Happy 6 Month Birthday!!

Is it really possible that ½ of a year has already gone by? During the school year, 6 months always seems to go so slow and take so long, but with Graham it seems to have flown by. I think it may be because he is growing and changing so quickly now. Each day seems to bring something new: a new skill, a new sound, a new interest, a new face, and the list goes on and on. I have had several friends with kids say, “Wait until Graham hits 6 months old…that’s when the fun really starts”! And, while the past 6 months have been great, I now understand what they meant!

Graham has really grown this month, I think in large part because he has really gotten into eating! And when I say gotten into it, I mean GOTTEN INTO IT (and some nights gotten it everywhere except his mouth)!!! We made it through all the stage 1 baby foods and explored rice cereal, all while continuing to breastfeed as well.
(The pictures are little deceiving , as he was NOT a huge fan of the rice cereal).
I definitely think that we hit the timing of solids right, as Graham was extremely interested in “helping” with the spoon and trying to feed himself. Needless to say, we had many nights where we have left his chair and made a beeline straight to the tub!
Graham is a huge fan of oatmeal, sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash!
We have had to work a little harder on the green veggies (as in convincing him not to make such awful faces nor spit them out at Natalie), but he now devours peas and green beans as well.
At his 6 month appointment on May 9, Graham was 13 lbs. 7.5 oz. and 24.5 in. This still places him below the 5th percentiles in weight and length, but his weight for length falls in the 25th percentile.

Though he may be a little munchkin, we are not worried because Graham is definitely hitting his developmental milestones. During the last month, he has started rolling from his back to his stomach. He still struggles with getting his shoulder out of the way to roll completely over, although I think he likes it that way since he still really does not want to be on his belly! Of course, Graham rolled this way for the first time with Natalie, and then didn’t show us his new trick for another few weeks. I think it will always be hard when someone else gets to see a new skill emerge for the first time, but I am trying to be patient. I keep reminding myself that there are things Graham does, sounds he makes, and smiles he gives that are reserved for Mommy (and Daddy too), and that seems to make the “big green monster” go away, at least for a little while!

Graham is working hard at sitting independently and will do so for a few seconds at a time before falling. He also loves to stand!
He likes to push up on people’s laps and stand! Our new acquisition of the month was a Bounce Bounce Baby activity zone/stander. I am not really sure if you can truly call it a stander when Graham’s feet don’t quite reach the base, but he is trying and loves it anyway. I think his favorite part of the stander is the different perspective of the world. He loves being able to look down at things and can get eye to eye with the cats when they are on the couch of chair. It is amazing how quickly his leg and trunk strength have improved since using the stander for a week or so.

Graham’s attention span has gotten noticeably longer this month. He loves to listen and move to songs like “Wheels on the Bus” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It” which can be made longer and longer each time. He is starting to enjoy not only watching, but reaching for bubbles too! Graham has become active with his “toys” (i.e. papers laying on the floor, rags, the straps on his carseat, the palm fronds at the Palm Sunday service). He easily picks things up, grasps well, and moves them back and forth from hand to hand. We are also starting to see the beginning of cause/effect understanding as he will drop things and look to see where they went and who is going to pick it up, so he can start to drop it again!

Graham also loves to look at books and even reaches to help turn pages.
He is vocalizing more and more everyday and Chris and I both crack up at the funny sounds he makes!

He chats with both sets of grandmas and grandpas on the computer and loves to reach for the phone as well. Gee, imagine Chris and I having a talker in the family?!?! The thing that Graham loves best is just being silly! He makes so many different faces and loves watching Daddy be silly, getting tickled, and hearing new and funny sounds.


Now that Graham is bigger, it has definitely gotten easier to go out and about with him. This month, we ventured to the Springtime Tallahassee Festival. We skipped the parade because, as any of you who live in Tallahassee can attest, parades in this town go on FOREVER! While Graham’s attention span has improved, none of us would have made it through the parade! We did walk around the booths, eat some Florida sweet corn (there is just something so not right about corn on the cob in April!), and check out a few of the performances. We also purchased an annual pass for the Tallahassee Museum and took a Sunday afternoon to visit with the animals and catch a nap as well!

It has been an amazing 6 months!! I am so thankful for all the love and support we have received from ALL our family and friends. Chris and I are so glad to be Mommy and Daddy and we are so proud of our baby boy!