6 months old - a huge milestone

 As soon as I laid him down on the table in Chan's office he wanted to investigate the wall paintings. (He later flipped to attack her doctor tools!)

Yesterday on his official 6 months :-)

Charlie is 6 months old :-)

17 lbs 2 oz (50th percentile)

27 inches in length (77th percentile)

44.8 Head Circumference (50th percentile)

So....all those people stopping me on the street telling me what a giant he is can stick it! His growth has tapered quite a bit but that is normal for breastfed babies at this stage.

I can't believe Charlie is 6 months old - it sounds like such a big boy and yet he is still my tiny baby. 6 months is a big milestone and I definitely had different ideas of what this "time" would be like when I was pregnant. Before Charlie was born I thought at 6 months babies did wayyyy more cool developmental stuff. Now that I'm a parent everything he does is cool (except monster cries and monster poops)...though he has me chasing him all over now that he does consecutive rolls to wherever he feels like going. I thought we'd be getting a lot more sleep for sure.  Chan-Sizzle says that Charlie has a super active personality (thus explains the constant/non-stop scanning...Jose says a personality like me) where it's difficult for him to shut off at night and even when he's sleeping.  After discussing our current sleep status she recommended a sleep consultant...which of course....insurance does not cover. (For those who don't know, CIO isn't working for us).  I also thought at 6 months that I'd be back to work or at least doing some volunteering a couple of afternoons a week. While there is a glimmer out there I do worry about Charlie staging a hunger strike without me there :-) We're working on bumping up the amount of solid foods. I also thought that by this milestone the house and travel would run like clockwork. I'd be smoothly in control and on top of all necessary baby items as well as whatever Jose and I need. Because Charlie's wants and needs constantly change I feel like I have just gotten the hang of something and  then he hits a new stage or we go on vacation or we all get sick. For those who know me well you know I'm a classic 1st born: anal, control freak but a genuine caregiver and lover. It's difficult for me to let things go around the house so that I can take a nap (which I desperately need) or to take some time to play with Charlie.  You might ask if you're not a stay at home mom - what the heck do you do all day? Well, between 8-9 diaper changes in the waking hours not including blow-outs which we have already had 3 today (they seem to come in spurts), 2 skin treatmentsfo eczema, feedings every 3 hours, 2 solid food feedings in the high chair (now getting bumped to 3 to increase the food volume) +set up and clean up time for those, play time, 2 loads of laundry +folding and putting away, meals & dishes, regular chores, re-organizing and washing C's stuff constantly because he has trashed it, chucked it or grown out of it....it all really adds up. Some days at the end of the day I find myself thinking did I shower this morning or was that yesterday? Have I brushed my teeth today and then wondering why Jose wants to kiss me. I definitely thought Jose and I would have a regular date night or weekly lunch date set up just for the two of us by now. It's amazing how scared many friends are to watch your baby and that DOES NOT inspire confidence to leave your baby behind. Overall Charlie is a healthy and happy boy. He's interested in everything he sees/hears/feels in new environments and that can be both stimulating and overstimulating for him. (He's especially interested in remote controls and cell phones this week) He's remarkably friendly for spending the majority of his time with just his mom in the condo. He will usually smile and respond with talking/reaching/kicking even to strangers if you give him a few minutes to warm up without shoving something or yourself in his face. Having Charlie is so fulfilling for us and we love how much attention we can give him right now. Some of you know that we were thinking about a potential baby #2 at 6 months and that is going to be on hold for some time I think.  Not only is he still our tiny baby that needs our full attention but many days I wake up and swear my body is still on prego detox.

Enough time on the computer - going to play with the little man.