6 months makes all the difference

6 months ago, we eagerly anticipated the arrival of a little boy or girl, knowing our lives would be completely changed. We never could have anticipated how much of a change, or how much joy, wonder, & love could be added to our house. Brooks is the most amazing addition to our family- the past 6 months have flown, and yet it is hard to remember life without the little guy.

At 6 months Brooks
*gives big wet open mouth kisses on the cheek
*grabs anything he can get his hands on and puts it in his mouth- ANYTHING (the dogs leg was tried once)
* Smiles easily in recognition when we walk into the room
*Jumps around like a fiend- his favorite thing to do is bounce
*sits on his own (not too well- but he does it)
*imitates sounds that he hears
* makes lots of silly faces
* belly laughs when he finds things funny (the elf dance, the dog, a scarf on his tummy)
* watches the dog like she is the most interesting thing ever
* sleeps worse than ever, just like a newborn- getting up 4-6 times a night (sob)

Stats:
17 lbs, 8.5 oz- 56th percentile
27.25" - 80th percentile
weight for length- 40th percentile
head- 17.5" round- 70th percentile

Growth- Here is is next to his monkey


And here is his monthly chair shot that is now up along the side of the blog along with his stats for comparison



And of course- because taking pics of him is so much fun- here are some other pics we love from the 6 month photo shoot :)

fun in the chair






And fun on the floor


His Austin Powers 'Dr. Evil' look



Baby Yoga


And our newest obsession- not just touching our toes, but eating them! YUM

Happy Half Birthday Brooks Man!!!

Today our little guy is 6 months old. Tomorrow we have our 6 month well visit with the pediatrician, which also means shots :( ! I will update with a 6 month entry including pics next to the monkey and on the chair, stats from our appt, things he is doing, and how we are feeling about this wonderful time in our lives.

For today- he just wants to say Thank You Nana- the PJs fit

We have a...

SITTER!!!

He by no means can be left alone b/c it isn't too long before something will distract him and he will topple- but check this guy out!




How did I get him to do this- I distracted him with something in front of him (since leaning back is what makes him tip, I figured if there was something to lean forward to he would do better)



What might you ask was so distracting? he LOVES watching our family elf dance- you can see Ming in the background

Santa Clause- NJ Style

Brooks and I went up to NJ and slept over at Nana & Grandpa's house (my parents).
My mother had the day off and we went to see Santa at the Short Hills Mall. They had a fabulous setup there- it was a Polar Express theme and there was a snowglobe to walk through, in which 'snow' was actually falling, and the Santa not only had a real beard- but real ringlets in long gray hair.



Once again- Brooks LOVED Santa. I didn't think we would get lucky twice, especially since we waited about 40 minutes on line to see him. But he did great. Like mother, like son- maybe Christmas will be his favorite time of year as well.


After going to the mall and a nice nap (during lunch- what an angel!) we headed home to meet my mother's best friend Sue. I am kicking myself for not pulling my camera out since Sue is such an avid follower of the blog. Brooks was good- no stranger anxiety at all, just hung out and jumped around.

That evening after dinner he finally got some Grandpa time before we hit the road (it is much easier to drive a distance if we leave at bedtime than if we go during the day)






And finally at home, passed out in front of our tree. All this visiting and Santa seeing is tiring :) Don't forget Brooks man- he sees you when you are sleeping, and you sure are angelic.

WE ARE ELVES!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Big Day!!!

Brooks Met the Big Guy for the 1st time!!! And we go again next week :)

The Christmas Season!!!

The Christmas season has begun and we are so excited to start many traditions with Brooks. I can't wait until he is big enough to sing in church- the minister who married us and baptized him said he could up in NJ if we don't find our own church to join by then.

We are in the process of Christmas-fying the house- step one was tree shopping!

Hanging with Ming before we went- is there anything more fascinating than a wagging tail?






And- our tree, which is smaller this year due to the influx of baby gear and a hutch.