Liam at 6 Months

Wow, where did 1/2 a year go?  Liam, you started the morning by uncharacteristically sleeping in until 9:30am.  I found myself reflecting a bit on our birth today, probably because it's been 6 months and it feels like such a big milestone.  Although, we have many more milestones in front of us than what is behind us.  We snuggled a bit early this morning when you first woke at 6am, and it was lovely.  I hope we have many more years of napping together.  I'm often reminded of a lesson my yoga teacher taught me - whatever moment you're in, you will never have that moment again.  You'll never take a breath in the same way as you're doing right now.  Each moment that passes is unique and sacred.  I think about that each time I sleep next to you, my dreaming baby.

Growth & Appearance
 
You weighed in at 16 lbs 10 oz today, are 27.5 inches long, with a head size of 17.25 inches.  Everything seems very normal in this department.  You've been rolling like crazy.  I'll put you down on the floor, turn around for a second, and when I turn back you've rolled yourself halfway across the room.  Yesterday, I set you down with your toys (which included a ceramic bowl that you were very interested in), and somehow you moved that heavy bowl about 3 feet.  I'm still not sure how you did that.


You sprouted your first two teeth at 5.5 months old.  It was quite a surprise to us!  One Friday night about two weeks ago, your Dad and I had just settled in to watch a movie, when you woke us with some very painful sounding cries.  This was a distinctive, different cry from your normal fussing when you wake up, and we ran in to find you very upset.  I felt along your gums, and lo and behold there was a sharp thing poking out.  I had just bought some teething gel (not thinking we would use it so soon!), and that helped a bit.  We also gave you some things to bite on, and we nursed, and it all seemed to help you get back to sleep.  The next morning, tooth #1 was visible just above the gum line.  Tooth #2 debuted the next week.  I like how you planned these teeth sprouts to appear on the weekend so your Dad could join in on the waking up fun!

Eating

Still only breast milk.  I know.  I'm sorry.  I think you're ready for solid foods, but I've been a bit noncommittal as to what to start you on and really want to delay changing those solid poop diapers for as long as possible.   I promise we'll explore the food world very soon.

Sleeping

Uggh.  I don't even want to talk about it.  I mean, you're a pretty good sleeper.  But some days it's just really difficult to get you to sleep on your own, without someone rocking or nursing you to sleep.   We'll get you to the point where your eyes are closed and you're very relaxed, and then the minute we put you down in the crib, it's hit or miss whether or not you'll just roll over and go to sleep (the best scenario), or you start kicking your legs and fussing (potentially the worst scenario). 

I haven't felt the need to get us on a schedule just yet (which may be part of our problem), so I kind of just roll with whatever you need and adjust our day if I can.  While we're not on a clock schedule, we are on somewhat of a daily rhythm.  In the morning we get up, get ready for the day, eat breakfast, clean up and make beds, and have some time to play.  The morning is the best time for me to observe you quietly while you play on the floor.  Usually by around 8:30 or 9am you're ready for your first nap.  This lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.  After the morning nap, sometimes we'll take a walk, run errands, or see friends.  Your 2nd nap starts anywhere from 11:30am - 1pm and again lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.  We'll nap one more time at around 3:30 or 4, and this is our shortest nap of the day, being anywhere from 30 minutes to 60 minutes.  You're usually in bed between 7:30 and 8:30pm.

Development

You've managed to get your knees up under you and can now successfully rock on your hands and knees.  You scootch around a bit trying to go after toys or other interesting things you find around the house, and sometimes end up pushing yourself backward when you really want to go forward.  We estimate that we have about 1-2 more months before we have to Liam proof the house, so now I have to add "baby gates" to my list of items to research (and hopefully find second hand). 

You've been talking up a storm, and in the past few days have added "blah blah blah, dada, mamama, and lalala to your repertoire.  You also often speak in "dolphin" or "pterodactyl" and screech very loudly.  I'm sure our neighbors are pleased. 

Favorites

You're really into the wood bead and crochet teething/nursing necklace I bought off Etsy, and often pull it so hard that I just take it off, untie it (so it's not a choking hazard), and give it to you to play with.  This occupies at least 30 minutes of your time every day.  That necklace is like gold (if time were currency).  You're also still obsessed with your Indestructible books.  And you discovered grass the other day when we were playing outside.  That's another favorite texture of yours. 


Nicknames

• Toothy (for obvious reasons - see Growth & Appearance)
• Bunny (I don't know why I started calling you Bunny, but when you thump your feet and bounce up and down, it reminds me of a little bunny hopping around)

Books and Songs You Love

•  The bird song from Waldorf that took me forever to learn (you know, the one that starts like "Way up in the sky, the little birds fly high"...
• The lamb book that you got from Easter, mostly likely because the lamb is a finger puppet and sticks out of the book.