Well folks, we've been a family of 3 for HALF of a YEAR now! Yes Mason turned
six months old yesterday and today I find myself a little saddened by the fact that every day he is now closer to being a 1-year-old than a newborn. So here's a little update of all things Mason... as though that's unusual.
He loves being outside, watching and listening to everything, feeling the wind. He is becoming an expert weed and grass puller/eater and doesn't mind too much the inevitable mosquito bites that come with so much time outdoors in SETX.
He's liking bath time more and more since we stopped using his little chair support thing. He wants to be free to slip and slide around the sink and scare his parents to death! His most favorite part is when the dad says splaaaaash splaash! and then he beats his hands into the water right on cue, soaking me and my kitchen in the process. The dad likes to stand back and laugh. : )
Because of the water and outside fun, we got a kiddie pool and set it up this week on our back patio. The water was still pretty cold from filling it up but he still had fun kicking around. His little float is almost the right height for him to stand supported like in his jumper so, once its a bit warmer I think he will love it. I'm looking forward to a summer spent splashing around out there.
Not sure how I forgot to mention this, but the allergies are gone!! I figured this out accidentally a couple weeks ago and have been pigging out ever since. He started solid food yesterday and Matt finally got to be the one in charge of feeding him. We decided to start with sweet potatoes so I cooked up a few yesterday and tested out my Baby Bullet. Its awe-some! We have probably 20 servings in the fridge and freezer and it took about 30 min start to finish. Anyway, the kid was far less impressed. I think we waited too late in the evening because he was mad before we ever got started. Matt tried so hard to make him happy but maybe tonight will go more smoothly. He did like playing with the spoons, just not the one with food on it.
In other news, Mason is crawling! He's not taking off down the hall or anything but he can get anywhere he wants. He usually prefers to lunge forward from sitting, take several steps, and lean back to sit for a bit before going after something better. Recently, the better something has been Mocha... I'm pretty sure Mason has been blacklisted by her just as so many of his cousins have been before. Unless she lives until he's about 6 or 7, he will probably remain on her naughty list from now on. At least she's learned pretty well how to get away from pesky miniature people.
Add to the crawling pulling up on your leg to stand, or the ottoman or crib with a little help because its still just out of his reach. So many people have told me to push him down and I think its absurd! I don't try to push him into doing something he's not ready for, but I certainly don't discourage him from doing what he wants. He has always, literally from day 1 wanted to be up, seeing the world around him. He picked his head up and looked around before we ever left the hospital with him and hasn't slowed down a bit. I guess I understand why one might want him to stay a baby for as long as possible, but it just seems a little selfish to me. Maybe because he's our first and I am too naive to understand how quickly time passes, who knows, but if you could see the look of excitement and satisfaction on his face when he accomplishes something, how could you discourage him? I don't want a pause button or to keep him a baby forever, I just want to appreciate and remember every stage without lingering too long or looking too far ahead. He's ours forever, after all... and that's one of the greatest promises I've ever been given.
Some of my favorite things Mason is doing right now are:
Laughing at "jokes" (like peeking around a corner when he didn't expect you to be there)... he has quite the budding little sense of humor and it cracks us up!
Huge gummy grins when we throw him, spin him, flip him, tickle him, or any other general rough-housing. So glad it doesn't scare him like some kids. The huge green yoga ball, however... took him 2 days to not shake with fear around it.
He pats my face and arms when he's eating, and plays with my hair (
usually gently!). So sweet...
He "feels" everything and listens for the sounds when he scratches different things like the floor, recliner in his room, car seat cover, my workout ball, etc.
He turns off the lights when we leave a room, now with only his index finger.
He sings with me in the car. I cannot begin to describe how much I love this.
I'm hoping to be able to upload videos of him doing some of those things, if blogger will cooperate. I guess it's worth the hassle if its for family that doesn't get to see him much, eh? Picture parade coming soon!
