6 months old

Today Mason you are 6 months old & I find it hard to believe that it has been half a year since you were born! Another month has flown by & again I can't believe how fast the time is going. Everyone told me it would  - I just didn't realize how fast! Those first couple of months of your life are a blur - a distant memory - & as much as I love every new milestone you are making, I long for those days when you were just a few weeks old.

Your Daddy & I were walking out of the store today & a mom walked passed us with her newborn all snuggled in the Moby. We both looked at each other & commented on how we can hardly remember you being that tiny. You continue to amaze us with how big you are getting, all that you are learning & how you are becoming quite the handsome little boy!

Weight: As of last week, you weighed 18.5 lbs at the Dr's office. You have your official 6 mos appointment in a couple of weeks so we will get all your stats then. Not looking forward to another round of shots but am looking forward to seeing your height/weight & percentiles!

You are still wearing 6 mos clothing but they are slowly getting more & more snug :( I have a feeling that in another month we will be moving up to the 9 mos clothing. You continue to wear size 3 diapers & should be in those for awhile as they are still a tad too big on you.

Sleeping: You are still a great nap-taker! You continue to take a morning nap, a long early afternoon nap & another late afternoon nap! Our bedtime routine starts around 7pm consisting of a bath (every other night), story-time, a bottle then bed-time. I have gotten into the habit of laying in our bed with you & snuggling when it is time to go to sleep. I will rub your little back & you usually fall asleep within minutes. I love to lay there & watch you sleep long after you have drifted off. I then move you into your crib around 8pm & you will awake around 11pm because you have flipped over on your tummy - which you hate - & once I flip you back over you will fall right back to sleep once the paci is re-inserted. You awake again at 3am to be fed, then back to sleep & up for the day around 6:30am. I don't ever mind getting up with you at night & absolutely love our quiet time together. But with that said, I am secretly looking forward to you sleeping through the night & am envious of mommy friends who tell me their little ones sleep from 8p-5am!!

This picture pretty much sums up how you like to fall asleep. Talk about a major SIDS risk! You LOVE to pull your little blankie over your face & sleep that way. I of course remove it from you after you have drifted off but I don't doubt you would stay that way all night if I let you! You are definitely your daddy's child - he loves to sleep with the covers over his head also!

Eating: Looking at you people will say you are definitely a healthy eater! You are still being breast-fed, supplemented with formula & are eating 5oz at a time. I continue to pump at work & usually one last time before I go to bed but unfortunately my supply is decreasing so not sure how much longer I can keep this up. My goal was 6 months & I have reached that but I'm just not ready to give it up yet. So as long as I am still producing, I will keep on pumping.

This past month we introduced solids into your diet. You were a little hesitant at first but after the first week you were eating oatmeal cereal, veggies & fruits  like a champ. Sweet potatoes & bananas are your favorite - peas & peaches not so much! You tolerate pears & apples & make the cutest "pucker face" when eating them :) We start our morning with cereal + fruit & for supper it's cereal + veggies. Will start to introduce veggies + fruit at lunch-time in the next couple of weeks. You also are learning to drink water from a sippy cup! Unfortunately, most of it ends up down the front of your shirt rather than in our mouth :) Baby steps...

Milestones: I am amazed at how fast you are learning things compared to last month! You are definitely a little explorer! Your sensory & motor skills are developing as they should be for being 6 months so that is good.
- I would say you will be crawling by our next monthly update. Right now you are creeping forward & backwards on your tummy & sliding around while pushing against the floor. You will raise yourself up on your hands & almost on your knees & rock back & forth. I'd say the days of you just laying around are going to be short-lived.
- You are getting real close to being able to sit up unassisted. You get distracted while playing with toys or when you see mommy/daddy, will lose your balance & fall to the side but sitting up with the boppy you do really well. I am looking forward to when you can sit up 100% so that I don't have to keep hauling you in your cars-seat into the store. You are starting to get heavy!!
- You roll over from back to front like a champ but struggle to flip back over onto your back. This really makes you mad when you do it in your crib while sleeping.
- Pretty sure you are going to cut a tooth any day now! You have been drooling for 2 months now, have been quite a fussy little boy & gnaw on everything you can get your hands on.
- Your eyes have gone from a gray-blue color to a hazel or light brown color. Pretty sure you are going to have brown eyes like your mama!
- Playing with your feet fascinates you! Anytime you are laying on your back or sitting you reach for those little tootsies & try to stick them in your mouth.

- You like to help us hold your bottle when you are eating & can hold it with your own hands pretty well. Just another reminder of how big you are getting :(
- The sounds that come out of your mouth crack us up! Last week you started screaming for fun & do it ALL. THE. TIME!! Your daddy likes to imitate your scream & it makes you laugh. Next thing I know you are both squealing back & forth at each other which you both find amusing - your mommy not so much. You also think it is fun to blow raspberries - especially when you have a mouth full of food! Quite the little stinker you are :)
- You love to grab anything & everything you can get your little paws on & stuff it directly into your mouth - mom's food, Millie's ears, stuffed animals, the book I am reading to you, your blankie, my fingers - you name it. You love to pull your paci out of your mouth & are getting really good at putting it back in all by yourself too!

This past month we also celebrated some "firsts". You celebrated your first 4th of July:

You attended your first wedding:

You "rocked" your very first pair of sunglasses: 

It has been an awesome roller-coaster ride these past 6 months & we are looking SO very forward to the changes you will make & milestones you will conquer in the next 6 months! Just please try & not accomplish them too quickly!?

Happy 6 months little man! Mommy & Daddy love you oh so very much!!