Dedicated: 6 months!

My baby is half a year old! This is crazy! It does not feel like six months have gone by since we brought him home with us from the hospital. Time is flying by and he is growing so quickly!

And it seems like this past month has been a big month for him!

-he is rolling all over the place! from back to belly and belly to back. it seems like he prefers to be on his belly now because any time I lay him down, within 5 minutes, he's on his belly! i think it's probably because he can hold his head up while on his belly and look around more! this also means he is very active! he will literally roll from one end of his room to the other!
-which leads to him now sleeping on his belly! the first couple of nights, I will admit, I was nervous. while the risk of SIDS is much lower now, it's still a risk, and I still worried all night long. but, he's doing fine, and just like during play time, he prefers to sleep on his belly!
-he can sit up for a few seconds now, but then falls forward or to the sides. we practice sitting up every day, and he enjoys it.
-even more than sitting though, he loves standing! anytime he can be completely up right, he will! we got him a door jumper, and it's his favorite hang out place - he loves to be standing and jumping and being able to look around
-he likes playing peek-a-boo! it's funny to watch his facial expressions when we play with him, because it's seriously like he is shocked to see our faces behind our hands!
-he is now reaching for us to get him!! i think this has been one of Paul's favorite new developments, and mine, too, honestly! when either of us see him after being away for the day, he will laugh with delight and reach out for us to get him! it melts your heart the first time your baby actually reaches out for you!
-he is also really reaching for things and works to get them! whether its a favorite toy, or one of the animals on his activity mat, you can really see him thinking and working out in his little mind how to get it.
-which then also leads to him being frustrated when he can't reach for something or can't get it! he'll roll around, and arch his back this way and that, trying to move around to get whatever it is he wants, and when he can't you can tell it upsets him. i've been trying to help him learn the mechanics of army-belly-crawling, but he'll have to figure it out
-he is very observant! he loves to just watch everything that's going on around him. his teacher says that he watches the other kids all day and is just focused on them. and I can even notice it at home. he watches Paul and Vance a lot, and will look for them if they leave the room
-he is still drooling all the time - but no teeth yet! we check every day, but still no sign of them
-he likes playing with his feet, which is adorable!
-he finally started eating solid foods! this was probably more exciting for me and Paul than it was for him, but he's doing great now, and enjoys it. we started with pureed pears, and have moved on to pureed butternut squash, bananas, and sweet potates. its so funny when he eats, because he all of a sudden becomes very vocal! he will talk the whole time we're feeding him. however, i've also started reading and learning about Baby Led Weaning, so we may try this approach too. we'll just have to see.