To my sweet little baby boy,

You are HALF A YEAR old. 6 whopping months. I can’t seem to believe that you’ve been in our life that long. It feels like just a blip and, at the same time, like we’ve lived a LIFETIME with you already.

Every time I sit down to write these posts, I think, “Wow. This is the month he’s grown the MOST.” And today is no different.

You’ve grown so much. It’s impossible to list everything because it feels like you’re doing something new every hour. So I’ll just share some highlights today.

The day you turned 5 months, we gave you your first taste of baby oatmeal. And, boy oh boy, did you love it.

You got it all over your face, in your hair, in between your fingers. And you kept reaching for the bowl and the spoon because you did NOT want us to stop feeding you for even ONE second.

You have a big boy crib now! (That we are only using to hold laundry. Or sometimes mama will put you in there with a toy or two so she can go to the bathroom). Hopefully this is the month we transition you to SLEEP in the crib. We’ll see.

This was also the month that Mama was sneaky and fed you 1/4 of a banana when Papa wasn’t home. You LOVED it so much. But it made you a little constipated. And then Papa found out anyway because apparently bananas make your poop look like it has brown worms in it. Your poop told on me.

We took you on your first trip this month. We stayed overnight in Carlsbad for your Nanu’s birthday and we were real impressed with how go-with-the-flow you were. Especially considering that your Nanu tried to feed you jalapeño chips and dunk you in the fountain. Somehow, despite all the silly tricks he plays on you, you still have such a big smile on your face everytime you see him.

During that trip, we used your carrier for the first time. You loved being so close to your papa while also facing the world and seeing all the sights.

You roll. All the time. I put you down on your playmat and walk away. I turn back around 2 seconds later to see you’ve rolled halfway across the room. You are a rolling machine.

You’re SO interactive. Sometimes when I talk to you while I’m nursing you, you’ll pull off and talk back to me. You respond to everyone. All the time. And if we’re not giving you enough attention or if I’m having a conversation with someone else, you make yourself be heard until our attention returns to you.

Your favorite toys are Mama’s empty Starbucks cups, kitchen spatulas, your hairbrush, and other things that aren’t quite categorized as “baby toys.” You especially love Mama’s water tumbler and she humors you by letting you “take sips” from her straw (more like drool all over it).

Your grasp has gotten SO good. You grab things so quickly. Papa’s glasses, Mama’s cell phone, Nani’s hair, anything that you can roll to. And when you’ve got it in your hands, whatever it is goes straight into that mouth of yours.

You recognize songs. It’s my favorite thing to reel you back in with a song you’re familiar with. You’ll look away from me and get distracted with something and the second I start singing, “Wheels on the Bus,” your eyes lock with mine and you smile. Like you’re telling me, “Hey, this is my JAM. Keep going, mama.”

We spent so much money trying different swaddles and sleepwear. And wanna know what happened? You prefer to sleep naked. And be naked. And live naked. Clothes are NOT your jam.

That 4-month sleep regression we talked about a while back? Yeah. It rolled right into that 6-month sleep regression without giving us a break. We joke that we gave birth to two babies. The daytime baby that’s happy and cheerful and charming and SO CUTE. And then the nighttime baby that only your mama and papa get to see (and that maybe the neighbors get to hear).

Somehow, despite the sleepiness we continue to feel, every day with you gets better and better. Every smile you flash us, every giggle you let loose, every time you grab our fingers and bring our hands to your chest, you remind us that there is no feeling quite like the feeling of loving you.

You are everything in the world to us.

Let’s celebrate with some avocados and sweet potatoes today, shall we?!

Love you always,

Your mama