It’s so cliché, but time really does fly when you’re a parent. Although the Trikester hit the ½ year mark earlier this month, it seems like I was holding a screaming newborn only yesterday.

We’re continuing our monthly photo tradition with a new hat; this time he’s sporting his first ever baseball cap.

Love my big boy!

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Sleep

Sleep has remained pretty much status quo. At the end of the month he was still sleeping in his Rock ‘N Play and waking up at 1:30 AM and 4:00 AM to nurse. It was a manageable schedule, though there was a streak of bad nights that left me bleary eyed and grumpy. The Trikester has started to consolidate his naps; in the morning he’ll typically sleep a good two hours, and then take two or three shorter afternoon naps.

Food

We’re all about BLW now. Most days the Trikester sits with us at the table and eats/plays with some kind of food during dinner. So far we’ve introduced the food in this order: banana, avocado, sweet potato and pear.  I wasn’t following any special pattern or list, just using whatever we happened to have on hand. We only introduce one new food at a time, and include it in his diet four days in a row. So far he’s been a huge fan of banana and shows a pretty obvious dislike for the avocado (though he’ll eat it if I mix it with banana).

The Trikester’s first encounter with a banana. He’s still working on his technique.

Although I let him eat the food “whole” he gets frustrated trying to put it into his mouth. I bought a crinkle cutter, which has helped, and found that roasting rounds of sweet potato gave them a nice firm “skin” that was easier for him to grasp. With super slippery things like pears and avocado, I’ll mash it up on a plate and hand him the food loaded on a baby spoon. He totally gets the concept of putting the spoon in his mouth, though it’s hit or miss if he swallows.

Disposition

When the Trikester’s sleep is good he’s a happy baby. When he could use a few more hours, he’s a fuss-budget. He’s starting to show some independence, and definitely lets us know when he’s displeased.  The most frequent comment we still hear from strangers is “Wow, he’s so alert.” FIL Tricycle has nicknamed him “Mr. Busy,” as he’s always checking something out with either his hands, mouth, or eyes.

Rocking the sweater his great grandma made him. She passed away a few months before he was born, so I love that he has something of hers to wear.

Milestones

We have a sitter! He can’t get into a sitting position on his own, but he does balance well enough if I get him upright. When he gets distracted or reaches for something he’ll tip to the left or the right, but for the most part he’s pretty steady. He loves to stand-up and bounce, and can stand on “his own” if he’s hanging onto something for support.

Love him.

Adventures

I celebrated my first Mother’s Day in May. My Mom and I got a pedicure, and we had a fantastic breakfast – it was so nice to relax and enjoy a little pampering. Mr. Tricycle came up with the CUTEST present – he and the Trikester painted flower pots together and he got FIL Tricycle to capture the whole thing on film. I loved the potted succulents, but it was so fantastic to get a memory card of images capturing the finger painting adventure. Now to come up with something equally as great for Father’s Day.

The Mother’s Day finger painting experience. I LOVE these photos.

We’re getting more and more comfortable taking the Trikester out in public. We can go to restaurants, although we always find ourselves eating with the senior citizens. It’s a manageable outing with just the two of us, and it’s even easier if we’re with a group, allowing us to pass him around the table as we eat. We’re looking forward to starting baby swim lessons in a couple of weeks and taking a few summer road trips.

His sweet face makes my day (and I’m totally admitting to editing out out the copious amounts of drool in this photo).

At the six month mark, I think we’ve finally hit our stride!

How did you spend your first Mother’s Day? Was it memorable?