Six Months Old!

Our little man is 6 months old today!  

I don't have much time for the computer these days ... two kids plus work and everything else along the way is keeping me so busy!  I'm currently about a week behind in my blogging.  I still take lots of pictures of the kids, and I try to sit down and do as many blog posts as I can at once so I can remember these times later.  It seems like every time I sit down to do a big upload/update to the blog, I've got to put another " -- Months Old!" post up for SJ.  I cannot believe he's halfway through his first year!  Babytime moves much faster the second time around!

In a way, I'm very excited to hit the six month mark with SJ ... that means we're halfway through with the insane expense, time, and trouble of formula, bottles, and babyfood.  I am also enjoying play time with SJ so much right now.  I also loved the time between 6 - 9 months when Katie Anne was a baby ... those three months were probably the easiest and most fun of her entire first year for me.  I love this stage of development - sitting up, playing with toys, babbling and being happy without the constant worrying that comes with crawling, pulling up, and taking care of a new walker.  Also, SJ recognizes all of us now, and he loves seeing us.  He's so happy when I walk into his room to get him up, or when he sees me across the room, or when I get to day care to pick him up.  Seeing his eyes light up when I come into his room to get him out of the crib makes me so happy every morning.  Many mornings, with a cranky husband and a cranky little girl (they're both so not morning people), SJ's happy face is the brightest spot in my morning routine.  I hope he keeps his morning person status so I can have a happy morning friend!  So, I'm loving it that SJ is in a really enjoyable stage.  Plus, the sleepless nights and constant care that a baby needs are starting to exhaust me.  At six months old, I am looking forward to SJ sleeping more and needing a little less.

However, knowing that this is (barring any surprises in the future) my last baby, I am also sad to see this mid-year milestone arrive - the beginning of the end of the baby stage.  Because I have KA to compare him to, I know how quickly this is going - I don't think I realized it with Katie Anne, but I am well-aware that time is zooming past this second time around.  At night, when I'm sitting with SJ in his room in the semi-dark without distractions, I try to very actively enjoy, take in, and remember the feeling of holding him.  As I sit there, giving him his bedtime bottle and watching him sliding into sleep, I am amazed by how big he already is - how much his face has changed in just a few months.  I know it will seem like no time before he's walking, talking, and wanting to do everything on his own just like his big sister.  Katie Anne doesn't want  - or need - very much help from us anymore, and I know SJ will be independent very soon, too.  Then, my days of holding a baby every day will be over.  So, as very tired as I am, I am trying to force my brain to lock the last of the baby days in my house into my memory.

At 6 Months...

Eating:

SJ eats three square meals a day of baby food.  He's just moved up to Stage 2 foods, and he loves any food that isn't green.  He would eat fruits all day long if I would let him!  I let him try his first sippy cup today with water inside ... he enjoyed chewing on it, but I don't think he drank anything from it.  SJ takes about 5 bottles per day, between 6-8 oz each.  Unfortunately, he still doesn't hold his own bottle, although he tries!  If the bottle is almost empty or if he's got somewhere to prop it, he can hold it for a few seconds on his own, but that's it. 

Sleeping:

*SJ is doing better about sleeping through the night.  He usually goes to sleep early around 6:30-7:00, wakes up around 9:00-10:00 for a bottle, and then sleeps for about a seven hour stretch.  That means he wakes up between 4:00-5:00 for a diaper change and bottle.  Then, he'll sleep another hour or two before he's up for the day.

Development:

*SJ is sitting up on his own, rolling both ways, and chewing on everything.  He loves to play with toys - especially a little orange vinyl dinosaur that's his absolute favorite.  His favorite activity is playing peek-a-boo with his burp cloth!  He loves to sit on the floor, surrounded by toys, and play for a long time.  It's time to put the Bebe Pod away because he's great at sitting up all on his own.  He enjoys his Exersaucer, too - but the swing is a no-go for him.  He still hates it.  He rolls and wriggles and army crawls all around his crib at night - we're about to have to remove the bumper because he's pulling it down and chewing on it.  He hasn't gotten any teeth yet, but he's definitely teething because he drools nonstop.  He loves to laugh and giggle - Katie Anne is by far the funniest person he knows.  He has a very pleasant personality and is a GREAT rider in the car - he likes to play with his playbar and little toys in his car seat. 

I don't think we take enough videos of SJ, so I made a long one of him today to try to catch some of his six month old self for posterity!