Charlie at 6 Months!

Well, I feel like we've hit a pretty big milestone! 6 months! It's that milestone where you can start using a high chair, upgrade pacifier sizes (if you want), feed more and more solid foods, use a mesh feeder, etc etc. Sometimes I can't believe it's already been 6 months. Sometimes I can :) Sometimes it feels like he's always just been a part of our family! And honestly, the world would just be a little less sunny without this cute little smile:

Also, I just love this comparison picture idea that I'm sticking with. You can tell that he really grew length-wise for the first few months, and for the last few months he's just been chunking up all over!

And now, some stats about Charlie at 6 months:

• Size 3 diapers (we use Huggies Snug & Dry) 
• Goes #2 less often, which can be nice, until it builds up into a huge blowout :/
• Size 6 and 6-9 month clothes (but smaller socks and shoes because he has "dainty" feet haha!)
• Loves books! I've always known that he has, but as he's gotten older, I can just tell even more that they are some of his favorite things (especially his squishy book with pictures of his family and friends in it). Loves it when I read him stories before nap time.
• He is consistently taking 3 naps a day and sleeping through the night. Wakes up around 8am or a bit earlier. Nap 1 happens around 9-9:30am, Nap 2 happens around 12:30-1:30pm (depending on length of first nap) and Nap 3 is in the evening, and starts usually between 4:30-5:30pm. Bedtime is always sometime between 7:30pm and 8:30pm. It's lovely!
• Grabs his feet and eats his toes
• Started going up on his hands and toes (planking) and now he goes up on hands and knees and rocks forward and backwards! (See videos below) He also pushes himself backwards around the room this way... can't quite figure out how to go forward without face planting yet!
• Things that make him smile and giggle: When we kiss his fingers, when we tickle him, when we make funny noises and get close to his face, dancing with him, and when we "hiss" at him.
• "Hissing" - his new way of communication. This is what we call it, but it kind of sounds like hissing and  hocking a loogie at the same time. And he LOVES to do it. And he loves when we do it back! That, and the occasional, "OOooohhh" like an owl hoot are about all he does. And "nnnaaahhhh" when he's mad about something or hungry.
• Still not much of a cuddler, but he'll let us hold him closer when he's sleepy
• Eats about 27-28 oz of milk per day (all still breastmilk!)
• Basically feeds himself his bottle all the time. We sit him on the floor with the bottle. He eats and plays with it, and then, when he's done, he just puts it to the side. It's really cute :) And he always smiles when he's done with his bottle, like he feels accomplished!
• Eating quite a few solid foods. He loves pears, applesauce, and rice cereal mixed with apple juice. He's cool with carrots and squash. And he'll tolerate green beans and sweet potatoes (sort of). Overall I'm pretty impressed. He's not as picky as I'd feared! But it does vary by the day. And right now he'll only eat about 1/2 of a 2.5 ounce container before getting bored or distracted.
• Loves to spit and blow bubbles. He will also often spit while eating solid foods, and I get sprayed with a nice layer of whatever he's eating. I've learned not to be wearing nice clothes while feeding him!
• Spits up quite a bit (depends on the day) and drools like CRAZY. I have to change out his bib at least once or twice a day! But no teeth yet!
• Still loves to exercise in his jumperoo. Sometimes we can leave him there for over an hour and he'll happily jump and play. It's awesome!
• Not quite yet a sitter. He's much better than a month ago, and can support himself sitting in the "tripod" position for a few seconds. He'll usually fall over to the side after a little while. Sits very well supported, though (like on my lap or in something where he is strapped in).
• He is very skilled now with his hands. He's super accurate, likes to "feel" with his fingers, has a STRONG grip and will pinch and pull hard on hair, jewelry, or my face/neck/arm (ouch!). 

Aww, just look at this CUTIE! He's going to be so adorable when he has hair. Hats kind of help give that illusion! ;)

Here is Charlie sporting his awesome Navy shirt that my friend Lindsey gave him! (She's in the Navy). He looks like such a "Man's Man" in this shirt. And it really shows off how beefy he is. He's such a thick, solid baby (all except for his little feet haha!):

And now, for your viewing pleasure, some videos!

This first one is fun for a couple reasons, but I like it because it shows the process that Charlie has to go through to get his paci back in. But he can do it! And when he does, he gets pretty excited! (I like in this video how he thinks he gets it in, but then accidentally pulls it back out, oops!)

This second one shows lots of fun tricks: 1) How he likes to grab his toes and kick 2) His hissing (turn up the volume and listen closely) and 3) How he is more interactive and precise when he plays with toys - good motor skills!

If you turned up the volume for the last video, turn it down a little for this next one (lots of loud crying). But I had to show it off because it shows how hard he's trying to crawl. He was so tired in this video, but a lot of times when he is tired and frustrated is when he takes the steps to the next level. It's like his frustration builds up and is let out in working his little body extra hard!

And finally, this last one shows how he likes to feed himself. He'll take the bottle in and out and talk to it. It's kind of funny. :)

We really do love our little man, and can't wait to see what fun surprises he'll have for us over the NEXT 6 months!!