6 months

Oliver took his 6-month photos today - so cute! But that means I'm out of excuses for postponing this entry!

Oliver turned 6-months-old on March 8. He weighed in last week at the doctor's at 20lbs, 15 oz. 92nd Percentile. and they measured him at 28.5". 95th Percentile. Generally the equivalent of an average 10-month-old. The nurse measured him at 29", but the doctor remeasured him and deducted a half an inch. I was suprised by the weight because I was guessing 22lbs - his buddy, Wesley is only two weeks older and is weighing in around 24lbs! But they're still both healthy, big boys.

One of the reasons that this post is a little late is that Oliver had his first real cold. A nasty cough and a plugged then running nose. They don't recommend any medicine at this age, so all we could do is elevate the mattress, run the humidifier and drop saline solution into his nose and then suck it out with the dreaded nose bulb sucker. He HATES getting his nose touched or wiped. But, we survived and he's finally feeling much better.

Other firsts include eating solid food. We've been steaming organic veggies and pureeing them. Started with carrots (orange vegetables are supposed to be sweeter and unlikely to be an allergen). Now he's tried sweet potatoes, baked potatoes with parsnips, peas, spinach, broccoli, bananas, avocados and iron-fortified brown rice cereal. He's liked everything that we've introduced, except for avocados. Trying to up the number of meals, so someday breast milk will just be supplemental. Crazy. We're also supplementing vitamin D and will introduce fluoride, since we don't have it in the water here in Oregon. All these things to worry about!

Oliver is now sitting up on his own, (with someone there to catch him when he pitches forward or back randomly) but has no interest in rolling over. His hair is growing longer and looking quite cute. No signs of teeth yet, but he has gotten his toes into his mouth and he has been spitting his tongue out a lot. He's interested in other babies now and will play with their feet if sat next to them. He loves to jump in his jumper, and can now move himself around in his walker. His current favorite toy is his Monkey stuffed animal, but after discovering a little music box inside, rendering it un-washable, I'm busy trying to find a new favorite.

We've been taking a weekly swim lesson, along with his friend Wesley, and his mom, Alyson. It's a survival swimming class (or at least will be) and we've already gone for 3-second underwater swims! It's a lot of fun for the boys (Oliver just passes out in the car afterwards) and fun for us, and will be a great skill for them! We've already signed up for 2-day a week classes coming up for the next 3 months. This is where we're taking them. Mitchell has been getting into the bath with him every night in order to practice his back float and "bubbles" where we dump water on his head to teach him to hold his breath.

I've also been going to Stroller Strides most weekday mornings. I take Oliver along in his stroller and we work out bootcamp style with other mothers and kids. It's actually a really good workout, and nice to hang out with other moms. It's at the Clackamas Town Center Mall and Mt Scott Community Center on alternating days, at 9 or 9:30 am. So I have to get out of bed earlier than I was. But the routine is good for both Oliver and I!

We went to a workshop on sign language and are excited to teach Oliver. Hopefully it will reduce some frustration on both of our parts before he is able to talk.

All-in-all, this is a great age, with lots of smiles and fun new things, but he hasn't gotten mobile and out of control yet. Definitely enjoying it!