A Very Merry Un-Birthday to Sam

Whew.  Sam is six months old!  And, actually, by the time this is actually getting posted (because . . . life and stuff keeps me away from my computer more than it used to, which is actually not a bad thing, but it does make getting posts posted in a timely fashion less likely) he'll be closer to seven months!  How is that even possible?  I keep thinking of things that we did last fall and remembering that we did them when Sam was with us, which means that said events or outings happened half a year ago!  How does time go so fast?  I just don't know.  But here are some things you should know about our six-month-old Sammers.

• He has learned to spit - like he sticks his tongue between lips and lets the slobber (or food, if he's mid-meal) fly.  And he loves it.
• He still loves, loves, loves to jump in his doorway jumper (or on your lap while you're holding him).
• He has the biggest and best smiles.  Period.
• His giggles have matured a bit - the other day I got him giggling and he sounded like a kid to me instead of a baby.
• He squawks/shrieks when happy/excited, especially while jumping in the doorway.  We call him our jumping pterodactyl or our shrieking frog.  Here's a video of proof.
• He had his first real cold.  And it was so sad.  He's always been a stuffy-nosed sort of guy, but this was super stuffy/super green snotty + coughing + not wanting to eat.  Poor baby.  Lasted about a week, but he seems to be doing great again now, thank heavens.
• He pushes up on his arms to lift his whole chest off ground.  He hasn't figured out how to the get the legs underneath him yet, but he sure does want to move.  He'll do a push up, then flop back down to his tummy with his arms and legs going a million miles a minute.  Someday he'll get everything coordinated and be off like a shot.
• He does move a bit: by pushing himself backwards on his tummy.  He can also pivot and turn using those strong arms.
• He can sit up unsupported for a few seconds, or longer with the boppy (unless he gets too excited about reaching for something or kicking his legs and tips over).
• He LOVES bathtime.  He splashes like crazy in the tub, and more often than not, I leave the experience almost as wet as him.  He can make that water move.
• He has eaten oatmeal, applesauce, prunes, sweet potatoes and squash and was up to a couple "meals" a day until he got sick.  Since then we've sort of had to start over from square one with his shut mouth or tongue smile (to stop the spoon from sneaking in while he grins) or new spitting skills.
• He's still quite a sporadic sleeper - some (more like a couple) nights with 4-5 hour stretches between feeds/wakings, but most nights it's more like 2-3 hour stretches.  And the past few days it's frequent wakings plus refusing to stay in his crib.  I'm hoping it's teething and when these stinkin' teeth finally break through he'll at least sleep on his own again.  For however long that will be.
• His spitting up has dropped drastically in the past month.  (Thank heavens.)

And now its time for (too many) pics.  I didn't actually take these on this six month birthday, but I did take them the day after.  So they are fairly accurate.  Even if the post is late.

Watch Samuel grow: 5 months | 4 months | 3 months | 2 months | birth