Hunter Monthly: 6 Months

**Apparently, I have used all of my picture space. If anyone can help with that, please let me know....**

Six months. It almost pains me to write that. No, actually it doesn't. Hunter gets more and more fun as the he gets older, and I find myself excited for the next month to come. He has grown up so much. It seems like I say that the past month was 'the' month for milestones, but each new month surprises me with what it has in store.

Hunter is full on sitting up, the only thing he can't do is get in position by himself. He can play forever sitting up, lean waaaaay forward on his hands to get a toy and then return to the position (he knows to slowly back up his hands the same way he walked them out), he can bounce like a crazy boy, turn around in circles to follow the object of his momentary affection, and my favorite.... reach his hands up for momma.

That is the other thing, he is showing a preference for mommy. I LOVE it. I have wished for this. Before I had kids, I said that I didn't want a child who only wanted mom, but who would go to anyone that I hand him to (key words- 'that I hand him to'). Once I started work, I had this overwhelming fear that he would prefer his nanny over me. I feel as though it is a realistic fear, he is with her more than I am in his waking hours, she feeds him during the day, comforts him, and rocks him to sleep (she better be rocking my baby to sleep rather than let him cry.....). I want him to like her, but not too much, if you catch my drift. I am not trying to be selfish, but I want to be his mom in every second that I am with him; and he let's me do it. The second I walk in to the room and talk, he whips his head around to find me. He smiles the most contagious and electric smile when he sees me. I can make him giggle better than anyone else, and he thinks that everything I do is pretty funny. I love it. He wants me to comfort him, and when he falls asleep on my shoulder, he fits just so perfect that I know we are both in heaven. I love being his mom, and I love that he wants me.

Hunt man is eating three solid meals a day. Well, as solid as they can be for a 6 month old. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He loves them and we have noticed that when he is really hungry he will say, "mmmmmmm" after each bite. I may very well be the excitement from him that he is getting another bite, but I think that it comes from us saying, 'Mmmmmmmm' as we feed him each bite. He is freaking adorable. He also loved the banana puffs.

He had his very first big holiday- Thanksgiving. He dressed very studly in his best 'Little Man' attire..... no turkey onesies for this big boy! He even got to wear his big boy shoes. We already knew he loved sweet potatoes from his pouches, but he LOVED when I mixed them with regular potatoes and he ate them a little less mashed.

Hunter also has a tooth! We went to his 6 month appointment and the doctor didn't feel anything. Later that afternoon I felt the smallest little poke from his gums, like the the very tippy corner of a tooth, and my mom felt it as well. Each day after that it was more and more pronounced. Now he has about half of his shiny little white tooth.

Little man is so strong! We have said this from birth, when he insisted on having his head up all the time. He was holding his head so steady from a super young age, sitting up with his crazy strong abs, you can't tear something out of his hands he grips it so tightly, when he bites on your finger even when it was just gums you would swear he was drawing blood, and his legs? Oh my word! This is all from birth I tell you, or rather since he was in my belly! He has been working on these muscles since then!

He is wanting to crawl sooooo bad, when he sits and sees something he wants, he will get on his hands and knees and rock back and forth, then he goes back to sitting. I am kind of ready, but know that I will be singing a different tune when he is actually crawling! I just think it will be so fun at Christmas if he is crawling around!

His sleep has hit a major rewind. He is definitely waking up at least once. For a week or so, it was ore than that. I think it was teething, and reaching all these milestones. I have heard that between month 5 and 6 it it common to hit a sleep regression as well as becoming clingy. We have both. I don't mind so much, but I do mind that we have to go against doctor's orders by feeding him to get him to go back to sleep. We KNOW that he can go all night with no bottle but hey, I have to work in the morning. We plan to work on this over the break. He is also still (sigh......) in our room at night. Wait for it..... in the swing. I know.... what 6 month old likes the swing? A spoiled one whose mom rocks him to sleep. I started a baaaad habit, and swear not to do it with the next one, but for now? I need him to sleep so I can sleep for Baby Brother/ Sister's sake as well as my sanity at work the next morning!

I think this is it, I hope that next month I can say that he is crawling!
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