Never Dunn Dreaming: barrett matthew : 6 months

Please tell me how a half of a year has gone by since we first met this little bear?

I'm having a hard time believing it. I knew he would grow fast and time would fly, but this is just crazy. We love him more and more with every single day, every single smile, every single moment we get to spend with him.

He is learning so quickly. One day he will act like he will never do something and the next day he's trying and the next day he's mastered it. It blows my mind. He truly is the happiest little kid. Such a good baby. Of course we have our moments, but overall he loves life. His smile is so contagious and we will do anything to get a little giggle out of him (which he is still fairly stingy on...but show him Jax or tickle his thighs and you're usually set up for success :) although just these last couple days he is way more giggly! ). He has a wide-mouth smile that takes up his whole face and will grunt or squeal if he wants to laugh but just won't give it up at that moment. It's hilarious. Sometimes he laughs at the weirdest stuff, but you just go with it :)

He is SO active. The kid won't sit still. As if I had any doubts?

Once he mastered rolling, he's been non-stop ever since. We have entered an entirely new territory with this scoot/army crawl/crawl he has mastered now. I knew it was coming. He's been able to scoot to a toy for awhile now and has been doing his little swimming thing (kick his legs out and move his arms and legs like he's swimming then pop up on his arms), but just a couple days ago he started popping up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth too. And I think he knows he can go places with this stance. He can definitely get to anything now with his army crawl-and he can be pretty fast if it is something he really wants! He can go pretty far distances too. The other night he crawled all over our bedroom chasing after a little ball. No matter how far away I put him from the coffee table, he can get to it. And he loves it. I try to distract and redirect him, but he is so drawn to the table. He crawls towards Jax's toys too and just about anything he can see. And still has a ball bouncing and "running" in his bouncer.

so proud of himself :)

Barrett is sitting unsupported now! I can only trust him for like 30-45 seconds before he's trying to get down and move around. He's not to the point yet where I can walk away from him while he's sitting though. The Boppy helps, but if he wants to get down, he's going to get down. I think before when he would sit and try to get down it wasn't because he couldn't sit, the kid just wanted to move! Now that he can almost get to sitting from hands and knees (new skill started this weekend!) and down to hands from sitting I think he will do it a lot more. Now that he knows I'm not confining him :).

Barrett knows his name now! He will look at us and smile when we call his name. It's the cutest! He loves grabbing his feet and putting them in his mouth (and sucking on his big toe while he's at it). Really, everything goes in his mouth these days. His hands and fingers, teethers, our hands, anything. I keep saying he's teething, Matt and I check for teeth all the time, but none have broken through yet. He's going to look so different with teeth!

Sleeping is still going well. We have a couple rocky days here and there, but I have to say the majority of the time he sleeps through the night. Usually asleep by 9:15 pm and sleeps until 6-7 am! Naps are touch-and-go-still taking 3 naps a day. Some days are better than others. I can usually get at least one 1.5-2 hr nap out of him each day and then the other naps are shorter (sometimes only 15-20 minutes). He is a wild man in his crib! Sometimes he rolls around until he falls asleep. I've had to rush in a couple times when he's crying because he has an arm or a leg hanging out through the rails and is stuck or he has bonked his head on the sides. He ends up in a completely different position than when I layed him down. His favorite place to sleep is on his right side or belly. I started giving him a little blankie for his naps and he sleeps a lot better for them...there is not a whole lot in this world cuter than a sleeping baby cuddling a blanket.

so rare that he takes a nap on me, but I'll take it when I can :)

He will also still fall asleep in your arms if need be :)

Barrett had a great 6 month check-up! He loves going and flirting with the nurse and his doctor :). We will probably start him on solids here very soon! I have a feeling he's going to love it!