Notes from the crib

George is 6 months old today. He was very interested in the paper so it was difficult to get a good picture as he kept catapulting himself off the side of the chair in an attempt to get to the other side. This picture really shows his current state, he just loves to stick his tongue out right now.

We tried out our sippy cup today and really had fun with it! George seemed so proud to be a big boy!

...when you've got shoes? We were given a bag of hand-me-down 12-18 month clothes from a friend. The clothes were on the living room floor after being sorted and before being washed up and put away. George rolled and scooted four feet across the living room to get to the pile of clothes and pulled out a shoe. It was too much fun to play with the shoe and pull on the shoelace!

Our second solid food was sweet potatoes. They were not well received. We will try again another day.

It's Bluebonnet season here in Texas. Every parent is required by law to take a picture of their child in a field full of the State Flower. We obliged, but George was not too happy about the picture taking. I think he was afraid of the flowers - they were taller than he is!

He was much happier sitting in the car instead of out in the field, especially with the temperature topping 85 degrees on the first day of April.

We started solid foods today. Quite the milestone. We started with some rice cereal thinned down with breastmilk. George wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

Today George sat up unsupported for the very first time. George and I went to yoga and during the introduction/questions period I asked the other mommies about when babies start to sit up on their own. Low and behold when I sat George down two minutes later, he supported himself! It was so cool. Later we tried sitting unsupported again, and Grandpa F. even got down on the floor to watch and help sit him back up when he fell over.

Today George tried out his new highchair. First he sat in it while I had breakfast. Then he used it again at dinner time. He's not quite sure about the chair and spends a lot of time staring at it. He's still pretty little for it and can't reach the tray yet, but that will keep him from getting his fingers in his food.

The highchair that we ordered online arrived today. We got the Combi Transition highchair in mango. It's a pretty good burnt orange color which makes Daddy happy. We ordered the highchair online because (1) we couldn't find one we liked locally, (2) they were having a buy two baby items and get free shipping sale, and (3) we had some gift cards to redeem. The second baby item we ordered was a jogging stroller, but it hasn't arrived yet.

We also got to redeem my $10 in credit that I received as gratitude for returning a Christmas gift that wasn't mine. We received a baby shower gift in the mail and in the box with our present was an MP3 player addressed to someone living in Seattle. I called the company and had a difficult time getting them to believe that I had received something that wasn't mine, in a box with something that was mine. They finally believed me and arranged for the shipping company to come back and pick up the MP3 player and as a reward for my honesty the company gave me a $10 credit. So we put that towards these purchases.

The highchair is pretty cool. It works as both a high chair and as a kiddie chair and desk, complete with a book stand and pencil tray. It's really easy to switch between the two modes.

We had a good Sunday. We started out with Sunday School and church, then ran some errands. George took a nice nap in the Pack 'N Play, giving me time to transcribe and catch a quick nap. We took a walk around the neighborhood and stopped at the park for some swing time while Daddy finished mowing the backyard. George also spent some time in the Exersaucer where he had fun chatting it up with Dragon.

May your day be touched
    by a bit of Irish luck,
    brightened by a song in your heart,
    and warmed by the smiles
    of the people you love.

--Irish Blessing

Today we went for a walk around Town Lake with other mommies and their babies. George rode in his sling and was most happy alternating between looking around and napping. He wore his new camouflage hat and looked quite adorable. After walking, we ran errands and ended up with a tray for his Bumbo and a new sleeper. We thought the new tray would make his Bumbo sitting time more enjoyable, since he'd be better able to hold on to his toys. He enjoyed playing with (and throwing!) his toys when we got home.

Today we went for two walks, had a play date at a northwest park with Abby and Jake, and stopped by the outlet mall for some shopping. We found fun things at the OshKosh store. We got a camouflage bucket hat similar to one Daddy has and a darling pair of swim trunks that are orange with fishes. George picked out the swim trunks himself - first he reached out and grabbed the orange pair. Then I switched the pairs of trunks so the one that was farthest away from him was now closest. I asked him again which pair of trunks he wanted and he still chose the orange pair. Orange it was.

A lady at the store overheard me asking George which pair of swim trunks he wanted: the blue pair or the orange pair. She came up to me and said "You are doing that just right. Did you read parenting books? You are supposed to be giving them choices!" I thought I was just having fun with my son - but apparently I was doing just what "the books" say to do. For the record, I haven't read any parenting books yet although I do occasionally glance at Your Baby's First Year Week by Week.

At the doctor's today:

• Weight: 10 pounds, 12 ounces
  
• Height: 23-1/2 inches
  

Baby New Year wishes you a happy and healthy 2007!

At the doctor's today:

• Weight: 9 pounds, 2 ounces
  
• Height: 21 inches
  

At the doctor's today:

• Weight: 6 pounds, 5-1/2 ounces
  
• Height: 19-1/2 inches