It's a baby! No, it's a boy! No, it's a MONSTER!

We've had our hands a little full the last month - Caden turned 7 months old and it seems like the only thing he ever wants is for Mom to hold him. Not Dad. Mom. It took me by surprise because it was very much an overnight transformation. One day he was my cute, content to play and explore (as long as I wasn't talking on the phone...how dare Mom EVER talk on the phone without allowing Caden to hold, and therefore chew on, the phone) little boy; the next day, all heck broke loose. According to Caden, it's child abuse and the absolute end.of.the.world. if I dare:
1) walk into a room that he is in and do something before I pick him up (like set down the groceries)
2) leave a room without taking him with me
3) be in the same room as him and not have him in my arms/sitting next to me.
Yes, it is a little sweet - my little boy loves his momma - but my goodness it makes cooking, cleaning, eating, getting dressed, going to the bathroom! quite the production. It makes for some pretty wiped out parents at the end of the day (to be honest, beginning of the day is more like it) and there are no more nerves left to grate. And don't even mention bedtime - the kid starts crying so hard he throws up. I really think it's just a phase, and a phase that's very much aggravated by boredom/frustration at being soooo close to crawling for the last month and still just not quite getting the hang of it...so luckily we have lots of adventures (Seattle, Utah, California) coming up to keep us occupied and sane!

And...so just to contradict everything I just said, here's a video of our little belly-flopper/inch worm man!

(Sorry, the lighting isn't great in our apartment - and my lens got sand in it awhile back and ever since it's had a hard time focusing) 

Also, at the end you see him going for Michael's shoes. My child licks the bottom of shoes. If it's quiet for too long I go look for him and usually find that he's found himself a shoe to lick clean. Yuck.