Six-Month Doctor's Visit

Today I had my six-month doctor's visit. My parents were excited to tell the doctor about all of the new things I've been doing. He was pretty impressed. They took my measurements as well. I now weigh 12 lbs, 4 oz, and I am exactly two feet tall! My head is 41 cm around. The doctor said I am well-proportioned. He said I'm "quality, not quantity." I updated my growth chart on the right side of the blog.

The doctor also told Mom and Dad they could start feeding me more solid foods, and twice a day! I've been telling them that for a while now, but for some reason they wouldn't just take my word for it. Once the doctor was finished, the nurse came into to give me my shots. I remembered her from last time, because as soon as she came in, I started crying to let her know that I would prefer to not have my shots this time. However, Mom and Dad told me it was for my own good, so I got them anyway.

After my nap this morning, I get to have more bananas for lunch. Yay!

Surprises

I've had quite a few surprises in the last few days. Yesterday, our really nice neighbors surprised us by bringing over a gift basket with muffins, candy, and coffee for my parents. They really liked it. Since I couldn't have any, Mom and Dad surprised me tonight with a new food - bananas! I liked them about as much as the rice cereal, much more than the applesauce.

The last surprise came at bedtime. When it was time for me to go to sleep, Dad put me in my crib... and it was lower than this morning! It seems Mom and Dad are wondering when I will be able to pull myself up, so they lowered my crib mattress so I can't accidentally climb out and run amok.

First Swim Lesson

Yesterday while I was supposed to be taking a nap in my crib, Mom discovered that I’ve been practicing different ways of escaping. I didn’t realize she was spying on me, and she saw me roll over on my tummy, push up on my knees, flatten back out and roll over onto my back.

Since my parents are now aware of my intention to become more mobile, I need to come up for a new plan of attack, and today I may have figured out what that is. Mom and I went to our first swim class at the YMCA, so pretty soon I may just be able to swim away! Mom was really excited about it. She swam a lot when I was in her tummy, and she was happy to do it with me in her arms. There were lots of kids in our class and I was the youngest one. While Dad cheered us on and took pictures, we sang “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round,” “Ring Around the Rosie” and I swam after a little plastic fish. I really liked kicking my legs and just relaxing in the water. I can’t wait to go next week!

You can view pictures from first swim lesson here.

High chair and applesauce

Before I was born, Aunt Laurie knew I would want to eat one day. She's pretty smart, so she got me a high chair, and yesterday Mom set it up for me. I love it. Now Mom and Dad can put my food right in front of me so I can play with it! It's also nice because now I can sit at their level when they eat. I'm excited about all the new foods I'll try while sitting in my chair.

Speaking of new foods, today Mom and Dad gave me something new - applesauce. They were pretty excited because they thought I'd like it, but I had other plans. If you'd like to see how that went, watch my latest video here, and you can see some still photos here.

Tummy, Tooth, and Day Two of Solid Food

During tummy time this morning, I rolled over onto my back for the first time. Just to make sure Mom and Dad knew I meant it, I did it again when they put me back on my tummy. It was pretty funny, and now I've reached another developmental milestone - rolling over both ways. Mostly I just roll back over onto my back because I don't love tummy time.

Today Mommy noticed something I've been trying to tell her about for a few days. I'm growing a tooth. I was in a grumpy mood this afternoon, so our whole family (me, Dad, Mom, Peepa, and Matty) went for a walk. While we were walking down the street, I yawned and Mom finally figured it out. She noticed a little bit of white sticking out of my bottom gum. She started whooping, which surprised Daddy and cheered me up a little. Now Mom and Dad will get to start cleaning my gums during bathtime.

I also got to eat more rice cereal tonight, and I had a little more fun this time. I explored the food and spoon a little more with my mouth and had a great time spitting the cereal everywhere and making a mess. Mom says that's what it's all about, and Daddy tries to keep me neat. We'll see who wins this battle, although he made sure I was extra clean at my bath tonight. I can't wait to try things like peas that I can really spread around.

We took more pictures and added them to yesterday's folder. Make sure you check them out here.

My first taste of cereal

I've had a really fun year so far. Today was by far the most interesting. Dad and Mom fed me my first solid food, some rice cereal. Since Mom fed me for the past six months, Dad got the first changce to feed me solid food. At first I didn't know what to make of it. Then I tried eating it like I drink milk. Toward the end, I got a little better at eating off the spoon and started gobbling the cereal up. I liked it a lot and am excited to have some more. Mom and Dad didn't try any, but said there are many more tasty treats where that came from. I can't wait to find out what they mean! Mom said applesauce is next, and next week I can try bananas, just like a monkey!

I also wore a bib for the first time today, which Mom saw as an opportunity to introduce me to the Longhorns. Since Dad wants to teach me all about sports, Mom said I'll probably get to visit the University of Texas, where she went to grad school. She made lots of fun friends there, and I am sure I will too. Thursday we went to lunch with one of them. Saad was the first person she met when she moved to Austin, and he showed her and Uncle Daniel around. Yesterday we had lunch with another fun friend, Kate, who now goes to UT. She used to be a tv news reporter near Grandma and Grandpa, in Harrisburg, and now she does it here. So far I've learned not only that Longhorns are fun and interesting people, but that they make good bibs!

The video above was taken with our video camera - Dad finally figured out how to upload videos from it. In addition to the video above, we posted some fun pictures of my culinary adventures.

New Year's Resolutions

Tonight is my first New Year's Eve. While I will hopefully be fast asleep when the clock strikes midnight, that doesn't mean that I can't participate in that famous New Year's tradition - New Year's resolutions. While 2007 was a very eventful year (especially compared to 2006), I plan on making 2008 even more remarkable. Here are some of my resolutions for next year, in no particular order:

1. Grow teeth
2. Eat food
3. Say "Mama" and "Daddy"
4. Finish a 5k with Mom
5. Learn to swim
6. Attend Tot Shabbat
7. Convince Mom and Dad I'm old enough to drive

Happy New Year!