Fridayblip - Six Months Old

Charleyboy is Six Months Old today.

We celebrated by having a blackberry massacre this morning for breakfast. Then he pooed, just as I was injecting my insulin - perfect timing! So it was a slightly rushed blackberry clean-up job in order to get his nappy dealt with and he's spent the day with blackberry stains in various places. At least his bath this morning got him generally clean, a bit of blackberry juice is nothing really!

Ben had a bath this morning too. AND a shower with me. And then got back in the bath to help with Charley's bath! Charley was trying to swim for his toys, lunging and reaching and kicking and dunking himself. Ben was pretending to be a stompy robot.

We were late down for breakfast and it was almost midday by the time we were all done. Ben was looking forward to school right up until it was time to put shoes on, then he started wobbling and was crying by the time we got to school. Not because he didn't want to go, but because he didn't want me to leave him. I stayed long enough for him to make binoculars (they are still at school, waiting for him on Monday) (I hope!), and to talk to the preschool manager about fees. (It makes more sense now, the fees thing, and they're also making some changes so that nobody else gets a shock like I did.) I disappeared when he went off to play outside. When I picked him up later on he was full of smiles and chattered about his day and told me he'd stopped crying! I do love him so much.

Charley and I went into town. I wanted to get Ben's Lego, and take another poster to the Post Office. We ended up spending the whole afternoon out. Tea and a scone in peace at our cafè, where a smiley Charley made friends with one of the staff and had a chomp on his knuckle, a mooch around the shops hunting for birthday presents, a quick nappy change, and the bus home again in time to pick Ben up on our way past.

Home to wrap presents and pack bags for the evening and wait for Steve, and off for a birthday barbecue for a special eight year old.

Wonderful evening, great company, and food, always come away feeling blessed.

Ben fell asleep on our bed by himself while I was getting Charley ready - he evidently was too tired and sleepy, and just gave up and closed his eyes and fell asleep!! Charley has been asleep most of the evening as well, having had bread roll, sausages, potato, cucumber and blackberries for his tea.

So, Charley, at Six months old:

Is 14lbs and in 3-6 month clothes. Needs big trousers (to fit over the nappy) although in this weather trousers are really kind of optional. His new nickname is Coot, as in, Bald As A. Because he's not really bald, it just looks that way. He has blue-grey eyes just like his dad.

He:
* can roll from side to side on demand, even with a fat nappy on
* can roll from front to back and get stuck
* can roll from front to back if he doesn't think about it
* is trying hard to sit unaided. He wants to but keeps getting distracted by toys that he then lunges for
* lets me know when he wants something, be that a nappy change, milk, sleep or food. He knows what he wants. I'm not so good at interpreting but I'm learning!
* picks food up and eats it, will try anything
* has figured out to get me to hold things for him if they're just too slippery to keep hold of long enough to get them in his mouth
* weight bears on his legs, and "walks" if we help him keep balance (he is big giant monster baby coming to get Ben when we do this!)
* understands the "ready, go" command to hold his breath for submersions in swimming
* understands the difference between "ready, sit up" and "ready, stand up" and tenses up ready accordingly
* has been trying food for three weeks, since it became impossible to keep his hands away from my food
* shouts if I take too long getting food ready

He has tried:
* blackberries, strawberries, banana
* sausages, chicken, beefburger
* chips, boiled potatoes, mash, pasta, rice, yorkshire puds, breadsticks
* toast, bread, crumpets, butter, jam, marmalade
* porridge, weetabix, krave, malties (like shreddies), weetos
* raw tomatoes, cucumber, pepper
* cooked carrots, mushrooms, celery, kidney beans
* sausage casserole, chilli and rice, roast chicken dinner, carrot and coriander soup, cheese sandwiches, pizza, french toast, pancakes
* stem ginger cookie, chocolate Herman cake, fruit shortbread biscuits, almond biscotti, cheddar thins
* much more that I can't remember

He likes:
* sitting in his bumbo, making a mess
* blackberries
* chips
* breadsticks
* cuddles
* wrap-sleeps in the morning
* booby-sleeps in the afternoon
* Ben
* Daddy
* Mama
* Hoopy, Bippety, Humpty, Alan, Ladybird, Caterpillar, and all the other critters he shares his playmat with
* being naked on his playmat
* swimming
* baths
* bedtime

He dislikes:
* being disturbed while eating
* waking up to discover Mama is Not There
* Mama not being there, especially if Ben is not there either
* waiting for Mama to get ready for bed
* being squashed
* Daddy sneezing