Toothy Grin

We have a six month old! Where has the time gone?

Loves: our daily walks around the neighborhood, funny sounding words like bubbles and purple, punching anything and everything, and watching us eat: "Start me on solids already!"

This one time, all the men in my life wore the same outfit. It was adorable so I had to capture it on camera.

We are also proud to announce that swaddling is finally a thing of the past. Witten still moves a ton while he's asleep, but after about a week of just swaddling his arms (and kicking his feet more than I thought was humanly possible while still snoring) he has graduated to being swaddle-free. Sometimes he wakes up a bit confused because he has so much mobility, but for the most part he is loving being able to roll from side to side and stick his feet and hands through the crib slats before turning in for the night.

I found him sleeping soundly like this one nap time and wondered if the time had come for "weaning"

When he wiggled both arms and a leg out of the swaddle, I knew the time had come!

The transition swaddle--just his arms. Notice, however, that in this picture he has pulled his arms out as well.

The first successful swaddle-free nap. And his toes are sticking through the slats. Too cute.

Hates: sitting still for too long--he needs some action, or at least to stand up!

I always give him a toy or two to play with while we're driving. If he does fall asleep, he always keeps a hand on them.

Being very sweet with his favorite soft blanket.

New Tricks: The big news is rolling over! Witten still needs his arms in prime position to roll from tummy to back, but he has begun to roll from back to tummy. Usually in his sleep. Last night I was surprised to see him sleeping peacefully on his stomach when I checked the monitor, but he eventually rolled to his back. And when I got him up this morning he was on his tummy and whimpering because he was stuck--he couldn't figure out how to roll onto his back with his arms pinned beneath him.

He got stuck trying to roll to his back. So naturally I took a picture of his silly predicament rather than assisting my crying child. What a terrible mother...

He also likes to walk backwards when he's standing up, but has yet to really move forward. I guess I watched too many Michael Jackson moonwalking videos while I was pregnant.

Witten can almost sit up without help. It's very exciting. You just have to be on alert in case he decides to just release all muscles and tip over. He's not a huge fan of sitting--he doesn't like not being able to access his hands because he has to use them for balance, and often he just refuses to bend in half. Why sit when you could stand?

Baby's got a brand new tooth! Witten's first tooth broke through this month, explaining the constant drooling, chewing, and crankiness, and followed closely by tooth #2. His bottom front teeth. Thank goodness all that crabbiness wasn't for nothing.

He has also reached the age of grabbing everything. I have learned it is a lot harder to brush your teeth when you're not the only one holding the toothbrush. He has also taken an incredible interest in my water bottle. He lays a hand on it whenever I take a drink and grabs at the straw to put it in his mouth. I don't think he has actually sucked up any water yet, but it is super cute.

A big success this month? Flying to and from Wisconsin! The secret to flying with a baby his age seems to be sit at the back of the plane. The roar of the engines was the perfect white noise to put him to sleep during take off on the way there and during landing on the return trip. He also loves turbulence! He would giggle and squeal with every bounce, particularly on our very turbulent ride home from Wisconsin to Virginia. When he was awake on the flights it was helpful to have friendly people sitting around us to entertain Witten, for him to smile at.

Visiting Granna, Grandee, Uncles Hyrum, Grant, and Liam, and Aunt Holli in Wisconsin was very nice. Witten was spoiled with so many people to play with and carry him around. We also did a little sightseeing at Holy Hill Basilica, a very beautiful Catholic church near where my parents live. Unfortunately we arrived just as it closed for the day, but the outside was impressive.

Mom and I went couch shopping and I found this cute little chair. Will vetoed it on grounds of being the wrong logo. Naturally. Everyone knows that Packers logo ought to be a Philadelphia Eagle...

I call this a baby (brother) holding a baby.

My little sweetie is getting so big and is so full of personality. We are just loving every smile, giggle, and milestone. Parenthood is a grand adventure.

Theme Song: On, Wisconsin!, William T. Purdy and Carl Beck