The 6 Month Curse & 7 Months Big

Something happens when my babies turn 6 months.  I'm not sure what the deal is, but they forget how to sleep (or I forget how to get them to sleep). Max was such a great sleeper... until all of a sudden he wasn't.  It could be a growth spurt, a need for solids, etc., etc.  Everything and nothing.  What's a sleep-deprived mother to do?  I just try to cope and remember what a cutie he is.  And how this phase always ends.  He is such a wonderful addition to our family, and I couldn't imagine life without his big smiles.  He loves Clayton and smiles and laughs whenever he sees him.  He loves Luke, especially watching him playing sports around the house.  He loves Audrey to pieces, even though she is pretty rough with him.  She wrestles with him, dresses him up, sings to him, and drags him around, but he seems to bask in the attention.  He loves me, too, just not so much in the middle of the night.  That's when he tears my hair out in little fistfuls and screams until he burps out all of the air bubbles he's accumulated with the screaming.  Vicious cycle.  

He's actually 7 months now, as I'm writing this, and I cannot BELIEVE how grown-up he seems.  He is like a little 7-month-old in a 12-18 month body.  The clothes he's wearing in these pictures were ones that Luke wore during his 2nd winter of life - at age 1 and some.  He is still 100th percentile on the height charts, but his grown-up-ness is more than just that.  He's eating solid foods and all the little baby stuff is put away - swing, Bumbo chair, bouncy chair, bassinet - to make way for bigger baby stuff - high chair, crib, exersaucer, Jolly Jumper, and mountains of plastic toys.  He sits up unassisted, and he rolls and scoots all over the floor, often trying to get up on his knees and push off.  He used to laugh every time I changed his clothes; I guess he is really ticklish.  Now, he's usually too busy twisting and turning his body and "yelling" to get Luke and Audrey's attention.  One of his favorite things to do is "walk" around the room with me holding onto his hands.  I think he just can't wait to be chasing the older kids around on his own two feet.  He is our little sweetie, and although it's exciting to see him progress, I don't want him to grow up too fast.