Ben at seven months

Ben turned seven months old on Sunday. He has celebrated by starting to work on some teeth. He still hasn't popped one out yet, but is drooling like crazy, even for him, chewing on everything, and getting fussy at times. Our fridge now has a supply of teethers chilling for him, although sometimes he loves them and sometimes he doesn't really seem to care for them. Overall, he is a very cheerful baby with a very sweet disposition.

At seven months, Ben loves:

• the sound of his own voice, sometimes at pitches that probably alert all the neighborhood dogs. He also likes when we make silly sounds like popping, rolling our r's and blowing raspberries.
  
• active games that involve bouncing, rolling him over, dancing, and lifting him up in the air
• chewing on things. We are going to be in so much trouble if we lose his chewy ring of monkeys! Here he is chomping down on one of his great teether/rattles while hanging out with Niru:
  

• sticking out his tongue:

• rolling over. It took him a while to figure out that he could roll over more than once in the same direction and that this could help him get to a toy he wanted. Or the newspaper.
  
• playing in his Exersaucer
• the Food Network's Giada Di Laurentis and the opening songs of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" which he got to watch with Daddy when he was home sick with a fever last week.
  
• green beans and squash. He still isn't sure about carrots.

• video chatting with Grammie & Grandpa on iChat. He also got to chat with Great-Grandma Toni, Uncle Tony, cousin Andi & Phoebe this month!
• his new Fisher-Price aquarium crib toy, as he's getting too old for the mobile
• baths
  

He doesn't like:

• rice cereal, for which I can't really blame him. It tastes like cardboard. Maybe he'll like it better when we mix some fruit with it.
• sitting up by himself (he was crying today when I came to pick him up from daycare because they were being SO MEAN and making him practice sitting up!)

He and I sat at the piano the other day when he was getting fussy and he had a great time banging away at the keys and really seemed to be exploring reaching for some of the higher & lower keys. Here is part of his composition, with occasional help from me to keep him engaged.