Thursday, December 1, 2005

Sitting Pretty It's amazing to think back on the early days, when Oliver was just a blob in a blanket.  He was always held, he barely moved, his head flopped back and forth like the clown in a jack-in-the-box.  His face was all wrinkles, because he hadn't grown into his own skin yet.  His cries were like a small animal, a bird, perhaps, or a stray cat.  He cried so much in those early, early days, before breastfeeding became an easy habit.  And we cried so much, too - out of fear, out of mad hormone-driven love, out of sleep deprivation. And of course, he was pooping out that nasty black tar meconium stuff.  (Viewer warning:  that link brings you to a page that includes a full-color picture of baby poop.  Approach with extreme caution and on an empty stomach.)  Ah, good times. And now, look at him.   He's turning into a real little boy.  He's even got his own seat at the table (we bought his high chair over the weekend.) Now, when we laugh at him, he smiles and sometimes even laughs back.  He has wild giggle fits, where just saying the same word over and over again can send him into spasms of joy ("Hey, baby!  Hey, baby!  Hey, baby!"  "Hee hee hee hee hee hee ha ha ha!")   He rolls over onto his stomach effortlessly and sometimes rolls himself back.  He can sit up, mostly, by himself (with a few strategically placed pillows).  When he's playing, he rotates himself around to get to all of his toys, spinning on the axis of his belly button.  And he's on the verge of crawling.  He gets up on his hands and knees now and bucks back and forth, like he's warming up his little engine, getting it all ready.  Once I saw him climb onto hands and knees and after a few revs, he flung himself forward.  About a half-inch and onto his chest.  Probably not the best way to move yourself around.  He's officially six months old now.  He's passed through so many of those milestone moments, and he's on the verge of a pretty huge milestone - his first solid foods.   I'm going to the store today for a cart cover, so we can sit him in shopping carts.   Sometimes, when I'm sitting on the rocking chair with him, and he's been sleeping for an hour, and my arm is falling asleep, it helps me to remember just how far he's really come.  7:07:37 AM     Speak up!  []