Six Months Old: Happy Half Birthday!

Time keeps marching on, I can't believe he is already six months old. And even more hard to believe is how much he has grown in six months.

Probably the most fun thing about Emerson this month is seeing his personality come out (you will be able to tell from his photos). He is such a happy little guy. He is also not afraid to tell you how he feels, loudly, when he doesn't like something. But overall, he gives out smiles and laughs all the time. And when he smiles real big, you can see little dimples in his cheeks.

I love his laugh! He is super ticklish and easy to make smile. My new favorite thing is how he sticks out his tongue to smile. So cute. 

"Deer caught in the head lights" look. Classic.

Here is a breakdown of his activity this month:

Sleeping: I hate to say it, but I broke down and we started to let him cry it out a little at bedtime. I read six different books on sleep training (several non-cry it out methods), and the one thing they all agreed on was that it was important that all babies learn to go to sleep on their own without any props (rocking, paci, bottle). I still believe you should do whatever works best for you and your baby, but rocking, swinging, walking, eating to sleep stopped working for us months ago. It felt like a battle to get the kid to sleep. So after trying many methods (shush pat, pick-up-put-down), I realized that Emerson does not like to be touched and would rather be left alone. He responds much better to just my voice. So we just let him fuss one night and it only took 20 minutes before he went to sleep. It was a hard cry at times, but then he would just talk and then silence! I couldn't believe how well it worked. Now we just lay him down and he goes to sleep (knock on wood). I still rock and sing to him ( I love that), I just make sure he doesn't go to sleep in my arms. It has fixed so many of our sleep issues. Instead of dreading bedtime, I now look forward to and enjoy our time together.

Naps are a whole other ball game. He still gets rocked to sleep for that. He takes 3 to 4, 40 minute naps a day. Can't wait until we consolidate those more. Having a cat napper is exhausting. 

Eating: eats every 3-4 hours and gets 1 oz of solid food once during the day. We started cereal first and Saturday he got to taste real food, sweet potatoes! He is indifferent about them. Took a few bites and then he was done. I thought they tasted pretty good.

Activity: He does OK playing by himself, but the key is for him NOT to see me or he wants to be picked up. I now let him play in his pack n' play in our bedroom while I do things around the house that way I can get a few things done. 

 We continue to work on sitting up. If you prop him up just right he can sit tripod style for a few seconds by himself. And we are doing better with tummy time. I found the perfect toy to keep him busy while on the floor.

Daddy making us smile.

Doctor visit stats:

• Weight: 16 lbs 12 oz (37%)
• Height: 27.25" (76%)
• Other: We got the first round of the flu vaccine. He goes back in a month for the booster. Jesse and I need to get ours. We also got a referral to see another pediatric surgeon for a second opinion. Can't wait to make that appointment.

We were a little fussy on picture day. I blame the shots.

Likes, dislikes and other milestones:

• Likes to stick out his tongue.
• Went to the Children's Museum for the first time and loved it. He especially loved all the mirrors.
• Wakes between 6-7 a.m. and goes to sleep between 7-8 p.m.
• Likes playing Peek-A-Boo.
• We no longer use the car seat in the stroller. He gets to ride around like a big boy, or be carried in the BabyBjorn carrier.
• Sometimes makes the sound "mama" when crying. No association to me...yet!
• Changing Emerson's diaper these days is impossible! He moves around so much. Same goes for getting him dressed.
• Emerson went to Gramma and Pops house in TN for the first time and had a great time!
• Has been experimenting with his voice tones. He loves to give a high pitched squeal.
• Took a sippy cup for the first time. He instantly put it in his mouth and chewed on the lip, but had no clue how to get the water out. Just for practice now.
• Loves bath time still, but now hates to get out. He is learning that he can splash in the water.
• He started to shake his head "no." He has no clue what it means, but I am trying to also teach him "yes." He just laughs when I do it.
• Had his first taste of rice cereal and liked it! Saturday we tried sweet potatoes.
• Emerson and I both love these silicone mesh feeders. You can put any piece of fruit/veggie in it and let them chew on it. It pulls out all the juices, so there is no harm in choking. I put an ice cube in it and it kept him busy. Jesse and I actually got to eat our dinner while he sucked on the ice cube. It's a win/win.

"I'm just so silly"

Things to look forward to: 

• Going to the pumpkin patch
• First Halloween
• Celebrating Great-Granddad Connie's 80th birthday

Can't stop laughing at this pic. 

He is either belting out a tune or screaming. Take a good guess which : )