Is it July already??  This time last year I was four months pregnant.  Now Gavin is six months old, and full of personality.

Today was a big day, but before I jump into it, there are a couple of small updates.  His current favorite game is Peek A Boo.  Give that kid a small blanket, a cloth diaper, or anything that size, and he'll grab the corners, raise it over his face, and hold it there.  Until someone says "Wheeeeere's Gavin??"  Then he lowers it quickly and smiles so big when you look at him and say "There he is!!!!"  He will do this over and over again.  It is a riot.

I can currently smoosh my face into his belly and send him into a fit of giggles.  He loves playing with me on the changing table.  I can stand him on his feet on the changing table and hold his hips, and he gives me the most excited faces.  He also likes to "kiss" me while he's up there.  Meaning, he leans over with his mouth wide open to plant it over mine.  It's adorable, and I love his gummy, drooly kisses.  He smiles so much now, and at so many people.  This kid loves to learn.  He takes in everything around him and notices every detail.  He's trying so so so hard to push up and crawl.  He gets on his belly (and sleeps that way now), and kicks and kicks and kicks his little legs like he is under water.  Once this guy understands how to get himself up, he's going to be off like the road runner.

Some quick stats: He's in 6-9 month clothes on most things.  There's still a few 3-6 pieces that still fit.  :sniff:  He's wearing size 2 shoes.  He's 18.8 pounds, 27.5 inches long.  Meaning he's leaning out in percentiles.  He's getting taller than most kids his age, but he's leaning out.  His noggin is 43.5 centimeteres, putting him in the 45th percentile.  Little less than average sized noggin.  Interesting.  We'll have to see how that one plays out.

His doctor visit went well today.  He was excited and happy to see everyone that smiled at him.  He took to the exam like a champ, and was told that he was sitting up like a nine month old would do [proud mama grinned].  His motor skills look excellent, as are his senses.  So that is all good news.  Oh.  And his boys dropped.  Important, and not really a good segway to introduce that bit of info, so there it is.

We talked about my concerns with solids, when to feed him, how much, how often, what to feed him, etc.  We talked about my concerns with his gross motor skills and how I can manage his environment to give him a better benefit in that arena.  We talked about plastics, shampoos, sunscreen, and teething.  We talked a lot about the vaccination he was to be receiving that day as well.

We waited to give him his immunizations at six months so we would have a good handle on his personality and his daily routine.  So we would better see abnormal symptoms and know how to deal with them.  He was given the Hib vaccine today.  He was crying when I laid him on the table out of hunger and bordom protest to begin with, so when it came time to stick him (and yes, I had to be the one to help hold him down), all he did was pause for a second, then cry harder.  I felt awful.  But I picked him right up, scooped up our stuff, and moved him into the nursing room; where I proceeded to nurse and comfort him a bit.  There were a few more tears to be had, but overall, he was such a tough little guy.  Once he was fed, he was quiet, and calmed down.  And once he was in the car, he passed out, but not cold.  He had a low grade fever for the rest of the afternoon.  The poor kid slept from 12 noon until 5.

Gavin also had his first run with bananas and a sippy cup tonight.  The first being more successful than the second.  I put his biggest bib on him, grabbed a spoon, buckled him in his high chair, and for the first time, didn't give him blocks to play with.  The beginning of the end.  I started by giving him a couple of teeny spoonfuls to give him a chance to check out the texture and flavor, and see if he liked it.  After that, there was no stopping him.  He grabbed the spoon, and after smashing it into the side of his face, he made it to his mouth (bananas smeared all over the left side of his face), were he proceeded to suck off every last bit.  I took the spoon, put more 'nanas on it, then gave it back for more experimentation.  It was a smidge messy, but he got the idea really quick!

He got through about a quarter of a jar when he called it quits and decided he wanted Mama's Best instead of Earth's Best.  I tried to give him a sippy cup after wiping him clean with some water, but that was a no go.  He really didn't care for that at all... but I think it's just because I wet his appetite, and all he wanted was milk.

It was a big day for this little man.  But he handled it well.  I'm hoping he gets a good night's sleep after going to bed at 11pm, and dozes a little tomorrow morning to help get his bearings back to normal.  Breakfast at 9:30am of bananas again and milk.  Two more square meals (with two milk breaks in between), and we'll be off for his six month portraits.  I hope the later time suits him a bit better.  But we'll post up some pictures once we have them done.

Six months already.  Time is flying.