six months.

my baby boy.  i can not get enough of this kid these days.  he has become the sweetest little love and is doing all kinds of fun new things.  

physical: we had hollis's six month appointment on the 11th.  stats:
height: 26" - 40%
weight: 19lbs. 1oz - 75%
head: 45cm - 75%
so, not quite the giant he has been, which is ok with me as i was really scared he would cross the 20 pound mark this time, and that is such a bittersweet moment for me.  i wasn't quite ready, and he's still growing very well, so yay.  other physical stuff...hardly any spit up anymore.  no detectable heart issues.  on track developmentally.  great report.  

likes: hollis loves scarves.  and balls.  and studying everything intently before shoving it into his mouth.  he loves emme and gazes at her non-stop, watching her every move.  he's quite dexterous with his hands - he will grab a spoon from my hand and make it in to his own mouth most of the time.  his little scoop reflex is getting better every day and i have a feeling it won't be long before he's grabbing bites of food.  he still loves swimming and bath time and diaper changes.  he found his toes a few weeks ago and most mornings we find him rolled over onto his back, feet in the air, toes in his mouth.  

dislikes: i don't think food is really a dislike for him, but it's still so new, so he doesn't just absolutely love it yet.  

biggest achievement of the month: sitting!  well, sitting when we sit him, which according to the montessori philosophy isn't really sitting.  sigh.  but, i think it's a sign of really great core strength that i didn't know he had, and it makes meal times much easier/more fun for him.  add to the achievement list eating some solids and finding his toes and i think it's been a pretty big month.  oh!  and we got both of the kids baptized, but i'll try to find time for a full post on that.  

biggest challenge of the month: he's still not really rolling over except in his bed in the middle of the night.  and i haven't seen him roll back to tummy, but i think he probably can.  the biggest challenge remains nighttime sleep, though it's nothing compared to many of the horror stories i've heard.  

nicknames: hb, hollissey, bittles, babbins, bits, bitsy, smalls, bg, chublet, chubbins, duder, little bear, wiggles...

sleep: i think we're making progress here, if not as quickly as i'd like.  most nights he wakes up once around 4 and goes back down until at least 6 or so, and usually more like 7.  that is do-able for me, but there is still usually a night or two each week where he is up more than that.  the worst is the 10:30/11 wake up because it's sometimes not super quick and it's usually right as i'm heading to bed.  this kid likes to mess with me.  

temperament/personality: so many smiles.  so much giggling.  our boy is getting more and more comfortable just hanging out.  he no longer needs constant distractions and bouncing/holding.  he's come a long way.  he loves loves loves people and gives smiles freely.  

eating: we introduced food on june 30.  i think he had been ready for a few weeks, but i wanted to wait because when does one find the time to feed a baby with all the other stuff there is to do?  yeesh.  anyway, he's had banana, avocado, chicken, egg, strawberries, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, applesauce, peas, and green beans so far.  that's quite a spread i guess, but he's pretty into it.  he likes tasting stuff then letting it stream down his bib/body.  he is interested in spoons and wants to grab stuff with his hands even though he's not quite able to pick up the little bites yet.  i love feeding babies.  

superficial: blonde haired, blue eyed.  chubby.  softest skin in the universe.  still no teeth but i bet any day.  

motor development: this dude motors around his crib non-stop.  he is also ridiculously wiggly in the tub and on the changing table.  when he's just hanging out on the floor, he's mostly in observation mode - he doesn't seem desperate to get super mobile yet.  thankfully.  but he's wicked strong, so when he decides to put all those muscles to use, i think we'll be in trouble.  

pictures will be forthcoming, though i don't know that anyone is even still reading this with the infrequency of my posting...