Seven Months Old

Axel, 2013

Hard to capture this guy in a moment of stillness lately (hence the slightly askew image.) So what's going on around here?

Total capitulation as Axel and Axel's things take over our living room / whole apartment.

So we borrowed one of these giant playthings from a friend. Yes, it's a monster. Axel has played in a few of them at other babies' houses, and he looked so darn thrilled with it that I felt like I couldn't say no based purely on aesthetic principles. He's so into playing lately, that something that keeps him so busy and so entertained has earned some cred in my eyes. Ahhhh, resignation!

He's such a funny, happy little fellow, that to be honest, I am a lot more tolerant of all the "stuff" than I thought I'd be. When I see a crinkly book or stuffed pig or rattle on the floor, instead of seeing clutter I see something he loves. There's something kind of lovely about finding a mini baby sock under a magazine or discovering a plastic egg in your bath.

I do try to resist buying everything that catches my eye, and I think borrowing toys is a great solution. In a few months, he'll no doubt be bored of the jumperoo and we don't have the luxury of a basement or garage where giant plastic things can go to gather dust.

In any case, though moving at 8 1/2 months pregnant was kind of insane, now that Axel's mobile and has so many things, I'm really glad we did it when we did.