This darling boy is 6 months old!
He's soft, very squishy, and smells absolutely delicious. Plus he is constantly grinning which makes him even more adorable! Sometimes I cant even stand it.
His big shiny eyes light up when he sees something that pleases him. I cannot even say how adorable it is! Graham will smile at just about anything. He has definitely become more sensitive to loud noises and also new people. I don't think he has hit the stranger anxiety stage yet, but there have been several instances that tell us we're getting there.
His eyebrows continue to give us a whole range of emotion. From up and down in delight, to a perfected "furrow" when he's mad. They even tilt upwards like his Dad's when he's desperate for something. Those two share a lot of similar emotions. It's so fun to notice yourself in your own children. My favorite is when his eyes are focused on something...and his left eyebrow will just lift up for a second. (which is funny because my left eyebrow is the more animated for me too) It happens daily and I love it.
This baby has the roliest-poliest neck. The rest of his body is pretty slim with also some chub. But his neck is the one place he's got the rolls. People don't notice it, because his neck is covered in baby fat! It almost looks like he is sitting there with his head resting on his shoulders with no neck haha. I count 3 neck rolls when he stretches it out to reach for things. That is the one area on his body that I really need to make sure I clean well when he is taking showers. The baby double chin came from my side of the family I'm afraid haha!
His personality is very happy, and as of a month ago, we are adding extremely inquisitive. Graham is literally into anything he can get his hands on. Which makes life 108,986,987 times harder for us. He wants to chew on eeevvverything. If there is nothing around, he will go for our toes with out question. The picture above a pretty good example of my view on some days.
"I want the strap. No, I want the lens!"
To us, he is growing so fast physically. These developments happen so sudden and they are unexpected! We are just enjoying the current stage he's in, and forgetting to be prepared for a new one. Around 5 months he was rolling all over the place. It surprised us when he was able to roll from one end of the room to the other. You can only imagine our thrill when he started army scooting soon after!! He has officially become mobile...
Of course, we got it on tape and we screamed like crazy when it was happening. Like any proud parents would! :)
A month later here we are. He has mastered the scoot, by throwing his hands high up in the air, slapping them on the floor, and lunging his body forward. I have no problem watching him play on the floor all day, just to see his face light up! And now with the help of his bending legs (oh no) he is even faster than before. Just this last week we've seen him up on his knees a couple times...it's very awkward looking and I don't think he gets it yet. But at the rate that he is growing, we could have a crawler soon. Too soon, too soon!!
Anything in his path is sought after with fervor! Remember how I said that his eyes light up when he sees something he wants? They really do, and it melts my mommy heart! Changing his diaper has been the biggest change in his inability to sit still.
He loves getting nakey! I mean...really! He knows when the shirt is about to be pulled over his head, and that's his favorite part!
It will be followed by the biggest smile in the world, and him waving his hands up and down super fast out of pure joy! I'm telling you, he loves being naked!
Often when I hold him, he will wrap his hands around my neck and squeeze me tightly. It's the closest thing to a hug and I just fall in love..... But really, he is just feeling around for something to grab/pull/feel/chew. And like the photo above, it is my poor poor hair.
It gets yanked constantly. My hair is up most days to avoid this inevitable stage, but he still manages to find something! The little hairs on the back of my head suffer the most. OW-EE. Regardless of the inconveniences, I really love the feeling of being so needed by your baby!
He loves his daddy. A lot. Normally, only Steve can get Graham to laugh hard! And it's pretty hard for some reason! He will squeak one or two giggles for me. And I try everything! But for some reason his Dad is hilarious to him and he will laugh. Guaranteed.
That said, he is nothing close to a silent baby. Oh yes, he babbles, blows spit bubbles, screams, coo's, you name it! He is not afraid to gather attention. The other day was painful as I was feeding him and he was literally screeching at the top of his little lungs. It seriously made my ear ring a little bit. It's a good thing that he is vocal, but man it hurts sometimes :)
Something that makes Steve and I laugh, is how Graham holds his right arm when he is being held. It sticks straight out and he just keeps it elevated....just because. Haha and it's only his right arm. All babies have something that is cute and goofy about them, and this one is his.
Solids! He was eating rice cereal at 4 months but the last handful of weeks we have been giving him vegetables! It was awkward to spoon feed him at first, but now he opens up his mouth nice and big for a bite. He doesn't seem to hate the veggie flavors, but he scrunches his nose at the taste of cold refrigerated solids. Every time haha. I can't wait to introduce him to the sweet, succulent, delicious taste of fruit. Maybe this week is the week :)
We also desperately need a high chair. Pronto.
BOOM WHAT?! Teeth my friend. Those two little pearly whites popped up out of no where at 4 months. One day he was a gummy baby, and the next I saw two white teeth just barely about to break through the gums. And then the next day, they had surfaced. We were surprised because I had the idea that he wouldn't get them until he was at least 6 or 7 months. He wasn't even fussy or anything, prior to our discovery.
(I just now found a 3rd tooth on the right coming in!! This time he's not to happy about it. Poor baby!)
He has learned to protest! He's old enough that when something isn't going his way (ex. when we take things away from him, or if he bonks his head) he will give us a world class pout. And it's just marvelous! Bravo baby, bravo!
This little lip of his. I don't think I will ever stop laughing at it! I'm so sorry baby, but it's so endearing to me when you look at me with those glossy eyes and your face all scrunched up! When we are with family, they always get a huge kick out of it too. He's just so sweet!! Sometimes when I play peek-a-boo, I scare him and that will even trigger it. And I can hardly keep it together! One of these days he is going to find it offensive haha. I'm so mean!
We are definitely struggling with sleep in this house. It's our "thing" that we are trying to work on. Naps are consistent and he sleeps in his crib great! We struggle with bedtime the most though. The lack of sleep we get at night is hard on both of us, and nothing can soothe him other than nursing. We don't think he want's to wake up, but he just does and we are awake constantly. It's very exhausting, but we are trying different things to see if they help!
I look forward to the days where Graham will sleep through the night! They seem so far away sometimes, and it's easy for Steve and I to get discouraged. But it helps to see Graham as an individual who has individual needs. We have come to learn that if we listen to what our baby is trying to tell us, he is happier and that in turn that makes us happier too!
To my baby:
Thank you for being such a joy in our home!! Even though you don't like it when we take dangerous objects away, and sometimes I call you "Graham-ma" by accident (true story), you have been the most patient baby for any first time parents! You have only been on earth for 6 months. But already, you have made us happier than we have ever been the 23/28 years of our lives! Keep the smiles coming Grahmers! We love you!
Diapers: in 4's now, he's got a big cute squishy bum.
Clothes: in 6-9 month for a while now, 9 month is coming soon I predict!
Hair: grows at different speeds all over the place, I am constantly evening it out.
Eye Color: still slowly turning brown in the center, they look greenish/blueish overall.
Likes: pacifier, playing in water, chewing on ribbons/drawstrings, watching daddy dance silly, listening to mommy sing.
Dislikes: getting stuck when exploring, long car seat rides, when mommy and daddy tickle each other! haha!
Flub Ups: fell off a mattress sitting on the floor at auntie Brittany's house...twice! Under the supervision of his cousins (kidding, it was us ;)
