Seven Months Old!

Thought we had better post these photos before Kian turns 8 months old, which is coming up soon! Perhaps he'll be able to sit up on his own for more than a few seconds when we take the next round of photos on the 10th of April. It's hard to believe that when we took the first photo at one month old, Kian was about the same size as that teddy bear!

Kian is a pro at his walker, maneuvering wherever he pleases, simply redirecting himself if there is an obstacle (Mom's foot, for example). He has tried all sorts of new foods: carrots, butternut squash, pears, prunes, avocado, and peas (see below).

Oatmeal is still a favorite. We think that Kian may be allergic to barley because he had a terrible allergic reaction (hives, facial swelling) shortly after trying a new jar of organic baby food that was supposed to be simply "spinach and potatoes" according to the main label, but actually included barley flour, carrots, and brown rice flour. Lesson learned: read the fine print! At least we now have an Epi Pen, Jr. on hand, should Kian have a more severe allergic reaction in the future, so I see the little scare as a blessing in disguise.

He loves being vocal, experimenting with the volume of his voice quite often. We are getting quite a kick out of the fact that he has now shown an interest in deliberately trying to make us laugh. While on his changing table one day a few weeks ago, Kian kicked his feet excitedly and crazily against a plastic bag set aside for his dirty diaper, causing me (Althea) to get the giggles. He stopped, looked right at my face, laughed heartily, and then rapidly kicked his feet around again, paused again to see my reaction, then squealed with laughter. Later, he tried the same thing with Ryan, but didn't get the same reaction. Ryan did start cracking up, however, when Kian grabbed the bar above him and twisted his body side to side, so Kian continued to do that same thing to get more laughter from Dad!

We recently bought a playmat for Kian to roll around more comfortably on our hardwoods:

Here he is with some friends on St. Patrick's Day:

Kian (Little O'Cutie), Cameron, and Elliot

We hosted a St. Patrick's Day dinner again this year, so we had to take another photo -- this time Kian is outside the womb!

Compare that to the St. Pat's Day photo on one of our very first blog posts one year ago. I was 17.5 weeks pregnant and barely showing. My, how much things can change in just one year!

We are looking forward to a few more firsts for Kian before he turns 8 months old -- first plane ride, first time in a pool, first splash in the ocean, and first taste of poi (?!) during his first trip to Kauai in a couple of days. Should be quite an adventure! Check back later for some photos of Kian having fun in the sun....