Six Months

This is a big one—you are officially half a year old!  Summertime is a good time to be 6 months old.  You’re happy to look around in wonder as we sample festivals and watch parades and stay up for fireworks.  It’s exciting watching your world get bigger as we travel farther from home and you get to meet more of your family.

The Fourth of July holiday brought on some big new skills.  You started rolling over from your back to your tummy (although you still only roll from your tummy to your back occasionally and accidentally).  Then you started blowing spitty raspberries all over the place.  We’ve joked that the speech therapist asked us to try to get you to repeat the sounds we make, but instead you decided to get us to repeat your raspberries.  This month you’ve also grown enamored with your feet (tasty!) and tried out sitting in your exersaucer.  Your movements are getting much more intentional—we’ve caught you reaching for our food and for Toby’s hair (ouch) and even trying to flop over in your swing so you can get the support bar into your mouth.

Early this month Aunt Debbie traveled out to visit us.  You liked having her around for lots of extra attention and cuddles, and you showed her around to your favorite spots around town, like watching Tincaps games and singing along at the library’s baby story time.

At the beginning of the month you gained a little cousin—Harper.  You might not have much to say about that news right now, but it’s exciting to know you’ll have a cousin so close in age, and it’ll be fun watching you two grow up.

You hit the 6 month mark when we were in Oregon visiting family.  That required your first plane ride (you did great by the way, nursing whenever you got bored on the plane, which was most of the ride.)  We saw Aunt Debbie again, and introduced you to Aunt Becca, and Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Greg.  We spent the weekend at DaVinci Days with Grandma and Grandpa, and you were happy to bob along in your stroller as the rest of us took in the shows and activities.  You also got to meet your older cousins, Evan and Davis.  Evan was even old enough to watch you and play with you on his own some, and so I don’t know what secrets you were telling him.  Davis was sweet with you and curious about your baby ways—and perhaps had a bit more fun playing with you than with your less-predictable older brother.  Both cousins were having so much fun with you that sometimes it was hard to push your stroller because they kept reaching in to play with you.

Tonight you hit that important 6 month milestone—you tried your first bite of mashed banana.  You seemed intrigued and intent on getting more into your mouth—if a bit uncertain about how to swallow once it was on your tongue.  I would post a picture, but I didn’t take one, we were all too busy watching your first taste.  Toby even asked to hold the spoon and give you the first bite.  (He was a bit put out that we didn’t give you avocados first—I promised him we’ll try those in a few more days.)

Keep on tasting, trying, and watching with those wide eyes!  Summertime is all the sweeter knowing that we get to share all of these first celebrations and travels and excitements with you.