6 months old ... or Beckett's half birthday!

1/2 of one year....

6 months....

I. CAN'T. EVEN. BELIEVE. IT.

I feel like I say this every month, but time DOES fly! My big boy is growing like a weed! We don't have his six month appointment until the 22nd, but I stepped on the scale wihtout him and then with him, so I am figuring he is about 17 lbs...

He loves eating everything and anything ... except peas! :) So far he likes...

• Avocados
• Bananas (even in little finger food bites)
• Green beans (a favorite)
• Apples
• Squash
• Oatmeal (mixed with pretty much anything)
• Sweet potato
• Pears
• Peaches
• Apple, Banana, Strawberry combo
• Rice Puffs in sweet potato and apple cinnamon flavors
• Tater tots (in small pieces of course)

.......and anything he can try to swipe off my plate :)

 He is sitting up so well now and loves playing on the floor with his toys, and Bella's tail. :)

This purple sea lion is his absolute favorite toy!

He had four BIG firsts during his sixth months (among many others):

1. Went to Frying Pan Park and encountered farm animals. He loved the sheep and the rabbits the most.
2. He rode in the shopping cart like a big boy.
3. He sat in a high chair at Panera like a big boy. 
   
4. He went to the community swimming pool.

He loves interacting with other babies now and has play dates at least once or twice a week. . .

 He goes to stroller strides with mommy (a workout routine .. google Fit4Mom Ashburn .. it is great)!

He aged out of his SwimKids swim lessons (tear)

He is SO close to crawling! He rolls constantly and can push himself off and scoot just a little. I am sure he will be all over the place soon enough. :)

He takes two big naps: a morning nap for about 1 - 2 hours and an afternoon nap for 2 - 3 hours. Some evenings he takes a cat nap for about thirty minutes (during which time Jeff and I actually try to eat this thing called dinner). He goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 and wakes up between 4 am and 6 am to eat. Then he goes back to bed until about 8 am. I am so thankful he loves to sleep in because I am definitely not a morning person!

Simple Sides

Sometimes I think I over-complicate dinner.... anyone else? Thought so!

Here are a couple simple sides to keep in your back pocket (especially when you have young kiddos running around).

Tasteful Green Beans

What do you need?

• Greenbeans (frozen are fine)
• Crispy onions (you can find these by the croutons)
• Almonds slivered (1/2 cup)
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

What do you do with those simple ingredients?

• Steam green beans
• While green beans are being steamed, take the salt and pepper (how much depends on your tastebuds), and almonds and put them in a pan on medium. Let them cook, gently stirring them until green beans are finished steaming.
• Add green beans to pan and cook for another 3 minutes.
• Remove green beans and almonds and transfer to plate. Top with crispy onions to taste.

Parsnip Mashed Potatoes

What do you need?

• 3 - 4 large parsnips
• 1 bag of gold potatoes (remember they ARE part of the dirty dozen, so go organic)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• chives (to taste - fresh is best)

What to do?

• Peel parsnips and potatoes
• Boil parsnips and potatoes for 15 - 20 minutes (you should easily be able to mash both with a fork)
• Drain parsnips and potatoes
• Add milk, butter, sour cream, chives, salt, and pepper to potatoes/parsnips and MASH
•  Serve warm :)

Both are great with salmon

5 months old

I can't believe my little man is 5 months old!! 

What happened during his fifth month?

He started eating solids! He is one hungry, hungry hippo!

He loves green beans, sweet potatoes, bananas, and oatmeal! 

He rolls from front to back and back to front, but would rather try to crawl!

He is over 15 lbs and is officially in 9 month clothes! He is getting so big! 

He finally is big enough for his jumper and exersaucer. He likes them for about 15 minutes a day. Then he is on to the next thing. 

He can sit up in his stroller like a big. It and loved watching Bella when we go on walks. 

He loves his swim lessons still and has even tried the baby pool in out backyard. 

 

He can pretty much sit up on his own. 

He has had wacky sleeping habits this month. Waking more at night. He goes to bed around 730/8 and gets up around the same time in the morning, but ears once a night. He also wakes up for his paci at night. That thing drives mommy and daddy crazy. Hopefully, he will soon be able to pop it back in his mouth! 

Anything and everything goes in his mouth. No teeth yet, but he seems to be teething like crazy!!! 

We are more and more in love with this little man. He is so sweet! I can't wait to see what the sixth month holds!