Joshua at 7 1/2 months

At 7 1/2 months old, Joshua is nearly 20 pounds. He can stay in a sitting position indefinitely (though he typically doesn't want to). On Nov. 8, he started flipping over from his back to his front, which means he flips both ways now.

Joshua is also a very different personality than Katie. While Katie wanted to perform for people at even six months of age (see the Baby Dance), Joshua's main desire is to always be the center of Mommy's attention. Whenever we're out of the house, this is usually how you'll see us:


Joshua regularly naps in this Ergo Carrier as well. And when I set him down, he's constantly watching me to make sure I don't go anywhere. Notice that when I put him in front of a mirror, he's typically watching ME and not himself.

Joshua doesn't mind occasionally being the center of other people's attention too. That might be why he's eating Uncle Daniel in this photo:

Joshua has a few great dislikes. The first is whenever Mommy walks away, even if others are still around to play with him. SCREAM! CRY!

The second is baths. I still give him spongebaths on the sink counter because he hates the bathtub. This is his first time bathing with Katie -- it lasted about ten seconds before the screams began. :-)

The third thing he hates is his car seat. When he was an infant, he screamed THE ENTIRE RIDE. Now he only screams about half the time, and even less if I'm sitting in the backseat with him (which I typically can't do and drive at the same time). Let's just say that when we go to the beach, we're AWFULLY happy to finally get there. See, Joshua can't sleep unless he's cuddled up to Mommy or on his stomach. Neither of which easily translate to his car seat. Here's one creative pose he managed to find when he was desperate for a nap.

Joshua loves seeing new things, like the fire Daddy built for us during our first cold weekend -- the same weekend Mommy got the flu.

Joshua loves women. Mommy is definitely his favorite, but Grandma and Oma are big faves as well. And whenever we go out to eat, he flirts with women at the other tables. I'll glance over at the other table and find strangers making faces and cooing noises -- only to discover that Joshua has been doing the same to them the whole meal. The other night a woman sat down behind Joshua without looking at him, and he stared at her back until she turned around and gave him attention.

The woman who watches the babies at Community Bible Study has a special fondness for Joshua as well. He falls asleep in her arms most weeks, and she is usually very reluctant to hand him back to Mommy when I arrive.

Joshua has a few girlfriends his own age too, like our best friends' baby Selah:

Of course, Joshua's favorite little girl is his big sister Katie. Even though Joshua's not mobile or verbal yet, he and Katie have a lot of fun together. They crack each other up, hug each other, wrestle with each other, fight over toys, and are always happy to see each other. She even thinks it's funny when he pulls her hair.

Joshua, you're a sweetheart! Mommy loves you!