Whit is 6 months old!

Has it really been an entire month without a blog update? Wow... My bad : / But it's not for lack of subjects- the past month we have encountered many milestones, in fact! Isn't it ironic that the times with so much activity are the ones too busy to chronicle? (I believe that was in the original version of the song.)

When Whit turned 3 months old I heard from adoring strangers and friends alike that 3-6 months is their favorite stage of babyhood. Well, Whit is now 6 months. So... game over????

Nah... He just gets better and better!

*This is a long post, but it's my way of keeping track of all of his important moments to

 remember in the future so don't feel like you have to read it :) *

Whit @ 6 months!
15 lbs. 3 oz, 18%
27" long, 73%

• Whit went on his first plane ride! We visited my sister and her family for 12 days over Christmas and New Years. We were worried that he would be the only baby on the plane and noisy, but we were mistaken. On the flight to UT adults without young children were the major minority! Thankfully, Whit did really well! He had some cranky times, but wasn't ever the loudest baby :) 
• Has started to sit up on his own! He has been crying to stand up for months now, so I was afraid he would skip sitting up and crawling all together. I really want him to master those skills, though, so we have been spending as much of his awake time as possible getting him practice on his belly and sitting. We can sit him up and leave him unattended for almost a full minute now! 

• Doesn't mind tummy time as much, thanks to all of our recent practice. He just doesn't care about going anywhere! He'd rather just watch and interact vocally with us. I put toys out of the way, crawl in front of him, and NOTHING. He has started to show interest in inching forward, but we only let him play on areas around the house with baby blankets down so he gets distracted and just starts pulling up the blankets instead of actually getting anywhere :) His focus is pretty cute... 

• Has become quite the little manipulator! I read that babies don't know how to manipulate until around 6 months, so it's something I've been on the watch for. I do NOT want a spoiled child! Despite my best efforts to show him extreme love and care while still giving him boundaries and teach consequences, he knows how to get the attention he wants! This is most evident at night. Sometimes he fights sleep and will cry for a long time after being put to bed, and Ben and I watch him from a camera over his crib to discern when we should let him cry, or when we need to go in to him. He has learned that we will, eventually, come into the room so he has started crying then arching himself into a  full C to tilt his head back to be able to see the door and wait for us! He will cry, stop crying to look at the door, start crying again, look again... in a pattern until it has gone on so long that we do end up going in just to try and get him to sleep once and for all. You are so obvious, Whit! 

• Had his first cold and ear infection :( He showed full-blown cold symptoms a few days after we flew home from UT. He was congested, wheezed, sneezed, and coughed. Oh my poor darling... he was so pathetic! He would look up at me with red, puffy eyes and sneeze then immediately cough. It broke my heart! I called our health care 24hour nurse line twice, went in for two pharmacist consultations to find him OTC pain relief, and took him on a sick visit to our pediatrician. She diagnosed that he also had a very early, mild ear infection. I cried when she gave me that news. I actually cried. Oh. My. Gosh. I am that mom. I just hated the idea that he was in pain but too small to tell me what he needed! At least we got him on antibiotics right away, and I have been caught up enough on work that I can spend all of his awake time tending to his needs so he'll feel better. 
• Had an evening with his first non-relative babysitter! Ben and I had tickets to see Blue Man Group the night he got his ear infection, and I really debated staying home with him. His babysitter was a single adult from our ward with lots of experience with children, and she insisted that it was no big deal and we should go. This was the first time he'd been left with someone other than his grandmas or my sister while awake, and the first time someone else would put him to bed. I left two pages of notes and texted the whole time we were at the show, but he was great! Woo Hoo!!!! She even said he seemed like a really well-mannered, mild-tempered baby. WHAT??!?! Whit ALWAYS puts on his best behavior for doctors and strangers. I don't know what's with that kid. 

• Whit cut his first two teeth this month! The first came without much notice, but the second was a  two-week MESS. He woke up every hour at night for so long that we actually took him to an urgent care clinic during our vacation in UT because he was acting so radically different from the first tooth-- we were sure he had an ear infection or something! Nope. $50 for an office visit and baby Tylenol to hear that our son was just getting a tooth. THANKS. I think his chompers are pretty darn adorable, but I sort of miss the wide, muppet-style toothless grins. Now his smiles is more of a slit, or without opening his mouth at all, because he likes to feel his teeth (I get that way after a dental cleaning so I understand.) He also likes to bite! He doesn't bite too often when nursing, but I have had to check for blood a few times! (none.)
• Is becoming an accomplished eater. He LOVES dinner time. I know he would love additional solid snacks or another meal during the day, but I'm going to wait until his pediatrician gives the OK. For now he gets solid food mixed with cereal and formula at night. He opens his mouth for anything coming towards him! So far he has had bananas, avocado, prunes, peas, green beans, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, apple sauce, and pumpkin. He has taken every new food really well with the exception of avocado. He's had it four times and still gags and chokes every time, no matter how I prepare or mix it! I'm not giving up. Hear that, Whit? I'M NOT GIVING UP! 
• Can still wear some 0-3 and all 3-6 month shirts, but has outgrown his 3-6 months sleepers and pants. Tall and skinny, much? One of the first things strangers say when meeting him lately is that he is big, and they guess he's closer to 9 months than 6. He's actually really underweight for his age, thankyouverymuch. (I guess I'm still against him growing up too fast.)
• Shows a definite preference for some toys over others. His favorites are a Lamaze crinkle butterfly and his Baby Einstein music maker. LOVES THEM. 
• Is starting to look less like a baby and more like a little boy... a little bit.