Today, I spent my morning with E. Just the two of us. J was sleeping. We played and were silly together. It was a special time. She is getting to be more and more independent. "I do it myself." Wanting to do things herself and being able to help around the house. She likes to hear music and has requested I sing some songs. She has a Bible song CD that she assumes is the music of choice for all in the car. She requests songs from it, too. "In my heart" = "I've got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart"; "Children" = "Jesus Loves the Little Children"; "Bones" = "Dem Dry Bones"; "Noah" = "Who Built the Ark" to name a few. The sad part is I know the track number for each of her favorites songs. And although she hasn't requested it, she can be heard singing "happy day" over and over again from "Oh Happy Day," while she is playing. It is simply amazing how much repetition does not phase a child.

J has been eating solids (if you can call them that) for a while, now. Oatmeal, rice and mixed grain cereal, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, applesauce, bananas, pears have all passed over his taste buds. Carrots will be next.

His favorites are applesauce and pears. They come in handy when trying to feed him his least favorites. Scoop a little squash, scoop a little applesauce, feed the boy. Scoop a little squash, scoop a little applesauce, feed the boy.

I make most of his food, but we do have some jars for the occasional ease-of-use feeding. I can't remember back to when E was 7 months and how often I was nursing her. I still nurse J four times a day, but I think we just decided to cut out the bedtime feeding. I am not sure who will miss it more, me or J. I am reluctant to cut back on the nursings, because I will miss that closeness with him, he is so adorable when he nurses, and he just loves to nurse. He doesn't really take a bottle from G or me, so we have to figure something out when he looses a nursing at a meal.