning!

• This kid is amazing. She is the best baby anyone could ask for. Seriously. She is happy ALL OF THE TIME. She only cries when she is tired or hungry. And even then it's more of a whine/baby babble sort of thing. It's amazing the range of emotions and feelings she can communicate. Maybe it's a mom thing, but each one of her sounds means something different. She will look me straight in the eyes and tell me what she needs. She is just so dang smart!

• This baby is majorly ticklish. Especially on her back and chunky thighs.

• Elliot has recently started sucking on her toes! I painted her little nails pink for Valentine's Day, and ever since then she's had an increased interest in her feet. Probably because of the bright color :) She loves to bend her legs all the way up to her face and suck, suck away.

• Ellie went to the zoo for the first time! Heather and Eliana picked us up and we went on a fun (free) little field trip together. Ellie didn't get too much out of seeing the animals...pretty sure she just thought we were on a really long stroller ride. But I sure had fun! I love the pictures of the girls in the stroller together. Aren't they precious?

• Another fun life event Ellie experienced for the first time was swimming! We were in St. George visiting cousins Chase, Ashtyn, and Blakeley. And after a long day of blocks, coloring, and walks, we decided to take the kids for a swim. Elliot was a little nervous at first because but warmed up pretty quickly and ended up having a great time. Plus she looks so stinkin cute in a swimsuit :)

•  This is nothing new, but Ellie loves, loves, loves, Daddy. She gets so excited when he comes home and whips around as soon as she hears his voice. And once he's home, she refuses to be parted from him. If her puts her down or walks away, she'll burst into tears. I can't say that I blame her...Christian is pretty great. 

 And now for my favorite part! Ellie from 1-7 months: