Happy Half-Birthday to My Baby Boy!

James is 6 months old today. I think back to six months and 1 day ago and wonder how I ever survived without him! My life has been made so much richer by getting to know little James. Here are some things I want to remember about him at 6 months:

* He loves to move! People constantly comment to me about his movement. I think he is going to be one energetic little man just like his daddy. In fact, he wants to walk so badly that we cannot get him to sit on his own. He won't bend!

* James really enjoys anything that is new. He is already bored with all of his toys. As soon as he sees a new toy he gets super excited.

* He is eating all kinds of baby foods and even a few big people foods (like smashed up bananas or cantelope in the mesh feeder). The only thing he doesn't care for is peas, but he still eats them.

* At night he typically sleeps from 8-6:30 and gets up for a 15-minute bottle around 2.

* As I mentioned in my last entry, he now has two teeth. Of course, wtih the teeth comes LOTS of drool. His shirt is almost always soaked.

* He loves animals. The cats provide endless hours of entertainment for him. Unfortunately, they are learning to keep their distance because he now has enough control of his hands to be able to grab them when they walk by. When he does get a hold of them he immediately pulls them towards his mouth like a chewtoy. You can only imagine their displeasure!

* James already has us laughing several times a day. He comes up with the craziest faces. If I hand James over to Rod when he gets home, Rod usually gets lots of slobbery kisses and smiles. Then James looks over at me with this devilish little grin like he found someone that is SO much better than me!

* He is really tall which makes finding clothes that fit almost impossible. Shirts/onesies are ok but he is too tall and skinny to fit baby pants. He is currently in 6-9 month clothes but the pants are always falling down. I wonder if they make big and tall baby clothes.

* James is such a sweet and happy (as long as he has enough sleep) little boy. We love him so much and can't wait to see how his personality continues to develop into a wonderful little boy.

First tooth and other pictures from the last week.

I think I spent about 45 minutes on Sunday trying to get a picture of James' two new teeth. Believe it or not, this was the best shot I could get. Besides getting his first teeth last week, James also got his first cold over the weekend. That's why his little nose was runny in this picture.

James loves to read books with his daddy. His favorite book right now is called Baby's Sensations. He likes to chew on the butterfly's wings and listen to the bird squawk.

Eating a banana for the first time out of the little mesh feeder. He liked that a lot!

Swimming with Daddy at Great-Aunt Lori's house. He kicked and kicked like a little frog in the water.

Happy baby pictures!

James really enjoys eating REAL food now. He thinks he is hot stuff in his high chair.

He is a little too short for the high chair. The tray is right at his mouth level so he always slimes it with baby food.

He looked like such a big boy in his polo shirt and shorts.

How precious is my little man? His eyes looked so blue with that hat. Of course, it took a lot of goofy faces to get a smile out of him because he was quite annoyed with the hat.

This little lion is his favorite toy EVER. Whenever he is grumpy, I show him the lion and he immediately starts laughing and reaches out for it. He loves to suck on the poor lion's face.

Pictures from the past week

James sleeping peacefully in the car.

He is always so proud of himself when he rolls over on the changing table or in his bed.

On Tuesday James sat outside with me while I painted my nails. It was really hot so I spritzed him with a water bottle. He thought that was so much fun!

His favorite part about being outside is watching the trees sway in the wind.

Such a sweet little boy!

There's nothing as cute as a baby's giggle.

James at 5 months

I say he is 5 months old because he was born 20 weeks ago. Anyway, here are some things that I want to remember about him at this age:

* he wakes up in such a good mood...almost always smiling before his eyes open
* he really enjoys playing in his exersaucer or on a blanket on the floor
* he is starting to giggle when he finds a noise funny
* he seems to like rice cereal
* he is wearing 6-9 month clothes
* he still has difficulty falling asleep when he is too tired
* he recognizes his mommy and daddy
* he sleeps from 8PM-4AM then drinks a quick bottle and goes back to sleep until about 7
* he has decided that he does not want to be buckled in his carseat anymore and always arches his back when we try to put him in...he also cries most of the time he is in the car
* he discovered his hands and sucks on them constantly, he tries to suck on his toes but his legs are too long to reach his mouth
* all of his little quirks add up to make him a wonderfully unique little person and the joy of our lives. :)

A couple of "firsts" from the past week

First time wearing his little baby bathrobe.

First time trying rice cereal.

First time going to the baby class at church.