Six Months

Happy Half Birthday, Carter!
It's hard to imagine you are already six months old. I can't even imagine how fast the next six months will pass by. You have done many new things this month. You have started sleeping a little later than your usual 5:45-6:00 am wake up time. Slowly you are adapting to mommy being home and waking a little later, between 6:30-7:00. Some mornings you will go back to sleep for 45 minutes to an hour, but some mornings you are wide awake. Your bedtime is usually a little before 8. You prefer to be held or snuggled with by mommy while falling asleep. Putting you in your crib can sometimes be a challenge; especially if you are not swaddled. Mommy prefers daddy to put you in your crib because you seem to wake up less when he does it. You are usually swaddled at night wearing either your jammies or a onesie. When you wake up in the morning, you have your arms broken free from the swaddle and are on your belly looking around. Your sweet, early morning smiles are the cutest!

We have traveled a lot this month. Your first night away from home was spent at Lytle and Fober's house in Charleston. While daddy went to Steven and Jessie's rehearsal dinner, you enjoyed swinging on their front porch with mommy and slept soundly in your pack-n-play. The next night was a first for you! You were babysat by someone other than your grandparents. You didn't have just one babysitter but you had five! Mommy and daddy felt comfortable leaving you with mommy's school friends while they went to Steven and Jessie's wedding. You were fussy for the girls but when we arrived back at the beach house, they had you asleep in your pack-n-play. Daddy rode back to Lexington with Tatum while you and mommy stayed at the beach with seven other teacher friends for three more days.

You love your toes and hands. You are constantly putting them in your mouth. Lots of people comment on how long your feet and toes are...They must be pretty tasty too! Your lower back is still a tickle spot but you  are also very ticklish on your belly. You love it when we blow and kiss on your belly. You smile and giggle until we stop. You don't nearly get the hiccups as much as you used to. Now we don't worry about you getting them when you get your tickle box turned over, we just enjoy your laughter; it's the cutest sound!

Another thing you love to do is look at yourself in the mirror. You haven't figured out that it's you that you see but it is so cute to watch you interact with the baby that you see. 

You have gotten better at swallowing food now. In the beginning, you would push it out of your mouth with your tongue but now you are able to swallow and actually eat about 95% of the food in your mouth. Every once in a while you blow your food all over the place. It makes a mess, but it's so hard not to laugh. You have eaten: baby cereal, bananas, apples, pears, a mango, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, and green beans. You love pears and apples but you also like carrots and sweet potatoes. You still get excited when you see your bottle; you kick your feet and wiggle your arms, reaching to put it in your mouth. You are a pro at feeding yourself your bottle. When there is nothing left you will sometimes take it out of your mouth and just look at it like, "Where did it all go?" 

You are constantly rolling around. You now can roll to your left and to your right. You are trying to figure out what to do with your legs. Everyone once in a while you will get your legs under you but you haven't figured out what to do with your arms when your hiney is up in the air. You love to be put down on the floor and squirm around. Rolling around and playing really tired you out. During this month's photo session, we stopped and I held you for a few mins and before I knew it you were asleep. I couldn't help but capture you sleeping peacefully. You still love your paci especially if it's nap or bedtime. You use if off and on during the day but sometimes you use it as a chew toy.

We keep checking for your bottom teeth to break through your gums but so far we see nothing but lots of drool. You love to chew on your cold chew toys and celery sticks. When I'm cooking your baby food, you sit on the counter in your Bumbo and watch. You are always reaching out for what I'm peeling and cutting so that is usually when you get to chew on a celery stick. Now, when you see us eating your know we are eating and you want to eat too. We always have to have something on hand for you to snack on or else you will get upset and let us know about it. You have started making this "I'm mad" type of pouty face and it's the cutest thing! We know you are upset but when you make this face, you don't cry tears, you are just trying to get our attention. 

 We are back to using your Boppy again. Since you are able to move around on you tummy, we haven't been using it as often, until now. You will recline in it but you prefer to use it as an aid to help you sit up. You are still working on the balancing part of siting up. You will either lean to the left, right, or forward and use your hand to help you sit up but you can't do this long before you face plant.

 You are now wearing only 6 month pajamas and your daytime outfits are either 6 or 9 months. The 6 month stuff fits fine but we aren't sure how fast you will outgrow them this summer so we have started buying 9 months and they fit loose but give you some wiggle room. Your love wearing your pink whale bubble outfit that Gee made. She made it in a size 6 months but the second one she made she used the same pattern but added an inch to the length. We think you have a long torso so this will give you some extra room. No matter what you wear you are super cute. Your big blue eyes and gummy smile light up a room!

Length: 27 inches (84%)
Weight: 16 lbs. 8 oz.

Head Circumference: 43 cm (68%)