Daniel's Seventh Month

Aaron

• This kid is absolutely thriving in school.  He has developed special friendships with some of his classmates, gets a green smiley face for good behavior every day, and is learning so many new things.  It's very impressive to hear him counting objects and sounding out letters.  He also loves bringing home his projects and artwork and displaying them on the fridge or front window. 
• Aaron loves to make his little brother laugh!  Just the sight of Aaron makes Danny smile.  And when Aaron starts making funny faces and silly noises, Danny squeals with delight!
• Aaron is just an all-around good helper.  The other night I was trying to put Danny to bed and Jill kept coming in the room and interrupting.  Aaron took Jill by the hand, guided her into the other room, and gave her some toys to play with.  Then he came and shut the door to Danny's room so it was quiet.  I was so grateful and completely in shock.  He is so mature!

Jill

• Jill is so unbelievably cute and spunky, it's hard not to just squeeze and kiss her every time she's within arms' reach.  Her hair is getting so long and silky too.  I am starting to develop an obsession with her hair similar to her obsession with mine.  I love to just bury my face in it and inhale the grapey smell of her conditioner.
• She still loves to pretend to be her favorite characters -- Ariel, Jasmine, Sofia, Doc McStuffins, Jessie, etc.  I am often pulled into the role playing and we act out her favorite scenes over and over again.  Right now, her favorites are the scene where Eric discovers Ariel on the beach, and when Aladdin invites Jasmine on the the magic carpet.  Seriously, we reenact these scenes daily.
• When she is alone, she will recite passages from her favorite books or movies verbatim to herself.  The other day I took her with me for a jog and I could hear her talking to herself.  When I leaned in closer to listen, I realized she was quoting lines from The Little Mermaid word for word.
• Last night she referred to herself as a "girl" instead of a "durl."  Shocked, I started asking her to say other "g" words and was dismayed to find that "dreen" is now "green", and "dood" is now "good."  I obviously knew she wouldn't speak baby talk forever, but I wanted it to last a little longer!

Daniel

• Lots of big developments this month.  We have two new teeth!  His bottom front teeth came in and they are super cute.  In related news, I started giving him chunkier foods and he is munching away like a champ.
• He has mastered the art of sitting up.  Still topples over occasionally when he gets bored, or when he's tracking his siblings across the room and forgets to stay upright.  But for the most part, he's a pro.
• He has started making sounds and babbling.  His favorite sounds are "dadada" and "bababa."  I'm pushing the "m" sounds hardcore.
• He has found his feet!  Anytime I put him on the changing table or the floor, he immediately grabs on to them and tries to shove them in his mouth.  This kid'll eat anything.
• He is no longer satisfied with playing on his mat or in his jumper in the corner.  He wants to be part of the action!  If I leave the room for a few minutes, he starts squealing to show his displeasure.  But those squeals turn into laughs pretty quickly when I come back!
• He is really really strong.  And very physical.  And active.  He smacks and grabs and twists and rolls and reaches and slams. And boy is he heavy!  Who needs a physical trainer or a gym membership when you have a 24-pound human energizer bunny to carry around all day!

10/10: Meeting new friends

10/11: The Ibazebos love tire swings as much as the Broyles!

10/11: Daddy looks like he might need some help

10/11: Unfortunately, Daddy's hand-painted Cubs logo didn't help them make it to the World Series, but it sure did look awesome!

10/13: This kid is so sweet!

10/16: Having fun at the children's museum

10/18: Daddy loves them so much he made several trips to fill their table with warm water

10/18: A weekend walk to Wrigley

10/19: Gimme the food, or else

10/19: Peekaboo!

10/20: Playmat chat

10/23: Excited about the smiley face on our Costco receipt

10/24: Aaron and I at the starting line of our first 5K together

10/25: Good times at Maggie Daley park

10/25: I am way outnumbered

10/26: When you have a blow-out at the park and no spare shirt, you improvise

10/27: Beach party in October

10/30: Soaking up the sun

10/30: I can't stop tickling this boy

11/1: Making pizza!

11/2: Now let's try to learn the "m" sound...

11/2: Running through the "pretend water fountain"

11/2: Jill is slowly mastering the art of pushing a swing without getting knocked over

11/5: Helping Dora open her birthday present

11/6: That's my name, don't wear it out!

11/6: Those Costco bears are humongous! 

11/6: Sitting up all by himself!

11/6: But he always has a helping hand nearby if he gets too tired

11/6: This will only be meaningful to Sweet Pickles fans, but we were pretty impressed that she knows all the characters

11/7: Tough to get all three looking at the same time

11/7: Storytime with Nana and Papa

11/8: Visiting Mr. Jake's fire station!

11/8: Hiking through the Naperville wilderness

11/9: Silly smiles

11/9: Danny's new favorite trick

11/10: This big boy is seven months old today!  The only thing that grows faster than Daniel is our hearts.  Oh how we adore you Little D!

Quote Wall/Memorable Moments
Aaron: "My legs hurt, Mom!"
Me: "Why?"
Aaron: "Because I'm tired of using them."

Jill (while listening to the radio): "Mommy, she said 'Gup'!"
(Note: The song Jill was listening to on the radio said something about "rising up" but Jill thought she heard "Gup" which is a term from their favorite cartoon, Octonauts)
Me: "Who said that?"
Jill: "The singer from the sky!"

Me (grimacing): "Owowow I just bit my tongue!"
Aaron: "Does it hurt, Mom?"
Me: "Yeah!"
Jill (looking at me intently): "Cry."
......10 seconds later......
Jill: "Can I see your blood?"
Me: "Jill, you scare me sometimes."

Chris: "You're sweet."

Jill: "No I'm not! I'm Captain Hook!"

Jill: "Mommy don't listen to him."
Me: "Don't listen to who?"
Jill: "To Daddy."

Me: "Oh my gosh, Aaron, you're growing up so fast!  Tomorrow you'll be a teenager!"

Aaron: "Tomorrow I'll have kids!"

Me: "Wow, that's probably true. Are you excited to have kids?"

Aaron: "Yeah."

Me: "Are you going to brush their teeth?"

Aaron:  "Yeah."

Me (winking): "Are you going to wipe their butts?"

Aaron: "No!  My wife will do that!"

Jill (after Chris brought her a cake pop as a treat): "I will eat it all up and Daddy can't have some and you can't have some!"

Me: "Jill, that's not very nice. We should say thank you Daddy for getting that for you!"

Jill (after thinking for a moment): "I will eat it all up and I will NOT say that!"

Aaron (after a particularly rough wrestling bout with Daddy): "Wait!  I laughed so hard I had an accident!"