6 months

Happy 1/2 year birthday, Isaac!

We won't know his exact measurements until Wednesday when we see the doctor, but I'm estimating he's around 17 pounds now, and 27-ish inches.  I didn't notice him acting hungrier and going through a growth spurt recently, but I swear we woke up one day last week and he was bigger.  I feel like he has grown a lot in the past week or so.

Isaac loves food!  So far his favorite is pears, and his least favorite is peas.  Thankfully he has seemed to like everything else he has tried, which is sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, bananas, carrots, apples, peaches, and prunes.  But oh the pears, you can't get them into his mouth fast enough.

Naps are still hit and miss around here.  Most days are 30-40 minutes, and every few days he'll sleep for an hour or more.  In fact, this morning he surprised me with a nap that lasted 2 full hours, the longest he has slept in his crib during the day in at least 2 months.  He's taking 3 naps a day right now, and I'm starting to feel like we're heading toward dropping the third nap, but we're not quite there yet.  He has discovered that sleeping on his side is nice and often sleeps longer like that, so I try to position him on his side for naps, but he doesn't always stay there.

He is getting better at sitting by himself every day.  He started sitting unsupported just days before his 5 month birthday and can now sit for quite a while, although I still get nervous leaving his side long enough to put the camera in front of my face and take a picture.  He loves sitting on the floor playing with his blocks and stacking cups.

Isaac also loved playing with the mini plastic eggs from his Easter basket.  His fine motor skills are really improving and he enjoys taking the eggs out of the basket and playing with them until they roll out of his hands.

He still refuses to roll over.  I'm almost certain he could if he wanted to, but he just doesn't want to.  If you try to roll him from his back to his tummy, he fights you and pushes back the other way.  I used to be pretty worried about it, but now I've finally realized he will do things in his own time and I can't worry about every little thing.

He wants to crawl and be mobile, but he's not quite there yet.  If you place him on his belly and put a toy just out of his reach in front of him, he reaches for it and kicks his legs.  It's exciting to see him developing, but it's scary to think that soon we'll have to watch him like a hawk as he moves around our baby-proofed house.

Isaac started going to the nursery at church this week.  It was getting way too distracting for us to keep him with us during the service and small group.  No one cared a bit that he came to class with us, but he was getting to the point where he needed to be entertained and wanted to hear his own voice, so we took the plunge.  He had a couple of rough weeks, but it's getting better and I know it's a great experience for him (and us).

Easter allowed us to get together with family and let the babies play together.  Isaac's cousin Brinkley is just 3 weeks older than him, and they weren't sure what to think of each other.  We're all going on vacation together in September when he will be 10 months and she'll be almost 11 months, so I'm sure they will have a blast together then.

Do you see that around Isaac's neck?  It's an amber teething necklace, which is not for chewing, rather it is supposed to have pain-relieving properties and is used for teething pain.  I have read so many "success stories", but I don't think it's doing anything for him.  This past week has been awful for us, and every day I expect to see a tooth that has popped up, but there is nothing.  His fingers stay in his mouth most of the day, and he whines from the pain.  We've been giving him more Tylenol than I'd like, and I'm excited that he can have Motrin now that he is 6 months old.  I've heard it works a lot better.  I'm pretty disappointed in the necklace but I keep putting it on him and holding out hope.

Thanks to the teething pain, we have had a rather fussy, whiny baby this month, but most of the time he is so happy.  I am so blessed to be this little boy's mommy.  I'm amazed at the little person he is becoming and I can't wait to see him continue to grow and learn.