Sitting Up

The blog has been pretty heavy on feeding posts as of late since that has been one of Pierce's major accomplishments over the last month. Yesterday, I picked him up at day care and he was sitting up unsupported playing with a book. He looked so big! I caught his new skill on camera last night. He doesn't try to pull himself up to sitting on his own, but he will balance for a while if set in that position. After the sitting pictures there are some cute miscellaneous pictures from month 6 to oooh and aaah over.

Feeding Frenzy

Pierce recently tried avocado and adores it! He loves it so much that he grabbed the spoon out of my hand, began feeding himself (with some success), and simultaneously banging the spoon on his Bumbo tray. Who knew feeding time could be so much messy fun?

Laughing Machine

Pierce LOVES peek-a-boo and put on a great laughing show during Nana's visit. He was in stitches. The videos are basically the same, one from head on and one from the side. His whole body was loving the game!





Pierce has also discovered Carter (the cat) and Sadie (the dog). He gets a big smile on his face and his whole body wiggles when one of the pets is close by. He starts giggling every time Sadie kisses him, and I happened to catch the moment on camera. Our little animal lover!

Half a Year!

Pierce celebrated his 6 month birthday yesterday, and it's amazing how much he has changed. Below you'll see a picture from day 1 and a photo from his 6 month birthday (thanks for capturing, Nana!). He changes everyday and it's been wonderful watching his growth for the last 6 months. It's hard to believe he is halfway to 1!Pierce had his 6 month doctor's appointment last week and is sprouting like crazy. He is still very long at 27.5 in (85%) and had a huge jump weight-wise. He is 16 lbs. 12 oz. (42%)--up from 13% at 4 mos. Solid food has been his friend! He continues to love everything he eats and has tried the following: sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, zucchini and bananas. He got the green light to eat all fruits and veggies except fruits with seeds on the outside (like strawberries) and that we can introduce them more quickly. Pears are next on the list!

We've been spoiled by having Nana and Pops out here for the last week babysitting and visiting. Pierce decided to bring out all of his smiles, laughs and tricks for their visit, including a new chin-down move on his activity mat (see video below). We had a great time visiting with Nana and Pops, and celebrating Pierce's first Valentine's day with both sets of grandparents. We'll all have the chance to get together again over Easter.

Cousin Love

Chris, Liz and Foster spent the night with us last weekend, and the boys were much more aware of each other this time around. They greeted each other on Saturday morning with hugs and kept looking at the other and reaching out to hold hands. Too cute!We were also visited by Becca, Brian and Ian on Saturday night. Ian will be 2 in March and Becca and Brian are having their second baby that month too. Ian LOVED Sadie and Carter and was great with Pierce! We somehow managed not to capture any pictures of them together, so hopefully we can get together again soon and bring our cameras along.

Pierce is only one week away from his 6 month checkup (it will be a week early). We can't wait to see how much our little munchkin has grown! He's starting to be interested in sitting up, and loves sitting on my belly (assisted) and playing peek-a-boo while looking down at me. He can do a tripod sit unassisted for a couple of seconds before toppling over. Such a big boy.

One potato, two potato, sweet potato...more?

Sweet potatoes won out in the race to be the first veggie in Pierce's repertoire. His primary source of nutrition for his first year will be milk/formula, but solids are fun to explore. We tried veggies for the first time on Sunday and he LOVED them! He enjoyed them on their own and mixed in with cereal, and finished the whole serving (a couple of tablespoons mixed with a couple of tablespoons of rice cereal) even attempting to feed himself. It is so much fun to feed him and watch (and listen to him) enjoying food. Our pediatrician suggested that we stick with one vegetable for a week before introducing another one, so I have a home-cooked store of sweet potatoes for lunch and dinner this week. We're thinking carrots for veggie #2! There are some pictures from the feeding below.
We also set up a foam play area in the living room so that once Piercy starts moving and grooving, he has a soft surface to explore and fall on. Plus the foam is easy to wipe down and clean when kid (and dog!) accidents happen! The textures on the mat are fun to play with which makes tummy time that much more appealing.

Hitting the Slopes

Besides getting a terrible cold at day care, Pierce had a great second week at school (as did mom). He has a girlfriend (Brianna) and is charming all of the kids and teachers alike. He is the youngest in the infant room for now, so is the center of attention--he would have it no other way! He smiles and talks his way through his days, and has learned how to put himself to sleep at nap time, which he demonstrated for mom and dad this weekend. I worked on napping without nursing to sleep for a while before going back to work, but couldn't tolerate his fussing to sleep. He only needed 2 weeks at school to pick up the skill. Hooray for all of us! He has picked up sucking the thumb of his left hand (future lefty?), which helps soothe him during the day. Just like his night-time sleep he immediately rolls onto his belly to nap. It's very cute to see! The nap picture is from another napping session--it's just a sweet shot. He had his 5 month birthday on Friday. It's funny that he seems to incorporate all of his new skills just as he enters a new month of life. Can't wait to see what 6 months brings!
This weekend we were lucky enough to head up to Vermont to visit good friend Jon Mingle and Scott and Alisa Harrison. Jon is a caretaker at a homestead in Randolph Center, and can ski out of his back door onto 400 acres of beautiful country side. The whole family went out for a cross-country skiing adventure in beautiful weather. Pierce loved the fresh air (but needed some sunglasses). He loves taking in the scenery when we are out and about. And he is finally out of the infant insert in the Ergo so gets a much better view of the surroundings. Thanks to Jon for hosting us!
Today (Monday), we had a cozy day at home in the morning, and Pierce got to test out his new floor playmat. He has taken to "swimming" when placed on his belly during awake time--watch out Michael Phelps. I am sure as soon as he gets some traction our little boy will be on the move.

We are entering our second week of rice cereal which Pierce is still loving. Next week we can venture into orange vegetables, so I am getting the babycooker out and cleaned. The big question is--carrots or sweet potatoes?