Holt: 6 Months

HALF A YEAR.

Excuse me. WHAT?!?!?!?

Yes, it has already been half a year with our little love bug. He is in such a fun stage right now! To be honest, I have loved every stage, but he has become so much more interactive and he is really curious about things and laughs at random things and it is just so FUN. Little bits of his personality are starting to shine through, which I LOVE--he is laid back, very curious about everything (sometimes I feel like I can literally see the wheels in his head turning), he's a little ham, plays well by himself but yet loves to cuddle and play with others too.

He has most definitely found his voice this month! Some days it's just a constant stream of laughs and goo-goo-ga-ga's and I am loving it.

He hit a milestone this month of recognizing distance. We went through about 1.5-2 weeks where anytime I put him down to play and walked away, he freaked out. I'm talking screaming and tears running down his face. It broke my heart. I checked the "wonder weeks" app (AWESOME by the way--check it out) and he was right on target for recognizing distance from mom and dad---meaning, he figured out the concept of "missing" me when I walked away and it scared him. He was pretty attached to me for those 2 weeks. We went about 7-10 days where things were getting back to normal and then last week, he regressed a little bit. He became real clingy (to me especially) and was pretty cranky. I think he might be teething because he had either the paci or his hand or SOMETHING in his mouth 24/7. His gums are not swollen, no fever, no runny nose, no teeth breaking through. So, who knows.

We have also reached a stage where he HATES being put in the car seat. Actually, he just hates being confined, but he has started protesting and straining against the seat buckles in the car seat and throwing a FIT. Once we get going in the car he is usually ok--he will look out the window or talk to himself, but man! It is a challenge to get started.

We aren't crawling yet, but he's close! He rolls everywhere---one minute he's on the rug and the next he's halfway across the living room. But lately, he has started really trying to crawl towards something (like his bottle) and gets really frustrated. In fact, he starts pushing himself backwards by accident and then gets pretty mad. To be honest, it's comical and I usually end up laughing at him, poor little guy, but it will be interesting to see at what point he figures out how to use his legs to push himself forward.

We had a big trip this month to Little Rock to celebrate some birthdays with Daniel's family. It was so fun because both of Daniel's brothers and their families came too so all 9 of the Lowery cousins were together for the first time! Three of those, including Holt, were born within 6 months of each other. Sean & Kimberly had Hazel in June, we had Holt in August, and Ben & Rebekah had Sutton in December.

Weight: 14 lbs. 4 oz. (3rd percentile)
Height: 27 inches (60th percentile)

Favorites: *looking in the mirror *talking, laughing, cooing *peekaboo *the color red *laying in his crib and talking to himself

Milestones: *sitting up with support *recognizes when I walk away from him *picking up toys/smaller objects and shaking them to make noise *reacts to his mirror image *plays peekaboo by lifting the cloth over his face and taking it away *reaches for people *close to crawling *teething--still no teeth though

Sleep: He has done extremely well in this department! I would say he slept through the night completely about 95% of the time! WooHoo! He goes to bed between 715-730 and sleeps all night, waking between 530-600. EARLY for this non-morning momma, but I am not complaining at all! It is SO NICE to finally see my husband in the evenings again. Holt also still takes 3 naps a day, ranging anywhere from 30 minutes-2 hours long. It just depends.

Feeding: Still doing great here too! I nurse first and then feed him a 4 ounce bottle--except at bedtime, I just give him an 8 ounce bottle which lasts him through the night. During the day, he eats about every 3-3.5 hours or so. We also will start solids this month so I am excited to see how that adventure goes!

And now I'll leave you with adorable pictures of my son :)

"What you looking' at?"

Soaking up snuggle time with my little man

running errands with mom and dad can wear you out! 

Date night for mom and dad at the Razorback basketball game

talking and cooing

such a happy baby!

trying to figure out this crawling thing

tummy time action

morning giggles with daddy

2nd date night for mom and dad to see Tim Hawkins

Stylin' in our Sheriff Woody pj's from Aunt Hannah and Uncle Kirby

First time in a high chair at Panera

Morning bed-head

Talking to that baby in the mirror

Loving the walker!

Meeting our new cousins---Hazel(8 months) and Sutton(6 weeks)

All the Lowery cousins---9 so far!

My sweet Holt----words cannot express how much your daddy and I love you. You light up our life! You are at such a fun age right now--exploring the world around you. You are so curious about everything! I love watching your little personality come out. You are also such a ham---you are always smiling and laughing and love being around people. Never forget how much you are loved.