Carter is Seven Months!

Our sweet Carter is seven months!  He is starting to act like such a big boy lately!  He's continuing to be a great eater (if you can't tell from looking at all those adorable rolls)!  He eats veggies and fruit around noon, veggies and fruits again at 5pm, and then at 7:30 he eats cereal, fruit, or veggies or a combination.  Of course he's still nursing about every three hours too, so he doesn't go hungry!  This month we started giving Carter puffs, and he devours them!  On his 7 month birthday, Dawson and I also made his first batch of biter biscuits.  Carter loved these as well!  With all that eating, unfortunately Carter doesn't work much sleeping into his night schedule.  At seven months, he wakes up anywhere between 3 and 5 (7 on a couple rough nights) times a night.  This month, I started making him put himself back to sleep and only feeding him twice during the night.  I won't complain too much about his poor sleeping, because he is a reliable napper during the day.  Since he was about 2 months old he was napping in the afternoon at the exact same time as Dawson about 90% of the time.  I don't think most Mommys are so luck to have their two children at these ages napping at the same time reliably, so I'm very thankful for that little quiet time to get things like laundry and cooking accomplished!
At seven months Carter continues to love his brother more than anyone else it seems!  If Dawson is in the room, Carter is watching his every move!  If Dawson is talking, Carter is focused on listening!  It's really sweet how much Carter loves his big brother.  I hope they will always be best buds!
This month has been a chatty one for Carter.  Although he's babbled for quiet some time, this month he began saying some exciting words.  FIRST, yes first, he started saying, "Mama!"  (Just a fun fact:  Dawson said Mama first too!)  Now he knows I am Mama, and when I leave the room he almost yells for me!  :)  He then started saying, "bu bu bu bu" when we would say "brother."  AND he started saying, "Dada."  Now he will look at John, and in the sweetest voice say, "Dada."  It's like he has a special tone for talking to his Daddy.  So sweet.  He also says, "hi!"  It's pretty fun to hear him say this one!  When Carter talks it's loud!  We think it's to compete with his big brother!  :)  He also loves to squeal in a very high pitch.  A lot of times a night when I put him in his crib (I always lay him down wide awake, and he puts himself to sleep...awesome!), he will talk himself to sleep.  It's entertaining for us to listen to on the monitor. 
Carter is trying really hard to crawl at seven months.  He can move himself around pretty well in the playroom on his tummy to get to all the toys he wants to check out, but he can't get his tummy off the ground it seems!  It's fine with me if he doesn't crawl for months!  I want to keep him just like he is!  (John think I have a problem, because as he keeps growing I keep saying I wish he would stay just like he is!)  Dawson wants Carter to crawl so badly, and I've overheard him telling his little brother several times how to crawl.  :)  I'm sure he will crawl soon enough.
In the playroom, Carter prefers to play with one of Dawson's John Deere tractors or a truck to a baby toy.  It's so funny because he will push the truck or tractor back and forth on the floor making it go...I'm convinced that no 7 month olds do this that do not have older siblings.  I don't remember Dawson doing this until after he was one!  (If fact, I have a picture of it somewhere...he started pushing a tractor on the kitchen floor at 14 months making it go!)  Carter would prefer to play with all of Dawson's toys.  Another recent favorite game is to build a HUGE train track around the playroom floor and sit Carter near it.  Then Dawson turns on a Thomas that goes on its' own.  Carter watches it go through the entire track, then when it gets close he grabs it EVERYTIME!  Dawson likes this game too, as long as Carter gives the train back!
He still loves his Johnny Jumper and his exersaucer.  I know he would love a walker too, so we're looking to get him one to start using in the coming month. 
Carter loves to be surprised or startled and will just laugh and laugh.  He also loves peek-a-boo!  He has such a sweet little laugh.  It's contageous! 
He's also a wonderful cuddler.  He loves to snuggle and cuddle up with you when you hold him.  Carter is such a happy baby, and he's so much fun!  We love him so much! 
Here are the pictures of how big our sweet boy is growing!

Carter's first time with a biter biscuit.

Carter LOVES puffs!

Carter's first time sitting in a high chair at a restaurant.

(I'm hoping to sew a new high chair cover for him this week!)

Carter at 7 months.

Carter and big brother Dawson.

Carter 7 months.

Carter started getting a sippy cup this month.

He LOVES it!

My big 7 month old!

Sweet brothers.