I've been horrible, Nathan, and haven't done monthly updates for a while. So, here's one that covers the last three months.
Just after you turned five months, you figured out how to sit up on your own. You'd take a few tumbles, but for the most part, once you figured it out you were golden. It was so nice to sit you up in the kitchen with some toys while I was cooking or cleaning. I have a few plastic bowls and a black plastic whisk that are your kitchen toys. The whisk is your favorite & you love to slobber on it!
After sitting up came crawling. You just about had it figured out when we went to Grandmommy's house for the long weekend, but once we came home you mastered it. Now we spend our days with you crawling around on your belly from one room to the next. You're pretty darn fast, too! One of your first crawling excursions was to Stitch's food & water bowl. Three or four times a day now, I follow you into the kitchen, let you get close, then have to pick you up & say, "No, no, Nathan. That's for Stitch, not for babies." For some reason I don't think you've quite figured out that "no" means you can't do it.
Another favorite trek is to the tub at bath time. When you hear the water turn on, you stop playing and start scooting your belly across the living room, through the hall, into the bathroom, and right up the leg of the person filling the tub! You LOVE baths! The splashing, the ducky, the orange whale cup that we use for rinsing your hair. Everything about baths gets you excited.
We've discovered you have quite a determined little personality now that you're mobile. You will try and try and try to get to the cord in the basket, Stitch's food, the flip-flops by the backdoor (which are now stored in the bedroom), whatever it is that captures you're attention. When I try to redirect your attention to something else, you're craning that little neck to see or reach the original object. I think you get this determination from your Daddy.
You have army crawling down pat & in just the last week, you've been trying to crawl on all fours. You'll push up to your hands and knees. Sometimes you try to crawl, getting an arm or a leg forward before face planting, and other times you'll just push your little bum up in the air like you're doing a downward facing dog in yoga class. Once or twice yesterday I think you might have had some forward motion before falling over and army crawling instead.
On Monday, June 12, you pulled up for the first time all by yourself! For several weeks now you'd crawl to me or your daddy and reach up our legs. If we held your hands, you'd pull yourself to your knees and then to standing. You're even taking steps if we hold your hands! I tried to put you down for a nap Monday and was letting you cry & fuss in your crib (we'll get to the continued sleeping issues shortly). After a while I gave up because listening to your cries causes me physical pain and went in to snuggle only to find you standing in your crib with great big tears running down your face! You'd figured out how to get up, but not how to get back down, you poor thing! So, we had to get Daddy to lower the crib mattress once again. Every morning since then you've greeted me up on your knees or standing.
You use every opportunity to get up on your knees and then try to get to your feet. You especially like using the shower door while I'm in it. It makes getting out of the shower difficult, but it's so cute to see your little hands pressed to the glass.
I can't believe how much you've done in the last three months!! Sitting, crawling, teeth, "walking", pulling up!
We went to Meme & Poppy's house for the 4th of July weekend. Boy, you didn't like being away from home! You cried any time Meme or Poppy tried to play with you, woke up a million times each night, and refused to nap! Eventually you warmed to Meme, but you still wouldn't give poor Poppy the time of day!
Megan & Katelyn took us to their grandma & grandpa's house to go swimming. You took to the pool like a fish to water! Absolutely no fear and all smiles.
You don't seem to like men, other than your daddy. We went to Publix and the bag boy was wheeling you out to the car. He was trying to make you laugh & smile by making silly faces and you burst into tears instead! When we went to TSYS to have lunch with Daddy, his boss came over and was playing peek-a-boo and you burst into tears. As soon as Daddy picked you up, you stopped crying.
You have no problem with ladies you don't know, however. As soon as you see another woman paying you any attention, you're smiling with those great big dimples, laying your head on your shoulder, and turning on the charm! What a little flirt! We went to Starbucks with Daddy the other day and the barista was calling herself your girlfriend!
