Eko is seven months old today! The light in his eyes gets more curious and his face gets more expressive every day. He shows a wide range of feelings from flirting with mommy's camera to cackling at daddy's tickle to sneering with disgust at the taste of sweet potato.
Eko has been to four swim classes and loves being in the water. He's the youngest in the class, so while the other kids learn to blow bubbles or use the float noodles, 
he spends most of the half hour floating on his tummy and kicking. He'll also float on his back with just his head supported and even goes for quick underwater dives—he's surprised when he surfaces, but never scared. Both of his parents struggle with swimming anxiety, so we're hopeful that this early immersion will help him develop a fun relationship with water.
We continue to attend a play group at Sophia's Hearth on Wednesday afternoons. For an hour and a half, babies roam the room freely while parents sing and observe, then give updates, vent frustrations, and ask one another questions. It's tricky to balance naps and play group, so some days Eko gets tired in the middle of class, but he seems to enjoy being around the other kids, teething on new toys and showing off his amazing giggle skills.
he spends most of the half hour floating on his tummy and kicking. He'll also float on his back with just his head supported and even goes for quick underwater dives—he's surprised when he surfaces, but never scared. Both of his parents struggle with swimming anxiety, so we're hopeful that this early immersion will help him develop a fun relationship with water.
This month we dealt with our first bout of explosive poop, which lasted for almost a week! Eko thought the whole thing was pretty funny and never showed signs of being ill. Still, for peace of mind we contacted our naturopath, who assured us that a little loose poop was nothing to worry about. 
It likely resulted from Jade's consumption of cabbage, chocolate, and an office potluck lunch coupled with Eko's first encounter with winter squash, culminating in a perfect storm that made our nights a little more complicated than usual. As we continue to introduce Eko to different foods, Jade will pay closer attention to her own diet to avoid more digestive drama. So far, Eko's still not so sure about this solid food business. We've tried avocado, sweet potato, and peas, and each has been met first with curiosity, then incredulity and disgust! Oma says Jade didn't take to food until about ten months, and he's clearly thriving on breast milk (at Eko's six month checkup, we discovered that he now weighs 20lbs, though he did drop from the 98th to the 85th percentile) so we're in no hurry!
It likely resulted from Jade's consumption of cabbage, chocolate, and an office potluck lunch coupled with Eko's first encounter with winter squash, culminating in a perfect storm that made our nights a little more complicated than usual. As we continue to introduce Eko to different foods, Jade will pay closer attention to her own diet to avoid more digestive drama. So far, Eko's still not so sure about this solid food business. We've tried avocado, sweet potato, and peas, and each has been met first with curiosity, then incredulity and disgust! Oma says Jade didn't take to food until about ten months, and he's clearly thriving on breast milk (at Eko's six month checkup, we discovered that he now weighs 20lbs, though he did drop from the 98th to the 85th percentile) so we're in no hurry!
Oma and Grandpa have visited twice this month while looking for their perfect piece of land for their new home. Eko basks in their attention—special songs and lots of cuddling! As his only grandparents, we look forward to having them just around the corner and really cherish the opportunity that he can grow up with them closely involved in his life. We're also excited to one day watch Eko play with the many new little ones recently born 
(like Onie and Kuan's little Marcus) or due any day (like Jess and Scott's Sierra-in-the-Belly, who we visited for a St. Patty's Day feast with an evening of peekaboo for entertainment).
Eko is generally a very easy-going little fellow, very curious of the world around him and willing to face new situations without apprehension. 
For example, Eko began this month perfecting the back-to-front roll, followed by the front-to-back roll, until he could roll 360 degrees with gusto as he made his way to toys across the room. But the poor little guy has recently begun showing some separation anxiety in the afternoons when Jay goes to work, a time of day referred to as the witching hour. His distress is easily solved by hanging out with mommy in his Boba carrier as they cook dinner, bake cookies, or take long walks together.
For example, Eko began this month perfecting the back-to-front roll, followed by the front-to-back roll, until he could roll 360 degrees with gusto as he made his way to toys across the room. But the poor little guy has recently begun showing some separation anxiety in the afternoons when Jay goes to work, a time of day referred to as the witching hour. His distress is easily solved by hanging out with mommy in his Boba carrier as they cook dinner, bake cookies, or take long walks together.
We're continually amazed at how aware and clever Eko is. Recently, he's begun to respond to his own name and he's figured out that the rainbows in the room originate from a crystal hung above his changing table—
within days of its hanging, Eko would look back and forth from the ceiling to the crystal before the sun made its way to that side of the house. When we cover Eko's face with a cloth, he can now pull it off himself, making peekaboo much more exciting. He's figuring out how to rock in the wooden rocking duck that was passed on to us from the always generous Rigby family. (He's still too small to really enjoy it to its full potential, but, like most things, he's discovered that it doubles as a teether.)
Finally, to answer the question that's on everyone's mind, Eko is a great sleeper (knock on wood.) 
His napping routine changes constantly, but he still normally goes down for the night in our bed at 8ish and wakes up the next morning at 7ish. He sleeps through the night, though he may wiggle around when he wants to change position or be cuddled and he nurses in his sleep two or three times, but neither he nor Jade normally wake up fully. It may be that his size helps him sleep, but sometimes Sasha's warmth comforts him when mommy's not around (they've only grown closer and Eko gets so giddy when he sees her, wanting to touch her with his pinchy hands as we referee). So far we've been very pleased with bedtime, but if tomorrow he refuses to sleep through night, we can at least take comfort in the knowledge that we had seven months of restful co-sleeping.
His napping routine changes constantly, but he still normally goes down for the night in our bed at 8ish and wakes up the next morning at 7ish. He sleeps through the night, though he may wiggle around when he wants to change position or be cuddled and he nurses in his sleep two or three times, but neither he nor Jade normally wake up fully. It may be that his size helps him sleep, but sometimes Sasha's warmth comforts him when mommy's not around (they've only grown closer and Eko gets so giddy when he sees her, wanting to touch her with his pinchy hands as we referee). So far we've been very pleased with bedtime, but if tomorrow he refuses to sleep through night, we can at least take comfort in the knowledge that we had seven months of restful co-sleeping.
Enjoy our third installment of Eko Song and thanks for following the Eko Blog.
