I've been waiting for this day for a long time. Well...for 6 months at least. In my mind, this is supposed to be the time when I am back at work, Oliver is sitting up by himself and eating solid food. In reality, things are slightly different. I'm now a stay-at-home mom, Oliver has been sitting up since 4 months old, and he did try some rice cereal and banana, but he is playing with it more than actually eating it.
Oliver now weighs 18.5 pounds and measures 28 inches tall. He's almost half my height! While sitting, he is able to lift his torso back up when he falls forward. Talk about strong ab muscles! He can scoot for a few feet forward to pick up a toy, move a toy out of his way. And he is making attempts to crawl. He is so close to doing it every time he tries, even after he falls, he gets right back up again. In his crib, he is constantly moving from one end of the mattress to the other. He has also figured out that he can pull down the bumper around his crib to see what's on the other side! It makes me want to set up a night vision camera to see what is going on. When Chris and I check on him before we go to bed, we just stand over the crib and can't help but giggle at Oliver's sleep position.
Oliver is also great at expressing his needs. He has learned to do a fake cough to get our attention or when he wants to change position. He throws his arms wide open when he wants to be picked up. And looks away when he is no longer interested in playing. Although his schedule seems to change daily, paying attention to the sound he makes and body language has really helped us learn and meet his needs.
Some of his favorite games now are peek-a-boo, sliding off the edge of the couch to jump onto daddy's lap, going from sit to stand (he never gets tired of it), sitting in a swing and watch the kids play at the park, tickles mommy's feet and making me laugh. And He laughs nonstop to the sound "beeeew!beeew!" like a laser gun.
Oliver has been a great sleeper for months, but lately with all the new skills he is learning, teething, separation anxiety, he is keeping mommy and daddy up half the night. We're doing everything we can to ease some of his growing pains and making sure he gets his naps during the day. We suspect the next baby milestone entry will be packed with exciting accomplishments as Oliver continues to cross things off his list.
