Half A Year

Farrell's!

Have you been? Apparently there are a couple of these magical ice cream parlours around California and one just opened up down the street. Our friends, Chris and Julia, grew up and bought a house for their new little family of three and moved 20 minutes away. Tragedy, especially to the alto section of our church choir...

Us females got together to say good bye to Julia with ice cream and some old-fashioned eardrum-blasting chaos. The little bebe was not accustomed to such pandemonium (i.e. crazy people running around singing happy birthday, ringing bells and pounding on drums), so we got to walk around and check out fellow Harrell's fanatics and the 45-scoop bowls of ice cream people left unconquered at empty tables. Julia, we're still on for Bach nights and dates with Claire and Parker.

Speaking of Parker, the child is 6 months old! Half of a year! He's practically a grown-up! It seems like it was yesterday that we had taken him home from the hospital and laid his tiny, frail little baby burrito body in his crib for his first nap at home. Wow. Now we toss him in the air and dangle him by his feet.

Glimpse of our mornings. Now I know he knew what his hands were a couple months ago, because he used to just watch them as if he had just discovered them. He's started doing the same thing again, as if he forgot about them but then remembered them recently. He holds them out in front of himself and opens them, turns them, intertwines both of them together, talks to them. So cute. 

It's taken him a while to get the hang of eating food. Every morning we do brown rice cereal mixed with either pears, peaches, apples and carrots, or bananas so far. He hates prunes. Seriously? Prunes? Who makes their kid eat prunes? Don't worry Parker, mommy won't make you eat yucky prunes EVER. 

If you look closely, you can see his little tooth he's displaying proudly with this new smile he's been doing in the bottom right picture. I just about melt every time he smiles like that.

He grabs toys (or hair, necklaces) and bangs his hand up and down several times, then eventually lets go of whatever it is he was holding. He's brought things to his mouth a couple times but he doesn't really like putting foreign things in his mouth except my fingers/hand/wrist/arm or his fingers. To each their own!

We've stopped nursing through no choice of my own a couple weeks ago. I was sad to see that little part of us gone, but life goes on. I figured out people on Craigslist sell their unused, unopened, unexpired $24 formula for half that price online! I got 5 tubs of Enfamil for $70 from one lady the other day, and there are plenty more mamas out there with more waiting for me! Check your own Craigslist.

6 month checkup:

17 pounds 12 ounces (60th %)

28 1/4 inches (95th %)

head 80th %

Little Parquito got shots, which is of course distressing, (what's with the delayed reaction phenomenon?!) but the (as Julia put it) non-squirmy cuddling is THE BEST. How I long for the days of little, naive, unaware of the world around him Parker that would snuggle up to me unabashedly! 

Steve and I have been passing colds back and forth to each other the past month or so because we're so in love and we've got the whole sharing thing down pat. I've had one the past several days and went to bed before I watched The Bach last night....yep I was that tired.

Steve's still plugging away in school. He's been practicing, measuring, calculating angles and distances for this record-breaking jump he's attempting with his little RC truck. Obsessed.

It's supposed to be 79 at the beach Thursday. I'm thinking a beach day is in order...