You are six months old. It's cliche to talk about how fast the time has gone by, but it's also true. And it makes me really anxious about the next six months, and all the baby-proofing we probably should have done by now! For example, you used to enjoy table cloths on an aesthetic level. You liked looked at the patterns and scratch the surface with your fingernails. Now, you grab and pull. Hard. With intent to topple.
Yesterday, Daddy and I were feeling a little down, a lot sick, and very broken. We let you play with your spoon for awhile while we gazed morosely into space for a moment. We looked back at you just in time to watch you perfectly hold your spoon and, without any hesitation, put it into your mouth and serve yourself a little rice cereal. You're not supposed to be able to do that yet! We showered you with claps and yays, and you smiled back at us, pleased and wondering what all the fuss was about.
The sickness and brokenness is in its second week. Your fifth month was fabulously healthy right up until the last week before you hit that six month milestone. You started getting sick on Sunday; by Wednesday you had pink eye in both eyes; a week later we started you on antibiotics for a double ear infection and a sinus infection. Daddy and I are sick, too. Sometimes the three of us sit around and cough at each other (occasionally, you think this is kind of funny, but you're also pretty sick of coughing these days.) You've been incredibly resilient and a very good sport about it all, interspersed with times of extreme-but-understandable crankiness.
Right in the middle of the sickness, we took you out of state for the first time. The timing, it could have been better. But you were brave and took Minnesota by storm. While I went to my meetings, you and Daddy strolled the Minneapolis Skyway, charming many sandwich and cupcake vendors along the way. We found out that you're scared of elevators, but by the end of the weekend you'd decided they were tolerable. Because you were sick and far from the comforts of home, you got to do things you're not normally allowed to do, like watch TV and jump on the bed. You were quite pleased with both of those activities! You also got to spend time with Aunt Arden and Uncle Ben, and your cousins, Craig, Gina, Lydia and Eleanor Edison. Eleanor is almost 2 and was pretty amazed by you. She kept coming over to me and saying, "Baby? Baby?" whenever you went out of sight. She gave you the sweetest, most gentle hug.
Because you've been sick, you haven't had your 6 month check-up/vaccines with Dr. L yet (although you have seen a lot of him, lately!) We did get some stats on you this week: height, 26 and 3/4 inches (Daddy thinks they didn't stretch you out to your full height); weight, 22 pounds and 2 ounces. You're in the 90th percentile for height and head-size and off the charts for weight. We are very proud of how robust and strong you are. We think it helps you weather the ups and downs of baby life with grace and a little extra padding for safety.
Other highlights of your fifth month and sixth-month-so-far:
**As mentioned above, you're eating solid foods now! You're doing great with the rice cereal and most of it does seem to end up in your belly (while a good portion is always reserved for mushing with your fingers.)
**You can roll all the way from your belly to your back and back to your belly again. You can sit on your own without support. You are getting really good at the "controlled fall" when you get tired of sitting up and want to be on your belly.
**You like to do leg extensions while you nurse. Also, you do full-on push ups, with your arms extended all the way, your knees off the ground, balancing up on your toes. It's pretty incredible.
**Sometimes you say "Da Da" for several minutes straight.
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| Like this, but really really angry. |
**You love baths. Splash splash splash! You have mixed feelings about bathtime ending.
**We don't have to trick you into sleeping in a crib anymore. We used to get you to sleep (by nursing/rocking/repeated singings of "Rainbow Connection") and then very carefully transfer you into your bed. Often, when your head hit the mattress you would wake up, screaming of betrayal. Now, you get a little sleepy in our arms and start arching away from us, casting longing looks in the direction of your crib. We put you down on your side and tuck you in with a blanket. You cuddle one of your favorite toys--one of your monkeys, often, or your lullaby seahorse--sigh, blink heavily, and eventually fall asleep.
This morning I gave you your antibiotics and you said, "phhhbbbbt. Aghaghaggh. *head shake.*" I looked in your mouth and caught sight of a newly erupted tooth, right in the front on the top. The one right next to that does not look to be far behind. You sucked happily on a wet wash cloth for awhile, and then I got you dressed up for picture day at day care (your first school pictures!) I've lost my voice, so I had to whisper your morning song: "Good morning to you! Good morning to you! We're all in our places with bright shining faces. Oh this is the way to start out the day!" You leaned in to hear me, smiling conspiratorially.
You, my dear Walter, are off the charts.
-Your Goopy Mommy
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| Singing together on your 6 month birthday. |
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