six months

Henry, you are 6 months old today! We can hardly believe it and know one day it won't seem like all that long, but on this day your Daddy and I feel like you are such a big boy! We can see you growing up right before our eyes.

Each day you are doing something quicker and better than the day before! You are BUSY. You are finding ways to get to the toy that you want. You will wiggle around on your tummy, scoot yourself backwards, pull it towards you, roll over to get the toy, and basically move your body any way you can to get what you have your eye on! We love your determination to reach a goal.

Lately whenever I set you down to play and leave the room or turn my back you're already in a different spot! Sometimes I can't even figure how you got there!

At your 6 month well check up you weighed 20lbs., 11 ounces (>90%), 28 1/4" tall (95%), and your head circumference is 18" (>90%). Your weight to height ratio is 75% so you are a growing boy!

You are still a sweet and happy baby! You give smiles to everyone and rarely cry unless you need something or are really tired. You have a great, laid back disposition. What an answer to prayer!

You still sleep very well. Usually between 8-11 hours straight, take a morning nap, and continue cat napping 4 more times throughout the day. Its usually easy to put you down for a nap unless you're having on off day. There was a period of time (2 weeks) where you would wake up randomly and cry, but we think you are through with that for the most part. Mommy and Daddy are glad you're over that phase!

You also went through another phase two weeks ago that seems to have recently ended. You would scream at the top of your lungs out of excitement! From the very beginning I knew it was because you had just discovered that you could yell. And I don't blame you for wanting to make some noise! Thankfully though you're not doing that all. the. time. anymore! You've mellowed down again. :)

You are enjoying eating solids. So far you've had sweet potatoes, green peas, apples, bananas, carrots, pears, prunes, squash, and pears & apples with cinnamon. You're an easy eater and have done well with all of those thankfully. I make all your baby food myself right here at home (just like your Grandmother did for your Mommy) out of organic ingredients. I've been doing this for over a month now and love it! I'm excited to move onto combining more foods for you and trying new ones.

You can sit up on your own. You are getting better and better at this each day! You can roll all over the place now. Yesterday I caught you lifting your tummy and hips off the ground. That was exciting! I can see you figuring out how to get your body just the right way so you can start crawling one day.

You still favor your links the most. You have added a stegosaurus to your list of toys that you love the most. You are a fanatic for books! You love to be read to and take in all the pictures. You spend a lot of time studying each page before turning it. You love to be sung to. Your favorite song is still 'How Much is That Doggie in the Window?'

Many people have always commented to us at how alert you are (starting as a newborn). You really soak in as much of a room as you can. You are always looking around and turning to see what's behind, in front of, above, and below you and always have your neck strained as far as it will go to find out more about anything. If that doesn't sound like a curious, little boy I don't know what does! I can already tell you are very interested in how things work and where different sounds, etc. are coming from.

You laugh a lot more these days at all sorts of funny sounds, Rouge (whom you cannot get enough of these days), and raspberries. Oh yes, you really think its funny to grab a handful of Mommy's hair and mess it up....you will laugh and laugh...:)

We really just can't believe you're 6 months old already! This month really feels like such a milestone to us. You are a wonderful, beautiful, pleasant, loving baby boy and we love you SO much!! Happy Six Months!!!

National Storytelling Festival

Every year we go to the National Storytelling Center. And every year the weekend goes by WAY too quickly. My favorite storyteller is Kathryn Tucker Windham a 92 year old woman from Selma, Alabama who reminds me SO much of my Grandmother.

[Alabama Public Radio]

Each year I never know if it will be her last so I always make it a point to go see and hear her every time she speaks.

Another favorite storyteller of ours is our family friend, Donald Davis, he and his wife have such dear friends to us for a very long time. We also have a Christmas tradition of going to Fearrington (recently voted top 60 hotels in the world) to see him perform to a packed house. Here he is below performing in one the big circus tents at the Storytelling Festival.

[Fresh Air Photography]

Here are some pictures from our trip!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Rolling all over.

On this day Henry you rolled over from your back to your little tummy. I was there to catch the first time you did this on camera and it just warmed my heart to be able to be sitting right there watching you. What a joy for me to be able to catch all those little first moments in your life!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

5 months

Henry, you are 5 months old today! I really can't believe how old you're getting-- time is passing by too fast! You are turning into an older baby right before my eyes!



At your 4.5 month well check up you weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces (75%), your height is 27 inches (90%) and head circumference is in the 75% . Your height to weight ratio is 25% so you're still our long, lean boy! You wear 6 month, some 9 and 12 month clothes if they're sized smaller, but mostly you stick to 6-9 month clothing.


You can roll from your tummy to your back and roll to your side and roll from your back all the way over to your tummy. When you're on your tummy, you raise your chest high and look around at all the things going on around you. You enjoy playing on your tummy more than you used to but you still enjoy your back. You will turn your head a lot quicker than you used to when you hear or see something. You seem to respond to your name when we call it.




You pull your knees under you when you're on your tummy and want to get going! You will definitely be a lot happier once you can figure out crawling. You can scoot yourself around on your tummy and usually end up going in a circle by working hard. I'm so proud of your determination to work hard at what you have your eye on. I hope I can encourage you to continue this trait as you grow older.



You have this new fascination with your tongue and you'll stick it out and smile at us. You will talk the most when you're in your car seat. You like to stick a toy in your mouth and talk it sounds like, "aaahhhnnnaaa" and so on. You make sounds like "ma ma" as well. You've discovered that you can change your pitch and volume and test that out sometimes. Its so nice though that you aren't too squealy and screechy all the time. You have the sweetest little voice. You definitely fit into our little family well!



You love to "talk" back and forth with us and smack your lips. You smile when I mimic your smacking (which is still your favorite trick) which you've added sticking your tongue out to your tricks.





You have 4 bottles a day and 2 jars of baby food (so far you've only had sweet potatoes, bananas, and peas) and some rice cereal before bed. We only use organic fruits, vegetables, and organic brown rice cereal. You do very well with all of these. We only give you organic foods and use as many natural solutions for cleaning your toys as possible. You eat from either a boon spoon or a munchkin spoon and do well with both.



You love your wooden toys and you love your links and stuffed animals. Reading books is a big part of each day in our house. You will stay interested in books for a long time (over an hour!) You have been able to turn the pages on your own since you were 3 months old and these days you will take the book in both hands and open and close the book over and over again. Once we've started reading you like to go back and look at the front cover so I've started spending more time letting you study the front cover before we start each book.




You still love to sleep with your rabbit and have a lamb that plays music that you've recently been drawn to to go to sleep. You sleep about 9-11 hours at night, take a morning nap, and then have 30-60 minute naps the rest of the day (usually 4 of these).



You like your stroller, car seat (if the tahoe is moving), playing on the floor, your bouncer, and the baby bjorn. You like watching Sesame Street for a little while maybe about 15 mins. but then move onto some other toy or book. You seem to like this show because you will talk back to the monsters. You're fascination with books and toys is so fun to watch!




You wear a size 3 diaper and we only use Pampers Swaddlers for Sensitive Skin (since you were a newborn) and the same for your wipes. You've tried other kinds for a short bit and they aren't nearly as soft or as 'pamper'ing to you in my opinion.





You're a happy baby that enjoys having Rouge come visit you in between doing her doggy duties. You will hold your hand out to her and she will lick your toes and try to lick your hands before being told 'no'. You've gotten a firm hold of her ear and hair before and she seems to be patient with you until you let go. You love to watch Rouge run after her tennis ball. You will laugh and laugh!


We love you dearly, Henry boy. Happy 5 months!

stripes

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com