Ethan at 6 Months

Ethan:

Today you are six months old! Half a year has gone by in the blink of an eye and you are growing and changing so much.
You weigh about 15 lbs. and you are 26.25 inches long. You're in the 9th percentile for weightand 45th percentile for height. In other words, you're the exact opposite of your big sister. You're a little guy!

This past month, you've been a busy little guy. You did a lot of traveling, to both sets of grandparents, and you saw almost every member of your extended family. You got to meet a few of mommy's relatives for the first time. Although you won't remember it, they enjoyed getting to see you.



What can I say about this month? Hmmm, you've been sleeping a bit better, but still not great. Many nights, you still wake up every 2-3 hours, but every once in a while, you give us a break and only wake up once. We need more of those nights. I am learning that you prefer to put yourself to sleep instead of being held or rocked or nursed to sleep like your sister. Lately, I will feed you at naptime or bedtime and instead of falling asleep and then me putting you in your crib, you will fuss and squirm and try to get away, it seems. So I started just laying you down in the crib while you were still awake...and much to my surprise, you would wiggle around, roll onto your side and fall right to sleep. You are so very different from Emily in this regard.



You learned to sit up all by yourself this month, and with that skill, you discovered a whole new perspective on the world. Most days, you will sit on your blanket on the floor, surrounded by toys, and happily play and look around. You especially love when the kitties or dog stop by to visit. I can't always say the feeling is mutual though, since you are fascinated with pulling hair, both human and animal. You also ADORE your big sister and think that every single thing she does is fascinating and just plain awesome. She can make you smile and laugh like no one else.

You've also learned to stick out your tongue. All day long, you practice this new skill, sticking your tongue out, blowing bubbles, blowing raspberries and then repeating. It's making it a bit more challenging to feed you, as you now push the food out with your tongue and sometimes even blow it back at me. Feeding you almost requires a poncho for both of us!

You are much more active and mobile than you used to be. You sit up, you roll over, you squirm all around...I never know what position I'll find you in when you wake up, but it's never the same one as when I left.

You've discovered your feet and they are fascinating! You play with them every chance you get. There is no point in putting socks on you, because you pull them off almost immediately and then chew on them. When I put you in the bathtub, you spend most of the time sucking on your toes. Whatever makes you happy....

You've had some ups and downs this months. While you've made lots of developmental progress, your actual growth is slow. While you started out being in the 50th percentile for height and weight, you're now around the 8th percentile. You eat, but not much and not for long. Whenever I feed you, I have to go to a quiet dark room and sit very, very still so that you do not get distracted. I can't even look at you, or you'll start grinning and forget about eating....and you need to eat! You absolutely refuse to take any kind of bottle (or pacifier, but I've given up on those), which makes things a lot more difficult. Thankfully, you do seem to love your oatmeal and fruits and veggies.

Overall, you've come a long way from the tiny, hairy little baby that we first met 6 months ago today. You are developing such a fun and ornery personality and we can't wait to see how you continue to grow and change in the next few months. We love you, Buddy!