Happy Birthday! You're 0.5!

Weston turned six months old on the 26th! WOW! (Where did my teeny tiny newborn go??) Here are his six-month stats:

Weight: 20 lbs, 6 oz (90-95%)
Height: 29 inches (97%) ... but we think the nurse was a bit liberal with this measurement...
Head: 46 cm (95-97%)

So, happy birthday, kid! Your special half-birthday treat is a delightful, runny rice concoction! Yay! Yep, Weston "ate" his first "solid food" on Saturday. I say "solid food," because there's nothing solid about his soupy rice cereal. And I say "ate," because as far as we can tell, no "eating" has actually taken place yet. Sure, we raise the spoon to his mouth and he opens his lips. But then the look of distaste creases his little face, and after gumming the flavor of it for a couple seconds, that nasty rice concoction pours right back out of his mouth. Pretty much every single time. So, following both of his "feedings" so far, I've still had to go ahead and nurse him, since he's still hungry. But we're optimistic! I mean, seriously, how can that runny rice flavor NOT grow on you...?? Ha.


Here's another notable development of Weston's, one that is so blessedly sweet and wonderful that Tim and I are still reveling in its joyous wonderfulness: INDEPENDENT PLAY. Weston is finally getting to that age where he can play with toys on his own!! Yaaaaaaaay!! We don't have to sit there and stare at him, and hand him different toys for 20 minutes before he fusses and wants to be picked up!! Sure, the 20-minute limit still applies, but now we put the toys on the floor in front of him, the Boppy behind him, and let him have at 'em. Every now and then he whimpers a little when the toys all travel beyond arm's length, but we just walk over and push them back in range, and he keeps on playing. It's faaaaaabulous.

Oh, and another fun six-month development: the DEEP END of the tub!! Wasn't it so exciting when you finally reached that age where you felt comfortable venturing into the deep end of the pool and going off the diving board and what not? Well, I imagine that's how Weston feels right now, even though the water level is still only about three or four inches. But, it's very cute. He sits there like a little person and plays with his bath toys. He loves bathtime, and therefore we love it too.

And finally, his six months of life have resulted in one more happy development: SUPER CUTENESS!!! He's much more interactive and smily now. He giggles, growls, coos, babbles, wiggles, and cuddles. He LOVES looking at people, and especially smiling at people who look back at him and talk to him. He loves holding toys and books (and anything we happen to be holding, whether it's a glass of water or a phone or a remote or a piece of paper), and especially putting everything possible into his mouth. I have to say, we're just pleased as punch with our little one. Happy half-birthday, Mr. Smunch!!