6 Months Update! Ack!

Seriously?? Where did the time go! Tim and I were just looking at 'old' pictures of Fletcher on Tim's phone since he just upgraded to the Palm Pre (totally not jealous) and I just cannot believe how much this kid has grown! He's almost a foot longer and has increased in weight 180%! Here we are looking at pictures from when he was this pink, wrinkly, tiny, wiggly thing and he was sitting right next to us flopping and jabbering and drooling away. Its just crazy stuff!

His stats from his 6 month checkup are 24lbs (I think he lost a little weight while he was teething last week), 30" long with a 19" noggin, all of which are right on track for the growth curve...his version of it at least...its following the same growth curve for all babies his age, it just happens to be floating about an inch above it is all...

Here he is modeling his new booster/high chair. Its the kind that straps to your kitchen chairs, all adjustable and cool and stuff. The high chair that our cousins passed down to us had to be left in Kentucky and we had to find a substitute. I figure this was the way to go and should serve well for quite some time...although I'm not sure how long he will need to be 'boosted' if his height keeps on this way. Case in point, the shirt he is wearing in this photo is 24 months...*sigh*.
We have been using our new chair during our luncheon forays into the world of solid food. He is showing more interest in it which is nice, not spitting it all out automatically anymore. He will even chew a little bit, but at this point won't give a spoon the time of day. The only way he will try anything is if its on my finger right now, but hey, I'm cool with being a vehicle for food while he gets used to the idea of mushy, non-liquid foods and new tastes and textures. His big favorites are peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, and pears so far. NOT a fan of apples, bananas, or prunes. Mommy is going to play make-your-own-baby-food soon, so we will see if the non-jarred varieties improve his interest any.

He is seriously diggin' his spinny toy that his cousins passed down to him. His favorite part is the ball with the mirror in it that spins. He is really into mirrors right now and will yank his playpen mirror off the side, hold it with both arms out in front of him while he is on his back and just jabber, smile, coo, laugh, and smile at his reflection for the longest time. One of his favorite treats is playing in the bathroom and bedroom mirrors with Daddy. His smile is so contagious it even makes him laugh!

As you can see, he is sitting pretty decent right now, a little straighter every day and he can sometimes reach out with one hand and pick up or hold things. He isn't quite independent of his arms yet for sitting up, but he is getting close! He is tttttthhhhiiiiissss close to rolling from his back to his tummy and every time I put him down for playtime on the floor I expect to see him just flop over neat as can be. The extreme angles to which he currently cranes his neck and torso coupled with the wild rocking of his legs can only mean that the coveted roll will soon be added to his resume. He is doing a fine job of pushing himself backwards and in circles across the floor, but still no interest in forward propulsion. He just got his first pair of 'big boy' PJ's and I think he fancies them pretty well...Mommy saw a good sale at Kmart and hey, Spiderman is always cool.

He has such patience this kid, I take him out shopping, haul him all over the place for errands and for the vast majority of it all he handles it with unwavering grace (I say vast majority because there is the small matter of getting into and out of his carseat which is really not on his happy list). He will even gift me with smiles and laughter and babbling while we are out as long as I keep the milk flowing and provide appropriate times and situations in which to nap. Such a good boy, I wonder if he will keep this easygoing attitude concerning shopping as he gets older. Very few men of my acquaintance exhibit this quality.

As you can see, its not just his little body that is growing, but his hair is too! He has the cutest little cowlick on the top of his head...OK, its not little, its HUGE! His hair shoots almost straight up, its adorable. It keeps getting longer but isn't even beginning to show signs of interest in gravity yet. He is getting kind of shaggy around the ears and its starting to grow down his forehead a little bit as well. Tim and I have decided we aren't going to cut it for awhile yet, its just too darn cute!

Fletcher still only has his one lone tooth in, but you can feel its partner on its way. His pediatrician down here wants us to go learn some exercises from a infant physical therapist to work on his muscle tone a little bit. With his larger size, he is going to need a little bit more muscle mass than the average babe to move himself around and achieve those physical milestones. Fletchercise! 1 and 2 and 3 and ... hey! I could make a workout DVD :0) Anyway, that should be fun. He did great with his shots, spit half of his rotovirus out and flirted unabashedly with his nurse and doctor the whole time! He does the same thing with his daycare aides when Mommy is working out at the Y, an easy favorite with those ladies due to his laid back, easy going nature.

Anyway, there's a nice lengthy update for Fletchers half year mark, hope you all enjoy and thanks for coming to visit!