Six months old!

On Sunday I was shocked to realize that it was already November 2, and that meant that Parker is now six months old! I can't believe that already a half of a year has passed. It truly goes by much too quickly. I keep thinking of things I wish I had done when he was smaller (like take more pictures of little toes and fingers...or enjoy the sweetness of late-night feedings without feeling so inconvenienced) and now those opportunties are gone.



He has the sweetest smile. When he smiles, his entire face smiles and it brightens up the room. It brightens up my day. I never tire of his open-mouthed grin:


Of course, it does mean that all of my pictures look the same. His smiles have one degree...ALL OUT. There is no in between...it's all or nothing. I prefer all...

Look at him curling those little toes! So cute.

At six months Parker:
* Weighs 17 lbs, 15 oz. and is 26.75 inches long (that's an increase of 9.5 lbs and 6.5 inches since birth).
* Is wearing mostly 12 months clothes (or 6-12 months size, depending on the brand) and size 4 diapers.
* Rolls over when he wants to, but doesn't seem to want to all that much. He turns around regularly in his crib.
* Sleeps wonderfully at night (generally from 7 to 7), but is much less predictable with naps. On a good day I get two two-hour naps out of him...maybe a three-hour afternoon nap if I am very, very lucky. But on most days I get one long-ish nap in the afternoon.
* Knows no limits of crying-it-out for naptime. If he doesn't go to sleep asleep or nearly asleep (after feeding), he will not go to sleep. I think he would cry/fuss for five hours straight if I would let him (I won't).
* Reaches and grabs anything in reach and immediately puts everything in his mouth.
* "Talks" a lot (mostly "ehhhhhh, ahhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhhh, ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," or something to that effect...he will imitate me if I make a similar noise)
* Loves, loves, loves to bounce in his bouncy seat; he knows just how to kick his feet to keep him bouncing.
* Will tolerate other devices (swing, exersaucer, jumperoo (tried that this past weekend for the first time)) for short periods of time.
* Still likes his playmat; it's one of the few places I can lay him down and walk away without him crying, more often than not.
* Is almost always happy just being held. As long as he is not hungry or very tired, this immediately cures his fussies.
* Enjoys bathtime...but he doesn't get one all that often. Poor kid. :)
* Loves his brother. He "talks" and coos if he even just sees a picture of Thomas. He always smiles when he sees him.
* Is starting to "sit" more and more. Mostly it's just a "tripod" sit, but he's getting better and better (as you can see in the pictures) and not falling over nearly as often, or quickly.
* Does not love standing all that much. Unlike his brother, he doesn't love to put weight on his feet, though he tolerates it and tries sometimes for short periods of time (and I mean with me holding him up).
* Will be trying solids soon; but for now he just nurses 6-7 times a day.
* Is generally easy going. He gets lugged around a lot more than his big brother ever did; and most of the time he just goes with it. He's not good at napping on the fly, but he does remarkably well without a nap.
* Laughs if I tickle his belly or put my head down and shake it, or put it down on his chest. He has the sweetest little laugh and it just always makes me smile.
* Loves to suck his thumb!



For the most part, he is such a joy. He has his fussy times and he needs to be held more than I would like sometimes, but all in all, he is really an easy baby. I am so thankful. I look back at updates I did on Thomas and we were still getting up to soothe him back to sleep and sometimes feed him several times during the night. And Parker has been sleeping through the night like a total champ since he was 11 weeks old. Knock on wood, I don't even consider that he will need me in the middle of the night anymore! Sometimes he wakes up, will talk for a minute, sometimes he'll fuss, then he'll find his thumb and go back to sleep. I don't know how we made it without a video monitor for Thomas!

I'm so thankful for another month of being Parker's mommy and I look forward to a lifetime more of months to come!