6 Months Old!

You hear it from every parent and grandparent...time speeds up when you have kids.  I had heard it my whole life, but it sounds like a cliche, so I had never really considered it could be true.  And why is it that 6 months when you are pregnant is FOREVER, and 6 months when you have a baby feels like a  minute?  I suspect 6 years is going to also fly by. the difference 6 months makes to a baby is amazing.  While I am still struggling to fit in to my jeans (we'll skip the photo of this one), the changes Sloan has made are truly remarkable.  

Sloan has learned some things I would have never expected, he's a faker.  Yup, my baby fakes it.  You see, he giggles everytime someone coughs around him...and one day we realized that Sloan "fake coughs" back, it's so funny, to see him all of sudden smile at you a give a little cough, and then laugh at himself.

And he's already learned that a meal just isn't a meal without a pleasant something to drink.  Now while I was feed him, he likes to stop about every 3 or 4 spoonfulls, pick up his cup and have a drink of water - the cup looks about 10 times to big for him, so it's pretty cute to watch.  He's also learned that food is fun!  This video shows exactly how enthusiastic an eater he is, and as you'll see quite the little chatterbox. 

And did you notice that I have my camera training complete?  All I have to do now is point a camera at him (or actually even my cell phone) and he stops what he is doing and smiles.  He's a poser, I think he's trying to save time.  He's learned I won't stop until I have the picture I'm after so he might as well give me what I want, and then he can get back to whatever he's doing.  In his jumper, he'll jump, and jump, and jump, and jump, stop smile for the camera, and then jump, jump, jump some more!  We have spent many hours developing this skill, but it's so worth it, we are getting some adorable pictures.

Sloan also thinks the sound tape makes when it's coming off the roll is hilarious.  I've been busy packing up orders for Quilted Cabin, and Sloan has had to come to work for at least a few minutes every day lately.  I plop him in his bumbo chair or excersaucer and he plays while I pack.  And when it comes time to tape the boxes up this is the reaction I get - everytime.

At the rate I'm going through tape these days, 3M is going to write us a personal thank you letter I'm sure!

He can sit up on his own, although not always for very long.  He does a lot of weeble-wobbling, back and forth, and sometimes just tips right over, but he's getting the hang of it for sure.

He's been working on his social skills at the mall too.  He can win over the customer behind us in line at the checkouts every time.  All of the sudden the person behind us will break out in baby talk, and when I look down there he is flirting away.  A lady at Costco actually asked if she could take his picture for her screen saver on her phone, because he was just the cutest, happiest baby she'd ever seen - now what Mom could refuse that request?  After all he's my screen saver too.

And busy, busy, busy...those days of a quiet little baby snuggling in my arms are over!  This one wiggles, fidgets, and kicks at my stomach with his legs - constantly.  Even reading a story is a challenge, he grabs the book, turns the pages, jams the book in his mouth, flips around to see what I'm doing, or look at the light.  And look, he can read his own books now too!

And this is our new idea of a relaxing bath before bed...

And he's grown so much, he weighs almost 19 lbs - shouldn't babies who weigh 19 lbs be able to walk?I am building up some good arms muscles in the interim though!  I had a casting of his feet and hands done when he was 3 weeks old, and I'm so glad.  I already can't remember how little he was, those are tiny little hands and feet in that frame.

He's so interactive, it's easy to make him laugh, and that first smile I get in the morning (two tiny teeth included), just for showing up, let's just say it doesn't get any better than that. I am loving every minute.

Love,

Julie