Happy Half Birthday, Ryan! 6 months young today!

Dear baby boy,

Today is a very big day for you! I feel like we’ve reached a great milestone… your half birthday. It’s a big deal! Over the past month you have changed so much and there has been a lot I’ve wanted to post about, but wanted to save it for this. Your daddy and I can see what a big boy you’re becoming… you’re so inquisitive and you’ve become so much more mobile (although no crawling for you yet!) and interactive.

You reach for everything you see. I went shopping and for the first time I put you in the front seat of the shopping cart. You were strapped in and sitting up like a big boy. Your hands darted out, trying to grab and knock off everything on the shelves – it made me laugh You’re such a little stinker!

You love your walker. You totally cruise in that thing now… you know where you want to go and you get there. No longer pushing off with both feet, you actually WALK – and in the case of chasing our cats, you RUN, haha. We’ve had to semi-babyproof the kitchen already (the only room with solid floors) because of your curiosity. The other day you ran off with the garbage bag!

You LOVE the water. You splash all over and don’t even notice when it gets all over your face. You’re going to be a water bug like your mama I can’t wait to take the Bubble Club swim class with you in July!

Other things you love to grab: the cats! You hear a “meow” and your head turns around so fast to try and find that cat. They always make you smile!

You’re a monster! I even got you a onesie that says “Mommy’s Little Monster” (and also one that says “Who needs a superhero when I’ve got Mom?” ). By “monster” I mean you love to knock things over, pull everything onto the floor, kick over your activity center, bang on pots and pans… so freakin’ adorable.

You can SIT! At first, we’d hold you up in the “tripod position” and you were a bit wobbly. Then one day you could do it without us, but would only last a few seconds before toppling over. Now you can pretty much sit on your own. All by yourself. Like you don’t even need us anymore! (cry, cry… lol). You still topple sometimes, but you’re a pro now – like a stunt artist – you just move right onto your belly or your back and keep right on playing. You love sitting like a big boy so much that you won’t even relax and lean back in your Babysitter chair anymore!

You recognize voices and can pick out the direction of whoever is talking anywhere in the room. Select people get huge smiles and giggles, but you like everyone and generously give most a smile You’re so good with people! We just had daddy’s family reunion with 40 people, some who had never seen you before, and when they all swarmed, you kept pretty cool. Mama and Dada were proud

You’re doing a lot of talking. You learn a new syllable and you stick with it for about a week before moving to the next. It started with “gah gah” then “ma ma ma” (we practiced that one a lot, didn’t we? ), then last week it was a sound like clearing your throat (eh eh eh) and this week it was “bah bah bah.” Maybe next week you can try “da da?” Plus, you focus on the mouth of the person talking to you and try to mimic them. When grandpa says “bah bah bah,” you follow up like his little double… maybe grandpa has a new nickname! BaBa?

Today also marks 6 months of breastfeeding! You’re certainly a boob monster. You have no interest in food yet… and we plan on doing baby led weaning with you. No rice cereal, no canned pureed baby foods… when you’re reading to eat, we’ll be ready too. Another new adventure!

Daddy says nothing can ever make him frustrated anymore – you’ve taught him how to have patience. I think we both have more patience now then we ever thought possible. I started tearing up twice today, thinking about your 6-month birthday. Both times were while you were nursing… I was talking to you about how big you’ve gotten and how much you’ve changed. How smart you are, just taking everything in. Ya know, when I was little my parents would tell me on every birthday that I wasn’t allowed to get any bigger. I thought that was so silly! But there I was today, on your 6 month birthday, telling you that you couldn’t get any bigger. (“OMG I sound just like me parents!”) I thought I understood the phrase “time flies,” but it’s never had more meaning than it does now. I cannot believe it has been six months… half a year… before I know it you’re going to be walking and talking and dating and driving… don’t grow up so fast, little boy!!!