Jolly Green Giant

At Blake's six month check up this morning I learned I actually gave birth to the Jolly Green Giant. I knew Blake was pretty big, but this little guy is off the growth chart! Joe's Mom said he was the same way so maybe he'll slow down. He is already bigger than I was at a year old!

Height - 29in - above 97th percentile
Weight - 19.25lbs - 80th percentile
Head Circ - off chart

Daddy and I are going to remeasure him tonight, but I watched her do it and it had to be close. Joe is convinced it's impossible!

Developmentally he is doing great. He is rolling all over and trying his best to crawl. I love watching him try to get to a toy (or dog) he sees nearby and using both hands to hold things. When we read books he has to hold them and usually turns the page before we're finished. He loves to stand and it holding his own weight longer and longer.

This guy is an eater. He loves veggies. So far he has done well with Carrots, Squash, Green Beans and Bananas. He's not a fan of tangy fruits like Peaches and Apples. This weekend I was able to get him sucking on a bottle (for the first time) that had Half Water/Half Apple Juice. Hopefully we can sneak some milk in there and he'll do okay.

I keep thinking about how fast these last 6 months have gone by - I know it will be his first Birthday before we know it!

I'm going to go research car seats now...2.5 more lbs and we have to retire the one he is in now. Crazy.

6 months tomorrow!

This stud muffin will be 6 months old tomorrow!

And this is my last week at home with him.

I'll update you after his doctor's appointment tomorrow.

I'm going to go give those cheeks lots of kisses now!

**sigh**

Happy Father's Day!

It arrived earlier this week, but Joe got a bike for Father's Day. He was training for his big bike ride in September on a bike borrowed from his boss. His boss is about 5 inches taller than him and the bike was way too tall. Blake and I supervised while Joe put the bike together in the garage.

Blake learned from his dad that boys don't read directions. I think it made Blake a little nervous.

This is the only picture I took on Father's Day. Joe was trying to get all of Blake's burps out before we went to church. Aren't Blake's overalls cute?

Happy Father's Day, Joe! Thank you for being such a great Dad. We love you!

Prep for Boys Week and a Photo Shoot

I might be slightly prejudice, but isn't he the cutest thing? Really, he's baby model material. I guess every parent thinks that though.

I learned yesterday that trying to take pictures of a baby who likes to roll around is not exactly easy. If I rolled him on to his belly to take some pictures he threw that big head of his back and rolled over. If I put him somewhere specific on his back he decided to move my rolling on to his belly and "swimming" on the carpet. We got some good ones eventually. There are more and they'll be in the 5mo-1wk album when it posts on here.

In other news - well it qualifies as news in our house - Blake is eating solids twice a day and drinking from a sippy cup once a day in preparation for having a week sans mama. His first try with Peaches with Cereal didn't go so well yesterday but the kid loves his carrots. He did better than ever with a sippy cup - he held it but so did dad. Maybe it was because the milk was fresh or maybe he just wanted to amuse us, but we were pleased with his 1.5 oz accomplishment. Either way I think we're going to give up on trying to get him to use a bottle and stick with sippies.

Enjoy the pictures of our baby model!

Ummm...The Smell of Mulch in the Morning

Blake did a spectacular job supervising from his shaded seat yesterday while we spruced up the landscaping. By we I mean I assisted until Blake got fussy and I had to take him inside. Joe continued to work on it for almost 2hr while I entertained Blake in the comforts of the A/C.

Orange & light pink lilies...I like it!

Thank you, Joe!

Time for an update!

I don't know how it happened, but Blake has changed so much since he turned 5 months old last week. Seriously...it blows my mind. He is still rolling all over the house, as you will see in the pictures. He will eat anything you try to feed him without protest. He is using both hands together to pick up toys or hold onto things you give him. He is just so much more deliberate about what he grabs now. Before he would accidentally grab stuff or hold on to what you gave him. Now he intentionally grabs your nose or the toy he wants. Such a change!

I love watching him study things - especially his hands like they've just turned orange or something. I can't imagine what he thinks when he does that. Sitting in his Bumbo seat the other night he dropped his plastic keys (John Deere, of course) and reached down to pick them back up. In baby development that is a big deal!

When he rolls on to his belly now he swims on the carpet. The little guy wants to crawl so bad. He paws at the carpet and pushes with his feet. Then he just gets mad and rubs his face on the carpet - so don't judge me if you see my kid with carpet burn on his face! Oh, and when you pick him up he straightens out his legs and wants to stand up - which he showed no interest in before. He can do a pretty good job standing for 30 sec or so before buckling.

He's going to help us plant flowers today. We'll see how that goes. Too much too fast ya think?

I know people told me a hundred times how fast they grow, but I never could have imagined!

...and he still has the prettiest blue eyes God ever made.

Blake's First Veggies

Blake finally tried some veggies. We started with carrots. He ate them really well. I didn't even end up wearing any of it.

Eventually he decided he wanted his real dinner.

Oh, and I was amazed to find the exact same carrots in Blake's diaper this morning...I know, I know TMI.

Roll, Roll, Roll

Yes, our little guy has rolled over - back to front!

While folding clothes tonight I noticed Blake begin to roll onto his side - over and over.

Then came the face plants.

I don't think he was sure what he had done at first.

I scared him when I clapped for his big accomplishment!

Three Amigos

Blake completed his first 5K this weekend in Florence. Blake and I walked (Blake mostly slept) and Joe ran. See, he had his track shirt on and everything. Joe made relentless fun of me for Blake's outfit. I figured I would show you so you could do the same.

Blake got his BUMBO seat this weekend too. With his torticollis I thought this might help him strengthen his muscles a little, we'll see. Apparently a lot of Physical Therapy places use these seats for babies, so at least I know it won't hurt him.

Here we have three blond headed, blue eyed little guys, all under 2 years old. I would say that they will likely be causing a lot of havoc together in a few years, but as of now Blake is too little to care or for them to play with. THIS is why we were glad to be having a boy - none of our friends have had girls for the last several years.

Here are the dads Nathan, Joe & Keith hanging out, watching baseball. It was great to get to see some of our friends this weekend.