7 months (of being a mom!)

7 months have come and gone, and I have to say that this whole being a mom thing is so much more awesome than I ever could have imagined (maybe it also has something to do with having the awesome-ist kid around? :)). And since it's my first official mother's day, I figured I'd share some personal musings about being a mom in this post, in addition to the requisite cute pics of David (and Cole, Mom mom, Aunt Lauren, Daddy & big bro Franklin) :)

Before having David, I always feared having a kid would stress me out, and make an already admitted control-freak just go over the edge. But much to my surprise, ever since I got pregnant with David, I feel like he's brought me some kind of internal peace. Knowing that I get to see his smile every morning and every night (& before he was born, feel his little kicks and hiccups), and have this little bundle of awesomeness wrap his arms around my neck, just makes me melt, and feel like I'm the luckiest person alive.

I also make a concerted effort to be in the moment every moment I spend with David - which I've found is basically a great form of meditation! Watching him explore the world, or stuff bananas into his mouth mmmm-ing away, or 'play ball' with Franklin, or say "dadadada" to Josh, or talk to his toys at bathtime - I find myself just lost in a trance, and to be completely cliche, like I don't have any other care in the world.

So, on this, my first mother's day little guy, I guess I just want to say thank you for coming into my life, for grounding me every day and making me see what's truly important and amazing in this world. And for just being so darn awesome :)

Now, here are some pics :)

For our annual mother's day outing with Aunt Lauren and Mom-mom, we started the day with a music class @ Gymboree:

David was obsessed with this hat the teacher was wearing for cinco de mayo!

Then the boys took a little snooze while we grabbed some grub (& margaritas!)

Next, we made our way to Morris Arboretum, where we got lots of pics with the boys in their "I Love My Aunt" matching shirts :)

My favorite pic of the day!

Mommy, I bet this grass would taste SO good if you actually let me get some into my mouth!

Love this shot! Me & my 2nd favorite little guy Cole :)

David LOVES his Aunt Lauren :)

The next day, Josh, David, Franklin and I went over to the Arboretum at Temple Univ for a nice walk and even more pics :) 

By far my favorite shot to date of Josh with his boys :)

Our little ham :)

And finally, our 7m photo shoot:

Spring around the Neighborhood

We've been up to lots of outdoor fun recently - from nightly walks with the dog, to hanging on the neighbor's swing set, David's real happy the warm weather is finally here! We also had a great visit with mom-mom and pop-pop while daddy & I went out to a nice dinner. And our friends Laura, Ray & their pup Malachi came by for a doggy play-date too!

Here are some fav's from all of our recent adventures:

Taking a quick breather on the trail bench (David's under the red hood) 

Mom-mom!!

Pop-pop!

The cool kid... first time on a swing!

Going for a ride with mommy

Hanging with his older girlfriend, Jessa 

(pretty sure feelings are mutual in this relationship :) )

Doggy play date!

Other highlights from the past couple weeks include David eating more & more solids, including learning how to feed himself puffs (yay pincer grasp)! Here he is with his first avocado, and a tray full of puffs:

We also started going to the Gymboree up the road for a music class. David had a great time playing with all the instruments, looking at all the other babies, and of course "singing" away - he's become quite the chatty kathy these days!

He's doing more standing up (completely assisted still of course) - using electronic devices for motivation seems to work well!

Hey, that's me on the screen!

A few of David's current favorite things: banging his toys together, sitting/laying/flipping/skooting all over (backwards, primarily); walking & talking to Franklin in his walker; eating anything!; bath time play time; picking up his sippy cup (still trying to figure out how to get liquid out of the spout!); talking, yelling, laughing, singing - he loves making some noise!; and going for walks - he still gets totally silent when we go out for walks - not sure if it's the fresh air, all of the cool things to look at, new scents, or just everything combined, but the minute we step out in the stroller or the ergo, David gets into his quiet place :) 

And of course David still loves hanging with Daddy on his belly..

and falling asleep after his last meal for the night on mommy's shoulder..