Happy Half Birthday Declan!

It really is hard to believe that Declan is 6 months old (well, almost 7 months old at this point!  But the pics and letter were taken/written closer to the 6 month mark).  Time definitely goes by more quickly with your second child.  I often have to remind myself to soak in all of Declan's "baby-ness" because its going to fly by in the blink of an eye.  So when I'm feeling frustrated because I'm feeding Dec what seems like his millionth bottle, or I'm spending 20 minutes trying to rock him to sleep, I silently tell myself that these days will be over before I know it, and I'll be fighting to get this cuddly time back.

Declan really seems to have turned a corner in the last few weeks.  He's developed a lot, and I think its made him a happier baby, which in turn has made us a happier family.  Instead of surviving the days, we're spending more time actually enjoying them.  We're starting to find our groove as a family, and that's really important for all of us!

Below is Dec's 6 month letter, as well as his 6 month pics and a few random pics from around the same time.

Dear Declan,

Happy half year birthday!   

In last month’s letter, we said that your 5 month old theme was “just keep swimming.”  Well, that means your 6 month old theme should be “Yes I can!”  What a difference a month makes Declan! 

Last month you couldn’t quite sit up by yourself.  Now you can sit by yourself longer and longer every day.  If you do fall over, instead of screaming and crying, you usually just roll over and keep playing like its no big deal.

Sitting up on your own means there is a whole new world of toys that you can play with now, and we’ve already noticed that you have favorites.  You really like the bumpy orange football, the pretend car, and the stackable rings.  You still love your baseball rattle and the squishy blocks.  You’re also starting to let Mommy read you a short book while you’re sitting up, although you think it’s just as fun to taste test the book as it is to read it.

Last month you weren’t eating “solid” foods yet (by solids, we mean mashed up carrots, bananas, sweet potatoes, etc).  Just recently though, you seem to have gotten the hang of eating solids Declan.  You’re only eating one meal a day (dinner), but you’re actually eating that dinner, not just spitting it back out!  You do seem to enjoy some solids more than others.  Pears look to be your current fave, and you like bananas and peas as well.  Mommy tried to introduce a second meal today (breakfast) and you weren’t interested.  But as we’ve learned as parents, we just have to keep trying!

Another skill you’ve really mastered Declan is rolling over.  We knew you could roll over last month because we would see the result, but not the actual roll.  Now rolling over is your primary mode of transportation (other than riding on Mommy’s hip that is!).  You can easily roll from one side of the room to the other in pursuit of a toy or big brother that you want to play with.  And you’re so much more tolerant of being on your tummy.  Sometimes you will happily play on your tummy for 10 minutes, instead of the 10 seconds you tolerated before!

While Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you for achieving all these gross motor milestones Declan, we’re really excited about the fact that you are finally sleeping through the night!  Much like your Mommy and your brother, you’re a man of routine Declan.  So we can rely on you going to bed between 7-7:30 and waking up at 4:30.  You’ll usually go back to bed at 4:30 after Mommy or Daddy give you your pacifier, turns you over (you’re usually on your tummy) and turns your music back on.  But this is only a temporary fix and you’re usually ready and raring to go by 5:30.  Maybe your 7 month old goal can be to sleep in a little later?  J

It’s already hard to remember your “baby days” Declan!  When we look back at those pics of you from 6 months ago, it seems like we’re looking at this little tiny baby we don’t even know.  You’re growing into such a big boy with a wonderful personality.  Mommy, Daddy and Gavin are all looking forward to getting to know you better as you learn to move and communicate with us!  Happy 6 months Declan, we love you very much!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Aw, you can tell Dec is a little sad in this pic.  He wasn't enjoying the photo shoot at first...

 ...but then he found it hilarious!

 Our cute smiley boy.

 Mr. Poopers is growing up!

 A happier standing up pic

 A few random jumper pics, taken just after the 6 month photo shoot.

 "Why hello Mr. Frog.  I am about to spin you into oblivion."

 Deep Thoughts by Declan Gillespie

 A collage of Declan from birth to 6 months old.  The green Bumbo chair pic is 3 months old, and the drooly tongue out pic is 4 months old.  I would have liked to arrange the pics differently, but this is what you get with a free trial program!  Still kinda cool to see Dec grow up all in one picture.  (NOTE: Click on this pic to see the full image, it gets cut off when you view it as a part of the blog).