Baby H: Six Months of Mark

He... 

[+] weighs 16#7oz (29%) and is 25.5in long (8%) with a head of 44cm (69%). Hello growth chart crossing and putting on the chunk! We have no idea why he's such a shortie because neither J or I (or our families) are exceptionally short but he is who he is. And that noggin of his, goodness gracious.

[+] still wearing 3-6 month or 6 month clothes depending on the brand but they're fading fast. I had to go out and buy a bunch of stuff in the next size because we basically didn't have anything for him to wear. Also still in size 2 diapers but we're literally just trying to use up what we have left before going up to size 3.

[+] got diagnosed with eczema on his poor little cheek and it's been a battle. We thought it was just dry and chapped from the cold weather and dry climate but he has a few other spots of it (chest, ankle, etc) that confirmed it was eczema. He was given a steroid cream prescription that cleared it up in no time but no matter how much moisturizer we put on it, it's slowly creeping back. Our pedi said it's likely he'll grow out of it by a year so we're keeping our fingers crossed and the ointments slathered.

[+] is ticklish on the backs of his thighs, on his ribs (especially the right side) and in his armpits which is the most recent find and the one that works no matter what. His baby belly laugh is pretty much the best sound ever.

[+] still has the same nursing/bottle schedule as last month but is also doing so good in the solid food realm. So far he's had bananas, sweet potato, carrots + nutmeg, peaches + cloves, peas + nutmeg, butternut squash + thyme, apples, green beans + parsley and blueberries + cinnamon. I wrote a whole post about his foods because I've been making them all from scratch and it's been so fun seeing him try new things. He hasn't loved them all but he loves eating regardless.

[+] rolls front to back and back to front, sits on the floor to play with toys (with only a few backwards topples every now and then), sits in a highchair when we go out to eat, puts his toes in this mouth, rides in the stroller without his carseat, sits in a cart at the grocery store and chats up a storm. He's meeting lots of milestones and is more fun each and every day. I think I've said this before but I always thought I'd love the newborn stage but this is so much better!

[+] has no signs of teeth that I can pin-point just yet but I think they're on the move. He's been drooling like mad for months, basically anything we hand him goes right to his mouth and his cheeks are always rosy thanks to dry skin/eczema. But that's the problem with "teething symptoms", they're so non-specific that they basically mean nothing. Someday he'll get this teeth and for now we're enjoying his gummy grin.

[+] nicknames: Marky, Boo and new to the list Hootie

[+] likes: Ollie dog, walks in the stroller, blueberries and apples, baths/water

[+] dislikes: diaper changes, lotion on his face, carrots and avocados

I...

[+] am almost in a state of shock that my baby is half-way through his first year! And that we're all surviving and better yet striving is icing on the cake. It really is true that the days are long but the years are short.

[+] absolutely love seeing J as Mark's dad. He's engaged and silly and tries his hardest to be the best for our sweet boy and it warms my heart. I know there are a lot of dad's who are gone a lot or who are disconnected from their kiddos for one reason or another but that is farthest from the truth for my little family. Not that I had any doubt that this would be the case it's just so comforting seeing it come to fruition.

[+] have only 6 more weeks until my "classroom time" in medical school is finally over! And I cannot believe that it's quickly approaching like that. Years 3 and 4 will be spent in the clinic/hospital setting and just one more step to being done. These last almost two years have been hard, lots of work, lots of stress, lots of late nights, lots of leaving my baby, lots of less family time than I'd like but the fact that I'm doing it all... momma, wife, student... I'm pretty dang lucky is all I have to say.

Happy half birthday my sweet boy. You are such a dream and I can't believed I lived without you for so long. Life with you is so much grander, so much fuller, so much better and each day we spend with you tops the one before. You have taught your daddy and I so much already about how to be the perfect parents for you and we are so lucky to have you in our family. Life is a great adventure with you and we can't wait for the ride to continue. My heart grew in size the day you were born, the love I have for you is indescribable. 

xoxo, your momma