7 months, not quite 8

There are so many things to love about Liam!  He has completed our family, although I will say it is amazing how different parenting a second child is, compared to the first.  We are no longer "green" parents, worrying over the smallest detail or sound.  Not fussing over developmental milestones, and allowing him to be who he is, at his own pace.

Some things I am especially enjoying about the wonderful age of 7 months...

1)  Rolls and dimples everywhere...knuckle dimples, wrist rolls, double chin, buddha belly, chubby thighs...I love them all.
2)  How his eyes light up when his sister (or one of the cats) walks into the room.
3)  His head of thick curly brown hair...it's totally adorable, and earns him compliments everywhere we go.
4)  How he holds his own bottle, and the little sighs and contented groans he makes when he drinks his milk.
5)  Nursing no longer is painful (but those teeth are bound to show up soon)
6)  Speaking of no teeth, I know the days of gummy smiles are numbered, but oh, how I enjoy them.
7)  The babbling, and occasional sounds of ma-ma, ba-ba, and da-da that we hear.  I don't think he really correlates them to anything yet, but I sense he understands what we mean when we say them.
8)  The high-pitched squeals when he's excited about something...they can occasionally be ear-piercing, but they are his way of communicating right now.
9)  His eyebrows are so expressive.
10)  He's a tummy sleeper, and can finally do this safely.
11)  He's close to soldier crawling, but right now can only spin around on his belly.  He usually does this in order to see what his sister is doing.  He gets frustrated that he can't do more yet.
12)  Emerson can elicit big belly laughs from him like no one else.  It's a joy to see them interact.
13)  Learning to slash in the bathtub.
14)  Watching his mind work as I do sign language, sing him songs, read a book or play patty-cake...he's soaking it all in silently.
15)  I love to let him sleep on my shoulder after the last feeding of the night.  Milky breath, baby snores, and the smell of baby shampoo.  I could stay there all night.
16)  I'm so glad that his baseline disposition is that of happy boy, much like his sister was a happy baby girl.  He's an easy-going little guy, as long as the milk delivery is kept on schedule.  
17)  I am so thankful he is a healthy, robust little boy.  I worried we wouldn't get here 7 months ago when we were sitting in the NICU with a 5 lb baby.

I love this kid, and wish his babyhood wasn't flying by so quickly.  I really am trying to remember to take time to enjoy this period, rather than tiredly slog through another day.  It's just another day closer to a first birthday, a first day of kindergarten and a hundred other firsts.