My 6 month check up

Well I survived another round of shots at the pediatricians. He says I'm doing just fine! I now weigh 16 pounds and I'm 24 inches tall. I'm still little for my age but my growth rate and weight is increasing every time so that's good.
Mom got some clarifications on things. I'm not teething. I'm all set on solid foods and well I just need to get sleeping better and all will be right in the world. I have to go see a cardiologist because I have a heart murmur but it's nothing serious. Just something to keep an eye on.
So healthy baby here!

I eat rice cereal!

Well now that I am officially 6 months old mom and I have started experimenting with what they call "solid foods." We've been trying rice cereal for the last couple of days and I seem to be getting the hang of it! This morning I actually ate from the spoon and didn't spit it right back out. I actually kind of chewed it! Mom was thrilled! I didn't eat very much because I got bored but man it was kind of fun.
Mom tries to feed me solid foods twice a day at 9am and 5pm. I have a whole set up with high chair, bibs and bowl and spoon. I like to play with the spoon and I really like to throw the bowl around. I have a big tarp under my high chair so I don't destroy the floors.
For my 6 month birthday, mom gave me a new puppet. It's a Phoenix. I like it very much because it has funny hair and is very brightly colored and it flies!
Anyway, it's a whole new world over here and we are having a blast. Dad has been busily working baseball games so I don't get to see him much except at night. We have a party at 2am! Mom is trying to get me to sleep through the night but I'd much rather party with daddy so I get up once a night still. Mom says this is a big step from when I was up all night in the beginning. I still nap pretty well during the day too so mom can get breaks and get things done.
My new nannie Saane is very nice. I see her a few days a week which also gives mom opportunities to go out and buy me things.
I still see grandma Julie and Diane a lot which is fun! I also get to see a lot of mom's friends. We go everywhere together.
I guess that pretty much catches us up.

Yosemite Four : Scenic Shots

I let Dad put up a few of his scenic shots. I looked and he really took many good pictures, but then again even I could have taken good pictures at Yosemite and I am only 6 months old! The first is a view of the valley floor and the Merced River from Inspiration Point, the second shot with the rainbow is the mist-jetstream at the bottom of Yosemite Falls. The third shot is Nevada falls from our Vernal Falls walk and the fourth is an unknown but pretty falls by our hotel. I bet Dad didn't tell you the Vernal Walls was straight uphill and I really appreciate Dad taking me up the hill to see that beautiful sight because it could not have been easy. Dad showed in the book it said an easy climb, but I am not sure about that. We noticed again the fashionably dressed Euros didnt make it to far on this climb.

Yosemite III

These are some more shots of our trip. First one is of Dad and I in front of El Capitan. That was one really big rock in the middle of the valley. Next is a nice shot of the family in front of Yosemite Falls, I told Mom and Dad Uncle Roy can use that for the Christmas card when that comes up later in the year. Mom describes the man who took the pictures as a very scary man who she would never trust if she met him alone on the street, but despite his dishevelled nature, he took an okay picture (although it took him a few tries, the pushing the button thing was tricky for him). The third shot is Mom and I at Bridevail Falls. Bridevail Falls is spectacular and under-rated. We got very wet from the mist there and it felt great, it was actually the first thing we did after our long drive on Thursday.

Yosemite Part II

On Friday we spent the entire day at the Park. We left at 7:30 AM as I was wide awake, and we did not return until 5pm which was amazing to Mom and Dad. I took lots of little naps, but Mom and Dad were smart about when to use my Baby Bjorn, and when to use my new slick stroller. We started out at Yosemite Falls which was an amazing feeling. We went on the bridge and it was the world coolest air conditioner. At the base of the falls there was like a 50 mph wind on the bridge with a heavy wave of mist. Mom and Dad said it felt spectacular (so much we went BACK there again at the end of the day). We also did Vernal Falls, which was beatuiful and the Mirror Lake which was dissapointing because Mom thought it looked like nothing more than a pond. As you can tell from these pictures, I was having a really good time. I also did another momentus thing in my life, as I got to ride the bus. They had free shuttles Mom and Dad would use and I really liked it. I would give all the Euros goofy smiles and make them laugh. All the Australian people dressed really funny, like they didnt care if anything matched.

My Yosemite Trip with Mom and Dad : Part 1

Dad had a couple extra days off for all those baseball games he works, but it is great because we can take little vacations. Our first mini vacation was Yosemite, and did I ever have a good time. These first couple pictures are from the deck of our hotel at the Yosemite View Lodge. It was a great place because it was about a stones throw (even though I can only throw about a foot so far) from the National Park. You can see the Merced River was solid white water and it sounded like jet engines even in the middle of the night. What a great place to stay. Dad and I would sit on the deck and listen to the roar of the river! We had quite a trip getting there as we drove for 2 hours to Merced only to get off the freeway and see a sign that said "Road closed, no Yosemite access"..Amazingly Dad didn't panic but we turned around an hour and then went in Route 120 which was really slow. Mom and I were a little worried when Dad told us it would take an extra 3 hours, but somehow it still ended up okay even though we could have flown to New York faster than we drove to Yosemite.

Tummy Time Again

So I keep working on tummy time at home and I am getting much better! These are a couple of action shots from last week. I am trying to get to my Frog block that I really like!

Look at me, I am a little man!

It was warm last Sunday, so mom let me wear my tiger shirt and shorts (when you are still a little guy shorts are not necesarilly short!) along with my spiffy new shoes. I almost look like a grown up, dad says this is one of his favorite pictures of me now

Photos : Visiting Grandad Ward

Here are some pictures of me visiting grandad's office. He let me play with his fuzzy little E.F.Mutton

Checking in

Well let's see. I've been just having so much fun over here! I'm still getting the hang of solid foods. Tonight mom is going to try rice cereal and see what that does for me. So far applesauce has been pretty good and I'm getting better at eating it--versus it just being all over my face and bib.
Mom went on a trip over the weekend which she says was very nice but she missed dad and I terribly so she's equally glad to be home.
On Sunday night, I went over to grandma Diane and Ward's with mom and dad for dinner and that was fun. They introduced me to this peacock puppet that I liked very much. It made me laugh and squeal.
Other than that, mom and I still go on our daily walks and say hello to the ducks. The ducklings are getting very big and starting to behave like adult ducks. They are still fuzzy but much bigger and now they swim all the time.
Mom is itching to take me to a baseball game but is nervous I won't last very long and it's kind of a long drive. I think we may go this weekend.
I'm getting better at rolling over and I really enjoy my toys. I now shove my entire hand in my mouth and suck on it really loud. Mom says it's quite a site. Oh and my bibs are taking quite a beating with all my drooling. Mom's still not convinced I'm teething although I am now very vocal and have developed some new interesting noises that mom assumes are good.
I also now sit at the table with mom and dad every night for dinner. It's kind of fun. I play and they eat.
Tonight I go over to grandma Julie and Wally's. I haven't seen them in a while. That will be fun!
I guess that's it for today.