Calvin at 6 Months

Could you just die? Is he not the cutest thing you've ever seen? Okay, I'm biased. :) But I really think this kid is the most adorable child on planet earth. 

Here are some new bits of information about Calvin in his sixth month. 

- He sits up, rolls over, and stands like a champ. You can hold his hands while he is sitting and he will pull himself up to standing - all with his own strength! He rolls best back to tummy but has a harder time from tummy to back. He sometimes tries to roll while he is holding his foot and it's very funny to watch him get mad when he can't do both at the same time. It reminds me of that story about the monkeys who could reach into the box to grab the fruit but then couldn't pull their fists out while holding the treats. They wouldn't let go, and that's how they were caught. My little monkey. :) He is also very skilled at grabbing and pinching. He can now put his paci in his mouth by himself when you give it to him.

- He positively wolfs down solids. He will eat anything and loves food. LOVES it. I feed him peaches, oatmeal, peas, carrots, pears, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, rice cereal, prunes, and, of course, bananas (his favorite). He gets impatient between bites and will bark at me the second his mouth is empty. It takes all of 2 minutes to feed him his solids (about 1/4-1/3 cup serving 3-4 times a day). He will stare at me when I eat and start smacking his lips like he wants some, too. It's ironic he loves food so much, since...

- He is 14.5 lbs and 24 inches tall. That is 10th percentile for height and 7th percentile for weight. TINY. He still fits in his 3 month clothes. Personally, I love that he is still my little man and I hope he stays miniature forever! His head is 50th percentile, though - huge for his size. I started to worry that my milk supply was running low, but I don't think that's the case anymore. He gets what he needs and is a very happy baby. I mean, does he look skinny to you? I think he is the right weight for his height. Plus, breastfed babies tend to be leaner anyway. I love getting people's reactions to him because he looks much younger than he is but is much more advanced than a 3-month-old. He's extremely alert as it is, so couple that with his size, and everyone marvels at how attentive and active he is. I get comments everywhere I go about two things: how big and expressive his eyes are and how observant he is.

- His sleep has really evened out and it's so nice. He takes a 1.5 hour nap at 9 and then a 2 or 2.5 hour nap in the afternoon (around 12:30 or 1). Then he takes a catnap around 5 with bedtime around 7:30. I have just accepted that his morning wakeup time is 6:30. I tried and tried to push it to 7 or 7:30 but I think that is just his body's rhythm. Usually, babies have their longest naps in the morning, and that's how it was for him for a long time. Ever since daylight savings, though, he's switched the two naps and now his afternoon nap is longest. He is showing signs of being ready to drop the catnap and moving bedtime to 7pm, but not yet. He also sleeps in his crib now - we dropped the Rock 'n Play sleeper. He is doing fantastic with the crib and it was a very easy transition. 

- TJ and I have been very aggressively house hunting over the last few weeks. I have been communicating with our real estate broker (who is FABULOUS by the way - more details on that later), and we have been meeting up daily to look through homes and make offers and all that fun stuff. Poor Calvin has had to come along for the ride, which mean little to no routine on those days. He sleeps horribly anywhere other than his crib, so he has had to just catnap in his carseat on the road and then I've had to feed him sporadically. In this market, you have to jump on the good homes instantly or you lose out on them. Case in point - the homes we've looked at in the last week have sold in one day - ONE. Since a home temporarily trumps a routine, I've had to just deal with it. Calvin is awful on the days where we have no structure. Fussy, grumpy, a poor eater... you name it. All the action and activity makes him overstimulated and then he has an even harder time winding down at home in his crib. It just helps me see even more clearly that this is the kind of kid who thrives on a routine. Not all children need this kind of structure, but Calvin sure does.

- He had not taken a pacifier at all until just recently. We started using it when he got sick about a month ago, and then something annoying started happening. He would cry out for it during naps and had a harder time going to sleep without it. Even at night, he was crying out for a binky at 2am... not fun. So, I weaned him from the pacifier. It was easy since he was used to living without it, but I was still surprised at how quickly he became dependent on it. Not anymore, though. He goes down for naps just fine without it. I still use the pacifier in emergencies, though (like at church or when I need him to not make his little noises). 

- He is such a happy kid. When I come to get him from naps, he does this happy baby dance where his limbs go flying in all directions and he beams up at me. It's the cutest thing ever. He loves to play and makes happy noises all day. Most of the time, it's just this big "ahhhhhhhh" sound, but sometimes he does a "yayayaya" or "gigigigi" sound. Precious.

- Calvin loves his dad. He is so happy to see TJ come home and giggles and plays with him until bedtime. TJ and I have a lot of little nicknames for Calvin, his toys, and aspects of his day. We would sound absolutely ridiculous to anyone if they could listen in. Here are a few of his nicknames...

Mr. Man

Mr. Guy

Mr. Mister

Mr. Chub

Little Mister

Little Man

Scrunchy Face

Mr. Toes

Monkey Man

Cutie Face

Cutie Man

Chunky Thighs

Mr. Buddy

We tell Calvin, "It's time to play with Mr. Bedtime!" when it's time for him to go to his crib. We tell him, "It's time to play with Mr. Bathtime!" when it's time for a bath. We tell him, "It's time to play with Mr. Jumble Gym!" when he plays on his play mat. I have no idea when, where, or how this started, but it's here to stay. :)

We sure love this little guy. Six months is my favorite so far. Each month that goes by gets better because he gets more and more interactive and fun. We are kind of obsessed.