Elijah's Six Month Milestones

I don't know what is more crazy....the fact that Elijah has been in our world for half a year now or the fact that in 6 more months, we will have a 1 year old. Time flies ya'll. I really do try to intentionally soak up these moments. I savor, breathe deeply, and think to myself how much I will miss this time as Elijah continues to grow. Without being a total sap, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for this little boy and the beautiful moments we have shared together, especially over the past month.

This past month seems to have flown by even faster than others and Elijah is continuing to grow up before our eyes. We have found ourselves repeatedly commenting on how "big" he seems.

His little personality is really shining through. He loves to play and Ryan and I both have our own little bag of tricks to try and get that gummy little smile that makes our day everyday and he does not make us work too hard...except when we were trying to take family pictures this month! He is fitting into our goofy family quite nicely. 

Speaking of gummy smiles...still no teeth. I feel crazy for saying he has been teething since 3 months with no teeth to show for it, but I really do think that his little chompers will be popping though any day now. If he is still all gums next month....who knows lol. I am sure I will think Elijah with teeth is adorable, but I really really love that all gummy smile and will be sad to see it go.

He has been sitting up really well since 5 months and started being really interested in toys last month as well. This month instead of having an affinity for a certain toy, he likes to sit in front of the box where I put up all his toys and pull them out one by one, have me fill up the box again, and then pull them all out again. He also is still enjoying his exersaucer and doorway jumper as well as any bowl, cup, hairbrush I throw his way. Not picky just very curious.

We have finally established a really consistent bedtime routine that of course begins with the beloved "tubby time" and he is going down really easily now even for other people which has been really nice because mom and dad are busy learning a second language 2 nights per week. What we are working through now is staying asleep. He does not have the best self soothing skills and has a hard time putting himself back to sleep when he wakes up in the middle of the night. We have experimented with all sorts of techniques this month and really have not made any progress in terms of him sleeping through the whole night without our help. That seems to be everybody's main concern and one of the first questions we are asked by others. I got a little obsessive and panicky that we were totally screwing the kid up this month, but have come to the conclusion that we are the ones who get up with this kid in the middle of the night, not others, so we should make decisions on what works best for us. We are doing what works best for us at the moment. It may change next week or next month, but we are doing our best and praise God for His faithfulness in continuing to allow Elijah to thrive despite our parenting weaknesses and constant failings. He is such a good and loving Father to us and we pray we will demonstrate that love that He has shown us to Elijah.

I wasn't lazy this month as I feared and actually got around to making him some baby food! It went really well. I made butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and green peas. We have also continued to offer him bites of our food that aren't too spicy or too hard for him to chew and swallow. He is grabbing for food now and bringing it to his mouth...actually getting it in his mouth is another story though. We went to Ikea and bought a hi-chair, a sippy cup for water, and what I call "finger painting bibs" because the normal baby bibs literally would not fit around my child's massive head and neck. Hilarious but true. He is still learning to like water, but starting solids has gone really well.

We also graduated Elijah from his infant carrier carseat into a convertible one. That was the answer to our carseat woes and we were so incredibly thankful for all of you who blessed us with gift cards at his showers because we were able to make this big purchase with those. Such a blessing. He seems to be enjoying his new ride and Ryan and I have been able to have whole conversations in the car again. It's a beautiful thing.

Our family calendar has definitely bulked up this past month. We have language learning and other ministry commitments in addition to work that directly affect EH and he has really taken these changes in stride. We are so thankful, but definitely still adjusting and searching for our new normal.

And last but now least....drum roll please....Elijah crawled for the first time this month! One prediction I was right about in my last post. It was really cool. The sunday before he turned 6 months, we were gathered in our house church and EH decided to show off in front of all of us on the floor. He is still not going very far or very fast and will still drop to his tummy and kick his legs like he is kicking in a pool instead of actually crawling, but he is getting stronger and making progress everyday. It is so weird now to put him down in one place, turn around, and find him flipped over or sitting up, or turned around, etc. I am bracing myself because he is going to be in to everything!

We love you little guy and will continue cheering you on as the Lord grows you into the man He has created and called you to be. We think you hung the moon.

Thankful for iPhones that capture memories amidst the busyness of life:

All bundled up inside the tent...was a chilly night in Washington.

First family back country camping trip.

Playing on mom's sleeping bag.

Mom and Lije fun in the Webb's ENO hammock.

Elijah looking at himself through the camera phone.

Because baby sleeping bags do not exist, I had to make my own and bundle the poor child up like the kid in A Christmas Story...made for a good laugh for us. 

Me and the little bear in the woods.

First time at a state fair with mom and dad, the Webb's, and our fun neighbors.

Remember taking this picture and thinking how much he looked like a little boy and not a baby.

Checking out the disc golf course near our home in Seattle.

This boy. That hat.

He is going to hate us for this picture one day....a little dress up fun before purchasing his new big boy carseat.

Loving his new Seattle rain coat that Gran and Grandaddy sent up for him.

Could not keep him out of his halloween costume because....

He looks this darn cute.

Aunt Brit came to visit us and EH in Seattle for the weekend.

Playing in a box and with Thomas the Train while mom cooked in the kitchen.

The "finger painting" bibs and his new hi chair.

First date night in Seattle and since our anniversary...glorious night!

At EH's besties 1st birthday party.

Sitting up in the tub and playing with toys.

That smile.

EH loves to hang with dad in his office.

Baby plank...building those muscles for crawling.

Mom and EH's favorite carry when trying to get things done around the house.

Cute new houseshoes from Gigi and Pops.

Just before attempting to take the boys down to our apartments play area...coffee was a necessity.

Playground fun.

Playground love.

Trying out the new carseat.

Love this little guy.

Everything goes in the mouth.

Watching Saturday College Game day with dad.

Can't wait for all we will experience alongside you this next month!