Jack is Seven Months

Jack discovered screeching at the beginning of the month. Initially I thought something must be wrong with him, but I think it was just a new way he learned to communicate. Thankfully this phase only lasted a week. As a friend of mine told me: he is singing and this is the song that God gave him for right now.

By the end of the month Jack had discovered growling, roaring and saying "Argggghh" like a pirate. He especially enjoyed doing this with his Grandpa Voyles. He also started scrunching up his face and squinting his eyes when he doesn't like something. Though he also does this when he wants something and occasionally when he thinks something is really funny. This little face is quite comical and it is hard not to laugh when he does it.

Jack has been sleeping through the nights for several weeks now. Consistently 9-11 hours. It is awesome {for me}. Our biggest issue with this was finding a cloth diaper that doesn't leak during this longer time period. We finally gave in and purchased a BumGenius and we have been very happy with it. Now we have two expensive diapers {the Rumparooz and BumGenius} that we use exclusively for night time. Occasionally those leak too. I think this is just part of the deal with baby boys – they pee a lot. Having to wash the sheets once or twice a week hasn't been too big of an issue though. I'm just glad he is sleeping so much now!!!

We lowered his crib mattress at the end of the month. Jack is quite strong and though he hasn't figured out how to get into a sitting position from laying down, we don't want him to figure that out in his crib when we are not around.

Jack consistently rolls over front to back and back to front. He hasn't really figured out crawling, though he can scoot. He has become quite proficient at sitting by himself and if you are holding him, he insists on pulling himself up to a standing position. Jumping and bouncing in our laps have become favorite past times as well. This behavior is making it more difficult for me to burp him after nursing and sometimes I feel like he is going to squirm right out of my arms.

This month we started introducing solid food. We are tentatively doing the Baby Led Weaning approach. Jack's first food experience was with avocado. He did pretty well. Since then he has tried both adult and baby oatmeal, bananas, squash and broccoli {and one french fry from Red Robin and a bite of guacamole from our favorite local Mexican restaurant}. He seems to do best with bananas and oatmeal. He handles a spoon really well. So far his eating seems to consist of sticking food in his mouth and then talking and/or shouting at the food {while it is in his mouth}. This results in about half of it ending up on his chin, bib and surrounding area. We will continue to forge ahead with new foods every few days.

It looks like Jack has finally outgrown spitting up -- at least as an all the time thing. We no longer have to keep him in bibs 24/7. So glad to be out of that phase!

Jack was a little late to the game in realizing the fun of bath time. A few days ago, it was like a lightbulb went off and he figured out that slapping his hand on the water made loud noises and that scooping copious amounts of water out of the tub {onto his daddy and the floor} was something that could bring him great joy.

We are still a no go on the teeth front. Every once in awhile he has a fussy day and we think maybe this is it, but so far, no teeth.

This past month Jack went to his first fish fry... 

  

cheered mommy on at her first 5K since having a baby...

sat in a high chair for the first time...

and experienced his first birthday party {no cake for Jack Jack though}.

Jack continues to bring us great joy every day. There is a sweetness to him that I didn't know existed. I am sure all parents feel like this about their own children. We are so thankful that Jack is a part of our lives.

*I will be writing monthly updates of Jack with pictures of Jack and the Tonka truck on the 11th of each month. One Month Old. Two Months Old. Three Months Old. Four Months Old. Five Months Old. Six Months Old.

Jack is Six Months

Happy Half Year Birthday Jack!!!

At the beginning of this month, we had success with sleep training after two nights. By the last day of the month Jack actually slept for 11 hours straight – a new record for him.

In addition to good sleep, Jack has progressed to waking up happy. He plays quietly until I get him out of his crib, instead of crying and wanting to be fed. Stat.

 

He also started scooting around in his crib this month. He has managed to turn completely sideways on several occasions and even got his leg stuck through the slats once. We have officially installed the bumper to prevent any kind of injury {and the loss of pacifiers}. He has also started to scoot when we lay him on the floor on his tummy. I am sure he will be crawling before long {definitely before we are ready}.

He no longer needs the aid of a pacifier to fall asleep. Mostly he just takes it out of his mouth and amuses himself by waving it around and trying to stick it back in. He would much rather suck his thumb than the paci. Not sure if this is a good thing. 

 

I have learned that if I stick the paci in his hand instead of his mouth, he will play with it, putting it in and out of his mouth, until he falls asleep. He is pretty dexterous and I think that he will have no problem shoveling food into his mouth once we start down that path.

Thumb sucking is now an intentional thing. I don't know why, but this totally melts my heart.

Jack has been trying to roll over all month, but he didn't seem to be in a huge hurry to actually complete a roll. On 4/27/12 he finally managed to do it – Daniel and I were both there to watch :) As the days passed he has become more proficient at this and by the end of the month he was using his new prowess to sleep on his side/belly.

Jack loves to make spitting sounds - he seems to think it is greatest thing in the world. Screeching is another new sound he has discovered. It is really funny {unless you have a headache}. 

 

We have been nervous about him screeching during church, but he is more interested in watching everything around him than he is in making noise {at least for now}.

Almost every time we take him out in public, people ask us if he is always this good :) We are blessed to have a very laid back, happy baby.

This month marked his first time to go to Bible class...

his first Day Hike...

his first time to attend a graduation...

his first time to visit a Rescue Mission to serve lunch...

and his first time to display signs of separation anxiety.

During this month Jack became very distracted while eating. This was a bit of a challenge for about two weeks... I wasn't sure if he was actually getting enough to eat. He is dying to get his hands on real food and loves to sit in our laps during dinner and try to touch our cups. He also enjoys hanging out in his high chair watching us cook and at the dinner table. I think meal time fascinates him.

Jack has been making a "ma-ma-ma" sound for some time now. I don't know that he is actually saying "mama" but when he is upset, it is what he repeats over and over. 

Our little guy figured out how to give us wet, slobbery kisses. He thinks it is great fun. We think it is really sweet {and funny}. 

Jack now recognizes Sophie and watches her every move. He is also very interested in touching her. Sophie is pretty tolerant of his petting {which is more like grabbing fist fulls of fur – we supervise this}. She has come a LONG way!!! Sophie also seems to be protective of Jack, always checking on him. Poor girl is torn about where to sleep since Jack is now sleeping in his nursery upstairs. She divides her time between sleeping on the futon beside his bedroom or downstairs with us.

Happy six months Jack! We love you and are so thankful to have you in our lives! It is going by so quickly.

*I will be writing monthly updates of Jack with pictures of Jack and the Tonka truck on the 11th of each month. One Month Old. Two Months Old. Three Months Old. Four Months Old. Five Months Old.