6 MONTHS!

As of 11:35pm last night, Carter is 6 months, AKA a half year old.....
......
...
......
....
whatttttttttttt!?!!!!!?!!!!!!?

I guess that's all I have to say about that.

At 6 months Carter (Warning: this post is a doozy)...

-Is super super suuuper active (as you can see from this month's horribly blurry photos!) He's always been a little wiggly but there is just no containing him anymore. He doesn't really like being held for long periods of time, he'd rather be on the floor exploring and getting into everything.

-Despite him being super active he is still as chunky as ever! We have his Drs appt this Thursday and I can't wait to see his stats.

-Army crawls all over the place and has been doing it for the last 3ish weeks. I'm so grateful he figured it out because he honestly is so much happier now. We have to be a bit more careful about what we leave on the ground (i.e. cords) because he is quick but it is so worth it.

-When we need to keep him contained to get something done, he still thankfully loves his bouncer/exersaucer that Grandma Willis got him. Yesterday he discovered that the seat bounces and it has rocked his world ever since.

-Speaking of crawling, he did the CUTEST thing the other day. I was in the kitchen warming up some cereal for him and he was in the living room starting to fuss. Eventually he figured out that he could crawl his way over to get me and flashed me a big grin when he found me. Now that I write it, it doesn't sound like that big of a deal at all but I about died when it happened. I guess the idea that he wanted me and went looking for me just kind of melts my heart.

-Can sit up on his own for a minute or so at a time. He could go longer, but he usually just dives forward because he wants to crawl towards something out of his reach. For some reason, this seems like a bigger milestone than crawling for me. He just looks like such a big boy when he sits there and plays with his toys.

-Is now completely obsessed with bath time. We'll wedge him in his Bumbo or I'll get in with him and let him splash around. He will splash and slap the water the entire time. He gets water all over his face and in his eyes and it doesn't bother him one bit. I've gone as far as wringing out a wet washcloth over his head to see if would affect him, but it didn't even phase him.

-Is such a good eater! We've started him on some baby food which we got for free from a friend (thanks Jenn!!). He's tried green beans, carrots/sweet potatoes and peas and he likes them all! No weird faces for anything. We also busted out his little highchair to feed him in since his thighs were getting a bit too delicious for the Bumbo chair ;) I can't wait to rock his world with fruit! He's gummed on a pear before but that's about it.

-Is a very easily distracted nurser, but exclusively gets breast milk nonetheless. I have nothing against formula feeding (I honestly thought I'd go that route) but I figured I'd try to keep up nursing for as long as possible because it means less dishes, it's free and it helps me lose weight ;) I weigh 4 pounds less than I did before I got pregnant and I attribute all that to nursing! It's not always convenient to pump at work, but I'm grateful to have the option.

-Is much better about sleeping at night. He still fights naps pretty hard, but after some encouragement from friends (you know who you are!) we decided to try sleep training by letting him cry it out. The technique is definitely not for the faint of heart, and we are still working on it, but he has thankfully dropped his 2am/3am feeding. He will go to bed around 8:30pm, I'll feed him around 5:30/6am and he'll sleep again until at least 7. Now, he does still wake up occasionally in the middle of the night, but now he'll just fuss for less than 5 minutes and put himself back to bed.

-Likes to steal Daddy's glasses and pull both of our hair. And thinks it's hilarious...

-Has discovered his baby monitor. Every time he wakes up he crawls over to it and sticks his face right up to it. It can either be really cute or super creepy.

-Loves looking at paintings. The more colorful, the better. His favorite is one made by great grandpa Tuft that's over the piano at Grandma & Grandpa Rindlisbacher's home.

-Still has a stubborn little case of cradle cap. We've scrubbed his head, tried olive oil, Vaseline, Head and Shoulders (per our pediatrian's suggestion) baby lotion and nothing seems to get it to go away. Any tried and true suggestions would be great!

-Loves paper. More specifically, to eat. When I was little I would eat McDonald's ice cream cones, wrapper and all. So maybe it's genetic? Church friends all say it's a normal thing and their babies have all eaten tithing slips and Sacrament programs alike and they've lived, so we wont worry about it :)

-Also loves water bottles. Daddy always lets him drink out of his so whenever he sees one, he feels entitled to get a sip.

-Loves books so so much. His favorite is still Brown Bear. If he spots it on the ground, he will crawl across the room to it and try to open and turn the pages. We usually get the hint and we read it to him but one time through is never enough. Needless to say, we have the book memorized.

-Is getting really good at playing catch, which Dad is obviously thrilled about.

-Has become more of a Momma's boy this last month! Never thought I'd say that but there are definitely times when he prefers me no matter how funny Dad is ;)

Overall, I feel like this little man is becoming such a fun member of our family. It has been so great introducing him to new things and watching him enjoy his new experiences. It honestly makes life so much more meaningful :) We love you so much baby boy.